JP2003077633A - Electric heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide rich and calm feeling, and to improve the convenience by irradiating the light on a body of an electric heater from the inside thereof. SOLUTION: An electric heater comprises a body 1, an induction heating coil 3 which is accommodated in the body 1 to heat a work, a light source 4 to irradiate a side surface 1a of the body 1, and a control means 5 to control the induction heating coil 3 and the light source 4. Rich and calm feeling can be given by irradiating the light on the side surface 1a to direct an image that the electric heater is heated by flame, and the convenience of users can be given by visually displaying the cooking progress or any abnormal cooking condition by the light flashing or the color.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric heating device in which a side surface of a translucent body is internally irradiated with light.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, induction heating cookers, rice cookers, jar pots, hot plates, grill pans and the like have been widely used as electric heating devices used at home. A decorative plate is used for the main body that forms the outer shell of these electric heating devices,
The surface was plain or patterned to match or enhance the appearance of the surrounding equipment.

[0003]

However, with the development of the living culture, in particular, the improvement of eating habits, the electric heating device is required to be more comfortable and comfortable, or to be convenient. It's starting to happen.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and provides an electric heating device which gives a feeling of comfort and comfort by irradiating the main body of the electric heating device from the inside with light, and also improves convenience. The purpose is to do.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the electrothermal device of the present invention is configured to irradiate light to the side surface from the inside of the translucent body. With this configuration, for example, a feeling of heating the electric heating device with a charcoal fire is given, and a feeling of comfort and comfort is given, and blinking of light,
Alternatively, it is possible to inform the user of the progress status of heating, an abnormality of the device, and the like by changing the color and brightness of the light, thereby improving the convenience.

[0006]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In the invention described in claim 1, at least a part of the side surface of the main body is irradiated with light from the inside. With this configuration, for example, the feeling of heating the electric heating device with a charcoal fire is given, giving a feeling of comfort and comfort, and the progress of heating due to blinking of light or changes in light color or brightness etc. It is possible to inform the user of abnormality of the device and the device, and improve convenience.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a main body, heating means which is housed in the main body and which heats an object to be heated, light irradiation means which illuminates at least a part of a side surface of the main body, the heating means and the With the configuration including the control unit that controls the light irradiation unit, the side surface can be irradiated with light with a simple configuration.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the light irradiating means is composed of a light source and a light guide for guiding the light from the light source, whereby a pattern can be drawn on the side surface.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the light guide body is composed of an L-shaped body, and the light emitting portion is provided on one side of the L-shaped body, so that the range of light irradiation on the side surface is reduced. Can be expanded.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the light guide body is formed of a rod-shaped body, and the rod-shaped body is processed into a desired shape such as a straight line, a circle or a quadrangle, and is used. Can be effectively used and a pattern can be drawn on the side surface with a simple configuration.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a secondary luminous body layer is provided on at least a part of the side surface of the main body, and the secondary luminous body layer is irradiated with light, whereby an arbitrary figure is formed on the side surface. You can draw.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, by using at least three colors of red, green, and blue as the light source individually or in combination, the side surface can be illuminated with any color.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the light irradiating means or the light source is configured to be swingable, so that fluctuation due to light can be expressed on the side surface.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the light irradiation means or the light source is configured to be rotatable, so that fluctuations due to light can be expressed on the side surface.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, a side face having an arbitrary pattern can be obtained by interposing a film having a pattern drawn between the side face of the main body and the light irradiation means.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the pattern can be easily drawn by providing the irregular reflection layer unevenly on the surface facing the light emitting portion.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the light irradiating means is configured to turn on, blink, change in color, and change in brightness according to a signal from the control means to express various patterns and states. You can

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the control means outputs the signal according to the output of the heating means, so that the convenience for the user is improved.

According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the control means is configured to output a signal in accordance with the progress of heating of the object to be heated, thereby improving the convenience for the user.

According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the light pattern gives a feeling of comfort and comfort to the user by making the pattern in the image of a flame.

