JP2005137555A - Electric kettle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric kettle that reduces power consumption during a timer mode operation. <P>SOLUTION: The electric kettle has a vessel 1 storing a liquid, a heating means 2 for heating or warming the liquid in the vessel 1, a temperature sensing means 3 for sensing the temperature of the liquid in the vessel 1, a display means 8 for displaying the temperature of the interior of the vessel 1 sensed by the temperature sensing means 3 and the heating condition of the heating means 2 and set heating and warming conditions, a timer setting means 9 for setting the temporary suspension of heating and warming of the vessel 1 by the heating means 2 and a lower power consumption setting means 10 for setting power consumption during the operation in a timer mode. When the low power consumption mode is set in the lower power consumption setting means 10 during the timer mode operation, the display of the display means 8 is turned off into a nondisplay condition and power consumption during a timer mode operation can be reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric water heater designed to reduce power consumption.

Conventionally, in an electric water heater, the display means continues to operate during the timer operation (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent No. 3125430

  However, in the conventional configuration, although the timer operation is set and the power consumption during energization is reduced during a predetermined time when it is not used, the power due to the operation (lighting) of the display means is reduced. There was a possibility of consumption.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide an electric water heater that further reduces power consumption during timer operation.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the electric water heater of the present invention is provided with a low power consumption setting means, and the display by the display means is in a non-display state during the low power consumption mode.

  As a result, the power consumption by the display means during the timer operation is eliminated, and the power consumption during the timer operation is further reduced.

  The electric water heater of the present invention can further reduce power consumption during timer operation.

  The first invention includes a container for storing a liquid, a heating means for heating the liquid in the container, a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the liquid in the container, a heating state by the heating means, and the container Display means for displaying the temperature of the liquid inside, control means for controlling the heating means and the display means, timer setting means for setting timer operation for stopping heating by the heating means for a predetermined time, and during timer operation Low power consumption setting means for selecting an operation for reducing the power consumption of the display, and during the timer operation, the display by the display means is not displayed while the low power consumption mode is set by the low power consumption setting means. By using the electric water heater in the display state, the power consumption during the timer operation can be reduced, and an electric water heater with reduced power consumption can be provided.

  In the second invention, in particular, in the first invention, during the low power consumption mode, instead of the non-display state of the display means, the display means is configured to intermittently display, so that the user can Thus, the power consumption during the timer operation can be reduced.

  In the third aspect of the invention, in particular, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the low power consumption setting means is also configured to serve as the timer setting means. It is also possible to prevent complications.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in particular, in any one of the first to third aspects of the invention, the control means is constituted by a microcomputer, and the low power consumption mode is set by the low power consumption setting means. Since the computer is also configured to operate in a mode with low power consumption, power consumption during timer operation can be further reduced.

  In the fifth invention, in particular, in any one of the first to fourth inventions, during the low power consumption mode, instead of the non-display state or intermittent display of the display means, another display means with low power consumption is provided. By adopting a configuration in which the display is performed at, power consumption during the timer operation can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
1 to 3 show an electric water heater according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the container 1 contains a liquid and has a cylindrical shape. The heating means 2 for heating or keeping the temperature of the liquid in the container 1 is disposed in contact with the container 1 and is usually composed of two or more heaters for heating and keeping temperature. The temperature detection means 3 that contacts the container 1 and detects the temperature of the liquid in the container is composed of a thermistor or the like. The discharge control means 4 is composed of a switch or the like. By turning on the discharge control means 4, the discharge means 5 is driven to discharge the liquid in the container 1 to the outside. The discharge means 5 is constituted by a water conduit 5a for sending liquid from the container 1 to the outside, a pump 5b in the water conduit, and a motor 5c for driving the pump 5b. The control means 6 controls each means, and the temperature detected by the temperature detection means 3 is transmitted.

  The heating control means 7 controls on / off of the heating means 2 by controlling energization to the heating means 2 and is generally constituted by a relay, a triac, or the like. The display means 8 displays the temperature of the liquid in the container 1 detected by the temperature detection means 3, the state of heating by the heating means 2 and the setting state of heat insulation, and is constituted by an LCD, an LED, or the like. . The timer setting unit 9 sets a timer operation for stopping the heating and keeping of the container 1 by the heating unit 2 for a predetermined time, and includes a switch or the like. The low power consumption setting means 10 selects an operation so as to further reduce the power consumption during the timer operation, and includes a switch or the like. During the timer operation, the display by the display unit 8 is in a non-display state while the low power consumption mode is set by the low power consumption setting unit 10.