[0021]

The basic constitution of the present invention is that the translucent side surface is irradiated with light from the inside of an electric heating device having a heating means. The irradiation method includes a direct irradiation from a light source and a light guide. There is a method of indirectly irradiating via. Less than,
Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) A case where an induction heating cooker is used as an electric heating device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an induction heating cooker as an electric heating device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a main body that constitutes the outer shell of the induction heating cooker,
A transparent synthetic resin such as polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyamide, polyimide, polysulfone, or acrylic is used for the main body 1. Then, the side surface 1a of the main body 1 is illuminated with light. Reference numeral 2 is a top plate provided on the upper surface of the main body 1, 3 is an induction heating coil provided below the top plate 2, and 4 is a light source as a light irradiation means. Further, 5 is a control means for controlling the induction heating coil 3 and the light source 4. Reference numeral 6 denotes a temperature detecting means, which is in contact with the top plate 2 and measures the temperature thereof.
Reference numeral 7 denotes a container to be heated, which is placed on the top plate 2 corresponding to the induction heating coil 3.

The operation and action of the induction heating cooker configured as described above will be described below.

When the container 7 to be heated is placed on the top plate 2 and the power is turned on, an eddy current is generated in the container 7 to be heated by the magnetic field generated by the induction heating coil 3, and the container 7 to be heated 7 is heated.
Is heated, and the object to be heated in the container 7 to be heated is heated.
At this time, the light source 4 is turned on to emit light, and the side surface of the main body or the lower surface to the side surface of the main body is irradiated with light.

The light irradiation will be described below.

In the figure, the light source 4 is turned on and the side surface 1a of the main body 1 is irradiated with light. The side surface 1a, which is the surface to be illuminated, is not uniform in brightness depending on the distance from the light source or the light distribution of the light source, and can be bright or dark in different parts. This gives the user a feeling of floating of the electric heating device, giving a feeling of comfort and comfort. Here, when the light source 4 is attached with an oscillating device to oscillate, or a rotative device is attached to rotate or reciprocally rotate, the light and darkness of the side surface 1a moves, causing fluctuation, so-called charcoal heating. It can give a feeling.

Further, by using the three colors of red, green and blue individually or in combination as the light source, and changing the output and the combination of the colors by the control means 5, the visual feeling can be changed. Further, it is possible to change the output light from the light source 4 by using a filter and moving the filter.

Further, by attaching a film with a pattern drawn on the inner surface of the side surface 1a or drawing a pattern on the side surface 1a itself, it is possible to visually perceive it as a raised pattern.

Furthermore, the temperature of the food to be cooked, the progress of cooking or an abnormal state can be indicated by blinking or a change in color, thereby improving convenience.

The light source 4 used in this embodiment is a point light source such as a light bulb or an LED (light emitting diode),
Alternatively, there is a linear light source using a fluorescent tube or a light guide described later.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to produce a flame-like image to give a feeling of comfort and space and to improve convenience.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an induction heating cooker as an electric heating device in Embodiment 2, and FIG.
(A), (b) is a perspective view of the light guide used for the induction heating cooker as the electric heating device. The present embodiment has substantially the same basic configuration as the embodiment, except that the side surface 1a of the main body 1 is irradiated not through the light source but through the light guide. Moreover, the same reference numerals are used for the same functions as in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The light irradiation in the second embodiment will be described below.

In the present embodiment, the light irradiation means 8 is composed of the light source 4 and the plate-shaped light guide 9. Further, the plate-shaped light guide 9 is composed of a light incident part 10 for taking in light, a light guide part 11 for guiding the incident light, and a light emitting part 12 for radiating the light to the outside.

FIG. 3 shows a plate-shaped light guide 9 used in FIG.
(A) is a case where the plate-shaped light guide 9 is integrated and three light sources are provided, and (b) is a plate-shaped light guide 9 divided into 6 parts.
The figure shows a case in which a light source is provided for each of the divided light guides.

The light emitted from the light guide is mainly emitted in the direction normal to the surface of the light emitting portion, in this case, in the direction perpendicular to the surface. In FIG. 2, since the light emitting portion 12 and the side surface 1a of the body 1 are parallel to each other, the side surface of the body 1 corresponding to the light emitting portion 12 is strongly illuminated, and the shape of the light emitting portion 12 is projected. Be done. That is, if the light emitting portion 12 has any figure or pattern, the figure or pattern can be recognized.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the light emitting section 1 has an angle Θ with respect to the light guiding direction indicated by an arrow.
By providing 2, the irradiation position and range of the side surface 1a can be changed. In addition, as shown in FIG.
By making 2 a spherical surface, the irradiation range of the side surface 1a can be expanded.

Now, by masking a part or a few places of the light emitting portion 12 to form a portion through which light does not pass, a pattern corresponding to the masked portion can be drawn on the side surface 1a.

When a swinging device is attached to the light irradiating means 8 and the entire or end portion of the light guide 9 is swung, the pattern on the side surface 1a also swings. For example, when it swings up and down, the pattern on the side surface 1a also swings up and down. Further, when it is swung back and forth or left and right, the pattern on the side surface 1a becomes darker, lighter, clearer or blurry.

Further, a rotating device is attached to the light irradiation means 8,
The pattern can be moved by rotating or reciprocatingly rotating it. Of course, at this time, it is necessary to form a pattern on the light emitting portion 12 by masking or the like. In addition, when the light emission color of the light source 4 is changed in various ways and rotated, the change in light can be recognized as a pattern. In addition, the light guide 9 is fixed and the light source 4
Only one may be swung or rotated. As a result, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

By changing the voltage or current of the light source 4, the brightness of the light source 4, that is, the brightness of the light emitting section 12 can be changed. Further, it is possible to irradiate various lights by forming a set of light sources of three colors of red, green and blue and changing the voltage or current of each light source to integrally guide the light in the same direction.

Further, by providing a plurality of light guides 9 and using them as one body or as a separate body, various patterns and changes can be drawn on the side surface 1a.

In particular, in the case of expressing the image of a flame in the case of an electric heating device, red is used as the luminescent color, the voltage or current of the power source of the light source 4 is changed, the light irradiation means 8 is swung, or rotated. By doing so, a dynamic feeling, that is, a flame-like feeling can be expressed on the side surface 1a.

An arbitrary pattern can be drawn by providing a film on which a pattern is drawn on the side surface 1a, etc., and irradiating the pattern with the light from the light emitting section 12. In particular, if the film is provided with wrinkles, it will give a fantastic image due to complicated reflection. Also, the image of flame can be given by using rotation and rocking together. Of course, a pattern may be formed on the main body itself when the main body 1 is molded, or the pattern may be printed or printed.

There is also a method of providing a filter in front of the light source 4 and moving the filter to change the color and feel.

Further, as an application of the pattern of light, the temperature of the container 7 to be heated is detected by the temperature detecting means 6, and the light irradiating means 8 is turned on, blinking, changing the color, changing the brightness, or the heating means. It is possible to visually recognize the state of the electric heating device by detecting the output of the above or the progress of cooking and turning on and off the light irradiation means 8, changing the color, and changing the brightness. it can.

Further, for example, the fact that the temperature rise is abnormal can be visually expressed by means such as blinking, so that it is possible to call attention and improve safety.

The swinging, rotating or lighting, blinking, color change, and brightness change of the light irradiating means 8 may be performed by the control means 5 individually or in combination.

In the above description, the irradiation of light is performed by the side surface 1a of the body 1.
However, it may be performed on a part of the side surface instead of the entire side surface, or on the bottom surface other than the side surface 1a or from the bottom surface to the side surface.

The light source 4 used in this embodiment may be a light bulb, an LED (semiconductor diode), or a discharge lamp such as a fluorescent lamp. In particular, LEDs are preferable because they have various emission colors and are small in size.