  Here, when the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 3 is lower than about 90 ° C., for example, the control unit 6 issues a command from the control unit 6 to the heating control unit 7 to control the heater for heating. When the liquid is heated and the temperature gradient detected by the temperature detecting means 3 becomes almost flat, it is considered that the liquid in the container 1 has boiled, the heating by the heater of the heating means 2 is terminated, and the control means 6 In response to the instruction, the heating control means 7 starts the temperature control by the temperature maintaining heater. Then, the temperature keeping control is performed so that the temperature of the liquid is stabilized at, for example, about 98 ° C.

  FIG. 2 shows a circuit of an electric water heater in the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the heating means 2 includes a first heating element 2 a that heats the liquid in the container 1, and a second heating element that heats and keeps the liquid in the container 1 that generates less heat than the first heating element. The heating control means 7 is composed of relay contacts 7a and 7b connected in series with the heating means 2 and relay coils 7c and 7d for controlling the relay contacts 7a and 2b. The relay contact is closed by passing a current through the relay coil.

  The temperature detection means 3 creates a divided value by a thermistor 3a that converts the temperature into a resistance value and a voltage dividing resistor 3b. Here, in order to absorb fluctuations in the detection of the thermistor 3a due to the convection of the liquid in the container 1 or the bursting of bubbles that are likely to occur before the liquid boils, and electrical external noise, the charging / discharging resistor 3d And the electrolytic capacitor 3e, and the output of these ports is changed according to the timing of detecting the temperature by a microcomputer 6a (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer) constituting the control means 6, so that the change in the detected temperature is stabilized. It can be detected with high accuracy. In this way, the partial pressure value from which the electrical external noise and the fluctuation of the detection of the thermistor 3a are removed as much as possible is converted into a binary code by the AD converter 3c. The AD converter 3c sets a range of about 10 to 130 ° C. in increments of a unit temperature width (about 0.5 ° C. in the present embodiment), and outputs the temperature in binary code. Then, the time required for the binary code to change by 1 bit is detected. For example, if it takes more than a predetermined time, the temperature in the container 1 is almost flat because the liquid in the container 1 is in a boiling state. If the heating control means 7 switches from heating control to heat retention control, or if it is continuously detected that the time required for the change is within a predetermined time, for example, the liquid in the container 1 It is determined that the temperature has risen sharply because of the shortage of the amount of heat, and the heating control means 7 stops the heating.

  The discharge means 5 is composed of a motor 5c in the figure, and the discharge control means 4 is connected in series with the first transistor 4b and the first transistor 4b controlled by turning on and off the switch 4a and the switch 4a in the circuit diagram. The resistor 4c, the second transistor 4d that is on / off controlled by the microcomputer 6a, and the lock release switch 4e that determines the output of the microcomputer 6a. When the lock release switch 4e is turned on, the microcomputer 6a first determines the state of the switch 4a at that time based on the potential of the port of the microcomputer 6a connected to the switch 4a. If this potential is “L”, the switch 4a is in an on state. Therefore, if the second transistor 4d is turned on, it is dangerous because immediate discharge is performed, and the input of the unlock switch 4e is invalidated. . When this potential is “H”, the switch 4a is in an off state, and even if the second transistor 4d is turned on, the discharge is not performed immediately. Therefore, the output of the microcomputer 6a is “H” (open in this embodiment). Is changed to “L”, and the second transistor 4d is turned on (this state is hereinafter referred to as an unlocked state). When the switch 4a is turned on in the unlocked state, the first transistor 4b is turned on, a voltage divided by the resistor 4c is applied to the motor 5c, and a current flows to the motor 5c while the switch 4a is turned on. The liquid in the container 1 is discharged. Further, in order to prevent the unlocking state from continuing even after the end of the discharge, the first predetermined time (in this embodiment, 10 seconds) that the potential of the switch 4a is in the “H” state in the unlocking state. When the operation is continued, the output of the microcomputer 6a is set to "H", the second transistor 4d is turned off, and the unlocked state is released.