In this embodiment, the case where the light irradiating means is provided at a position having a certain height has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be provided near the bottom surface. At this time, if a reflecting plate or the like is provided at a position facing the light emitting portion 12 so that the light emitting portion 12 cannot be clearly seen, a feeling that light is applied from below can be obtained.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by irradiating the main body of the electric heating device with light from the inside, it is possible to give a feeling of comfort and comfort and to improve convenience.

(Embodiment 3) FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b) are sectional views of a light guide of an induction heating cooker as an electric heating device in Embodiment 3 of the present invention. The same functions as those in the first and second embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 5A, an L-shaped light guide 13 is used as a light irradiating means, and one side 13 a of the L-shape is formed on the side surface 1 of the main body 1.
and the light emitting portion 12 is parallel to a and has an L-shaped side 13a.
It is either entirely inclined or curved over the entire surface. Thereby, the side surface can be illuminated over a wide range.

Further, FIG. 5B shows the light emitting portion 12 on one side 13a of the L-shaped light guide provided discontinuously. As a result, a striped pattern can be obtained.

In this embodiment as well, the light irradiating means 8 is swung or rotated as in the second embodiment, and the light source 4 is used.
Even if the voltage or the current is changed, the emission color is changed, a pattern is provided on the film, or the film is used, the same effect as that of the second embodiment can be obtained.
Further, it is possible to improve the convenience in the same manner as the second embodiment depending on the output of the induction coil or the progress of heating, or for the abnormal state.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 6 is a plan view of a light guide of an induction heating cooker as an electric heating device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. The same functions as those of the first to third embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, a rod-shaped body is used as the light guide. In FIG. 6, the rod-shaped body is a ring-shaped light guide body 14,
Light sources 4 are provided at both ends thereof. A reflection layer 15 is provided on an inner peripheral portion of the main body 1 facing the side surface 1a, and a pattern is drawn on the side surface 1a by the light reflected from the reflection layer 15. Further, by providing the reflection layer 15 near the bottom surface and irradiating the side surface 1a with the reflected light obliquely, the irradiation range can be widened and the light can be dimly radiated. Also, by not providing a part of the reflective layer, eliminating the reflection from that part,
You can draw discontinuous patterns.

Also in this embodiment, as in the second embodiment, masking is performed, the light irradiation means 8 is swung or rotated, the voltage or current of the light source 4 is changed, the emission color is changed, or Even if a film or the like is provided with a pattern or a filter is used, the same effects as those of the first to third embodiments can be obtained. Further, it is possible to improve the convenience in the same manner as the second embodiment depending on the output of the induction coil or the progress of heating, or for the abnormal state.

Further, in this embodiment, the ring-shaped light guide 14 is used.
Since it is used, since it can be arranged around the device, the height can be reduced accordingly.

In the present embodiment, the case where the rod-shaped light guide body 14 is formed in a ring shape has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the rod-shaped light guide body 14 is processed into a rod-shaped or quadrangular state or a shape similar thereto. And used as a light guide. The rod-shaped light guide body may be used not only as an integrated body but also as a divided body according to the purpose.

The cross section of the rod-shaped light guide may be a circle, a quadrangle or a shape similar thereto, or the rod-shaped light guide may be a hollow or pipe-shaped light guide.

(Embodiment 5) FIG. 7 is a sectional view of an induction heating cooker as an electric heating device in Embodiment 5 of the present invention.
The same functions as those in the first to fourth embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 7 is a side view 1 of the main body 1 in the first embodiment.
The secondary light emitting layer 16 is provided on the inner surface of a. The light source for irradiating the secondary light emitting layer 16 may be the light source 4 or the light irradiating means 8 described in the above embodiment.

The present embodiment is characterized in that the secondary light emitter layer 16 is irradiated with light, and the secondary light emitter layer receives the light and emits light to draw a pattern on the side surface 1a. Therefore, if an arbitrary pattern is drawn using the secondary light emitter material, the pattern can be drawn on the side surface 1a. At this time, the light may not pass through the side surface 1a other than the secondary light emitting layer 16 or may pass through the side surface 1a.