  In the figure, the display means 8 includes an LCD 8a and an LED 8b, an LED 8c, a resistor 8e connected in series to the LED 8d and the LED 8b, a resistor 8f connected in series to the LED 8c, and a resistor 8g connected in series to the LED 8d. The temperature detected by the temperature detecting means 3 is always displayed in a digital display in increments of 5 ° C. under the control of the microcomputer 6a. For the LED, when the heating means 2 is performing the heating operation, the port of the microcomputer 6a connected to the resistor 8e is set to “L” to turn on the LED 8b and perform the heating operation. Is displayed. Then, when the temperature detecting means 3 detects that the temperature rise has almost leveled off during heating by the heating means 2, and the operation of the heating means 2 is switched from heating to heat retention, the output of the microcomputer 6a to the resistor 8e is output. Switching to “H” (open), the LED 8b is turned off, and at the same time, the output to the resistor 8f is switched from “H” to “L”, and the LED 8c is turned on to indicate that the temperature is kept. Further, when the LED 8d is in the unlocked state described above, the output of the microcomputer 6a connected to the resistor 8g is switched to “L”, and the LED 8d is lit to indicate that the hot water can be discharged.

  The timer setting means 9 comprises a switch 9a and a resistor 9b in the figure, and when the switch 9a is pressed, the input to the microcomputer 6a changes from "H" to "L", and detects that the switch 9a has been pressed. When it is detected that the switch 9a is pressed during heating or heat retention, first, the heating means 2 is turned off to stop the heating or heat retention operation, and the LEDs 8b and 8c of the display means 8 are turned off. At this time, the LCD 8a displays "4 hours", which is the initial value set by the timer. The display on the LCD 8a during the timer operation is performed by updating the remaining time displayed with the passage of time in units of one hour. When the set time of 4 hours elapses after the timer is set by the timer setting means 9, the heating means 2 starts heating or keeping warm, and the LCD 8a displays the temperature and displays the display according to the heating means 2. This is performed by the LED 8b and the LED 8c.

  The low power consumption setting means 10 is composed of a switch 10a and a resistor 10b in the figure. When the switch 10a is pressed during the timer operation, the input to the microcomputer 6a is changed from "H" to "L", and the switch 10a is pressed. Detect that. When it is detected that the switch 10a has been pressed, all the display by the display means 8 including the display of the LCD 8a that has been lit up so far is turned off to be in a non-display state. Power mode). When this state is continued and the time set before the timer operation elapses, the heating means 2 starts heating or keeping warm, and the temperature display is performed on the LCD 8a, and the display corresponding to the heating means 2 is displayed as the LED 8b. This is done with the LED 8c. Further, when it is detected again that the switch 10a is pressed in the low power consumption mode, it is recognized that the low power consumption setting has been released, and the remaining time display during the timer operation by the LCD 8a is resumed. FIG. 2 shows the AC power supply 11.

  FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the operation portion of the program stored in the microcomputer 6a in the low power consumption mode, and the setting and operation of the low power consumption mode will be described.

  In step s1, it is determined whether or not the switch 9a for setting the timer has been pressed. When it is detected that the switch 9a is pressed, the heating means 2 is immediately turned off, and the LEDs 8b and 8c are also turned off (step s2). Further, at this time, the display on the LCD 8a is switched from the temperature display performed so far to the time display indicating the set time of the timer, and the initial value of the timer setting “4 hours” is displayed (step s3).

  Next, the microcomputer 6a starts measuring time (step s4). Thereafter, it is always detected whether or not the switch 9a has been pressed (step s5). When it is detected that the switch 9a has been pressed, the set time is changed from the initial value of 4 hours to 6 hours (step s7). This set time can be set every 2 hours from 4 hours to 12 hours. If the switch 8a is pressed while 12 hours are set, the operation returns to the operation before the timer is set (step s6). Further, every time the timer setting time changes in step s5, the time measurement by the microcomputer 6a is reset, and the time measurement is started again in step s6.

  When it is detected that the switch 10a is pressed during the timer operation (step s8), the remaining time display (time obtained by subtracting the elapsed time from the set time) displayed on the LCD 8a is turned off. All the display by the display means 8 is turned off to be in a non-display state (step s9). This state is the low power consumption mode. When it is detected that the switch 10a is pushed again in this state (step s10), the remaining time display of the timer setting of the LCD 8a is started (step s11).

  When the time set in the timer at step s12 in the low power consumption mode or step s13 during the timer operation has elapsed, the LCD 8a first starts displaying the temperature, and the heating unit 2 according to the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 3 Then, the heating or heat retaining operation is started, and the LED 8b or LED 8c is turned on according to the state of the heating means 2, and the heating state at that time is displayed.

  With the above operation, in the timer operation that is set to reduce the power consumption while the user is not in use, the low power consumption setting means 10 that is a setting means for further reducing the power consumption is provided so that the user can reduce the power consumption. When the power consumption setting is performed, it is possible to reduce the power consumption during the timer operation by turning off all the display means 8 so as not to display.

  Further, when all the displays in the low power consumption mode are turned off, when the input is made to the low power consumption setting means 10, the remaining time is displayed on the LCD, and the low power consumption mode is canceled. Is not limited to the low power consumption setting means 10, and since all the displays are turned off, the user does not know which key to input. When an input is received even with the switch, the display may be turned on from off and the low power consumption mode may be avoided.

  In addition, when the lock release switch is pressed with all the displays in the low power consumption mode turned off, the first detection is performed by simply releasing the low power consumption mode and turning on the LCD display. The input of the lock release switch may be invalidated, but the present invention is not limited to invalidation, and there is no problem even if the low power consumption mode is canceled to turn on the LCD display and shift to the unlocked state.

  In addition, when the LCD display is off in the low power consumption mode, for example, when there are other switches such as a switch for forcibly heating or a switch for selecting the temperature to keep warm, input of other switches Even when an error is detected, the LCD display is turned on at any switch input by canceling the low power consumption mode and turning on the LCD display, making it easier to grasp the device status and improving usability. .

  Further, in addition to a normal oscillator for operating the microcomputer 6a, an oscillator having an oscillation frequency lower than that of the normal oscillator is provided, and the microcomputer 6a is operated at a low speed while the display in the low power consumption mode is turned off. By switching to the operation by the oscillator, the power consumption of the microcomputer 6a can be reduced.

  Further, the setting of the low power consumption mode is performed at the time of timer operation, but it is sufficient that at least the power consumption at the time of timer operation can be reduced, and the display by the display means 8 can be simplified even in modes other than the timer operation. There is no problem even if the display is turned off.

(Embodiment 2)
An electric water heater according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same components as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 4 shows a flowchart in the low power consumption mode portion of the program stored in the microcomputer 6a in the present embodiment, and the setting and operation of the low power consumption mode will be described.

  If it is detected that the switch 10a is pressed during the timer operation (step s8), the remaining time display of the timer setting displayed on the LCD 8a (the time obtained by subtracting the elapsed time from the set time) is 3 seconds on 5 seconds off Switching to intermittent display (step s19). This state is the low power consumption mode. When it is detected that the switch 10a is pushed again in this state (step s10), the remaining time display of the timer setting of the LCD 8a is started (step s11).

  When the time set in the timer at step s12 in the low power consumption mode or step s13 during the timer operation has elapsed, the LCD 8a first starts displaying the temperature, and the heating unit 2 according to the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 3 Then, the heating or heat retaining operation is started, and the LED 8b or LED 8c is turned on according to the state of the heating means 2, and the heating state at that time is displayed.

  With the above operation, in the timer operation that is set to reduce the power consumption while the user is not in use, the low power consumption setting means 10 that is a setting means for further reducing the power consumption is provided so that the user can reduce the power consumption. When the power consumption setting is performed, not only can the power consumption during the timer operation be reduced by intermittently turning on the display means 8, but the current state can be obtained by turning on the display at a constant cycle. Can be easily confirmed by the user.

  In this embodiment, the intermittent display on the LCD 8a is set to 3 seconds on and 5 seconds off. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and if the user has sufficient on time to confirm the contents when viewing the LCD, It goes without saying that the power consumption by the LCD 8a is reduced by increasing the proportion of the off time.

  In addition, when the display is intermittently turned on in the low power consumption mode, if it is input to the low power consumption setting means 10, the remaining time is displayed on the LCD, and the low power consumption mode is canceled. This is not limited to the low power consumption setting means. For example, when other switches such as a switch for forcibly heating and a switch for selecting a heat retention temperature during heat retention are provided, Even when an input is detected, the display may be switched from OFF to ON so that the low power consumption mode can be avoided.

  Further, in addition to the normal oscillator for operating the microcomputer 6a, an oscillator having an oscillation frequency lower than that of the normal oscillator is provided, and the display in the low power consumption mode is intermittently turned on or intermittently. It is also possible to reduce the power consumption of the microcomputer 6a by switching the microcomputer 6a to the operation by the low-speed oscillator only during the off period of the display.

  Further, the setting of the low power consumption mode is performed at the time of timer operation, but it is sufficient that at least the power consumption at the time of timer operation can be reduced, and the display by the display means 8 can be simplified even in modes other than the timer operation. There is no problem even if the display is turned off.

(Embodiment 3)
An electric water heater according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same components as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In FIG. 5, the low power consumption setting means 10 also serves as the timer setting means in the first embodiment. When the device is heated or kept warm by the heating means 2, a signal is sent to the low power consumption setting means 10. Is input, the timer operation and the low power consumption mode can be set.