As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to easily draw an arbitrary pattern. Further, these patterns can obtain the same effects as those described in Examples 1 to 4 by changing the color, swinging or rotating, or interposing a film. Further, the state can be visually indicated according to the output of the induction coil or the progress of heating, or by means such as blinking even for an abnormal state.

In this embodiment, the light is directed to the side surface 1a of the main body 1.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that a part of the side surface or the bottom surface may be irradiated.

Further, although the case where the method of the present invention is used in the induction heating cooker has been described in the above first to fifth embodiments, the present invention is not limited to this, and the above-mentioned rice cooker, jar pot, The same effect can be obtained when used in a device for cooking with electric heat such as a hot plate or a grill pan.

[0070]

As described above, according to claims 1 to 12.
According to the invention described in Item 15, since the side surface is irradiated with light from the inside of the electric heating device, it is possible to give a feeling of comfort and a feeling of comfort. Further, according to the invention described in claim 12 or 13, the convenience of the electric heating device can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an induction heating cooker as an electric heating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an induction heating cooker as an electric heating device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a light guide of the induction heating cooker. (B) A perspective view of another light guide of the induction heating cooker.

FIG. 4 (a) is a sectional view of a light guide of the induction heating cooker. (B) Sectional drawing of the other light guide of the same induction heating cooker.

FIG. 5 (a) is a sectional perspective view of a light guide of an induction heating cooker as an electric heating device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 (b) is a sectional view of another light guide of the same light guide.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a light guide of an induction heating cooker as an electric heating device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an induction heating cooker as an electric heating device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 body 1a side 3 induction heating coil (heating means) 4 light sources 5 Control means 8 light irradiation means 9, 13, 14 Light guide 15 Reflective layer (diffuse reflective layer) 16 Secondary light emitter layer

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 3K051 AB03 AB14 CD43 CD44                 3L087 AA20 AB01 DA30                 4B040 AA10 JA06 JA18                 4B055 AA13 BA31 CA71 CB01 CB02                       CB04 CC42 CC43 CD32 CD48                       CD58 DA02 DB01 DB14 DB21                       GB29 GB50 GC37

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. An electric heating device configured to irradiate at least a part of a side surface of a main body with light from the inside. 2. A body, a heating means for heating an object to be heated housed in the body, a light irradiating means for irradiating at least a part of a side surface of the body, and a heating means and the light irradiating means. And a control means for controlling the electric heating device. 3. The electric heating device according to claim 2, wherein the light irradiating means comprises a light source and a light guide body for guiding light from the light source. 4. The electric heating device according to claim 3, wherein the light guide body is an L-shaped body, and a light emitting portion is provided on one side of the L-shaped body. 5. The electric heating device according to claim 3, wherein the light guide body is a rod-shaped body, and the rod-shaped body is processed into a desired shape such as a straight line, a circle, or a quadrangle and used. 6. The electric heating device according to claim 2, wherein a secondary luminous body layer is provided on at least a part of a side surface of the main body, and the secondary luminous body layer is irradiated with light. 7. The electric heating device according to claim 2, wherein at least three colors of red, green and blue are used individually or in combination as a light source. 8. The electric heating device according to claim 2, wherein the light irradiation means or the light source is configured to be swingable. 9. The electric heating device according to claim 2, wherein the light irradiation means or the light source is rotatable. 10. A structure in which a film having a pattern is interposed between the side surface of the main body and the light irradiation means.
The electric heating device according to claim 1. 11. The electric heating device according to claim 2, wherein the irregular reflection layer is provided unevenly on the surface facing the light emitting portion. 12. The electric heating device according to claim 2, wherein the light irradiation means is configured to turn on, blink, change color, and change brightness according to a signal from the control means. 13. The electric heating device according to claim 12, wherein the control means outputs the signal according to the output of the heating means. 14. The electric heating device according to claim 12, wherein the control means outputs the signal in accordance with the progress of heating of the object to be heated. 15. The electric heating device according to claim 1, wherein the pattern formed by light is a pattern in which a flame is imaged.