  FIG. 6 shows the transition of the mode to be shifted by the input of the low power consumption setting means 10 in the present embodiment. First, when a switch that constitutes the low power consumption setting means 10 is pressed in a water heater or a heat retaining state, first, “4 hours” of timer operation is set (mode 1), and at the same time, heating or heat retaining operation by the heating means 2 is performed. Stopped. Subsequently, every time the switch 10a is pressed, the set time of the timer operation increases every 2 hours. When the switch 10a is pressed four times from the mode 1, the set time of the timer operation becomes “12 hours” (mode 5).

  When the switch 10a is pressed in mode 5, the low power consumption mode “4 hours” is set (mode 6). If the second predetermined time (3 minutes in this embodiment) elapses after the switch 10a is pressed in this state, all the display by the display means 8 is turned off. When the switch 10a is pressed while the display means 8 is off, first, the display by the display means 8 is turned on (however, the mode 6 remains). If the switch 10a is not pressed for 3 minutes in this state, the display means 8 is turned off again. If the switch 10a is pressed before 3 minutes have elapsed, the “6 hours” setting (mode 7) of the low power consumption mode is set. Further, when the switch 10a is pressed, the set time of the low power consumption mode increases every 2 hours, and when the switch 10a is pressed in the state where the set time is 12 hours (mode 10), the timer operation and the low power consumption mode are set. Exit from normal hot water or keep warm.

  With the above operation, in the timer operation that is set to reduce the power consumption while the user is not using, the low power consumption setting means 10 that is a setting means for further reducing the power consumption is provided. Since the setting means 10 also serves as a timer setting means, it is possible not only to reduce power consumption during timer operation, but also to easily set a low power consumption mode without complicating the operation. It becomes possible.

  In the present embodiment, the second predetermined time is set to 3 minutes. However, this is not limited to 3 minutes. When the low power consumption mode is set, the second predetermined time is erroneously set. It is sufficient that the set time is sufficient to confirm the set time during or after setting. For example, the same effect can be obtained even if the time is about 1 minute.

  In addition, when a signal is input to the low power consumption setting means 10, the timer operation is selected first, and the low power consumption mode can be set by continuing to input the signal. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The low power consumption mode may be set first.

  The control means 6 in each of the above-described first to third embodiments has already been mentioned while the low power consumption setting means 10 is setting the low power consumption mode, but the microcomputer constituting the control means is also consumed. If it is configured to operate in a mode with less power, power consumption during timer operation can be further reduced.

  Further, in the configuration of the electric water heater in each of the first to third embodiments, when the low power consumption setting unit 10 displays the power consumption reduction by the display unit 8 while the low power consumption mode is set (intermittently). If display is performed with other display means with low power consumption (including display), power consumption during the timer operation can be reduced.

  As described above, the electric water heater according to the present invention can reduce the power consumption during the timer operation by providing the low power consumption setting means and making the display by the display means in the non-display state during the timer operation. It can also be applied to devices such as jar pots and water heaters.

The block diagram which shows the electric water heater in Embodiment 1, 2 of this invention Circuit diagram of electric water heater in the first embodiment Flow chart showing the operation of the electric water heater The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the electric water heater in Embodiment 2 of this invention. The block diagram which shows the electric water heater in Embodiment 3 of this invention The figure which shows the mode transition of the same electric water heater

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container 2 Heating means 3 Temperature detection means 6 Control means 7 Heating control means 8 Display means 9 Timer setting means 10 Low power consumption setting means

Claims (5)

A container for storing the liquid, a heating means for heating the liquid in the container, a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the liquid in the container, a heating state by the heating means, and a temperature of the liquid in the container. Display means for displaying, control means for controlling the heating means and the display means, timer setting means for setting a timer operation for stopping heating by the heating means for a predetermined time, and reducing power consumption during the timer operation An electric water heater comprising: a low power consumption setting means for selecting an operation, wherein the display by the display means is in a non-display state while the low power consumption mode is set by the low power consumption setting means during the timer operation . The electric water heater according to claim 1, wherein during the low power consumption mode, the display means is configured to intermittently display instead of the non-display state of the display means. The electric water heater according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the low power consumption setting means also serves as a timer setting means. The control means is configured by a microcomputer, and the microcomputer is also operated in a mode with low power consumption while the low power consumption mode is set by the low power consumption setting means. An electric water heater according to claim 1. 5. The display according to claim 1, wherein during the low power consumption mode, the display unit is configured to perform display using another display unit with low power consumption instead of the non-display state or intermittent display of the display unit. Electric water heater.

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