JP2009022394A - Liquid container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To be easy to use without useless indication and to suppress an extra power consumption by correlation between the liquid temperature and the liquid amount. <P>SOLUTION: A liquid container 1 is provided with an inner container 2 for receiving a liquid, a shoulder member 4 which is equipped with a handle 3 at the upper end on the rear side of the inner container 2 and a spout 14 on the opposite side, a lid body 5 for opening and closing an upper end opening of the inner container 2 at the upper end of the shoulder member 4, and a sensing unit 6 which includes a liquid temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of liquid in the inner container 2 and a liquid amount sensing means for sensing the amount of the liquid in the inner container 2, a main control board which controls the two sensing means, an electric power supply which is a power source of the main control board and a display board which indicates the liquid temperature and the liquid amount and indicates the temperature and the amount of the liquid in the inner content 2. In the liquid container, the sensing unit 6 includes a conduction control means which controls conduction of the liquid temperature sensing means and the liquid amount sensing means together with the two sensing means and a display control means which actuates the liquid amount sensing means at a predetermined liquid temperature or higher at the time of conduction of the liquid temperature sensing means and a display control means which indicates both liquid temperature and liquid amount on the display board. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid container including a detection unit that detects a liquid amount and a liquid temperature in an inner container.

In general, in order to know the amount of liquid in the inner container whose liquid level cannot be seen directly from the outside, for example, an inner container with a vacuum double bottle structure having an upper end opening and a lower end narrow mouth is provided, and a pumping pipe is set up in front of the inner container. The lower end of the pumping pipe is connected to the lower end of the inner container, the pumping pipe is provided so as to be visible from the front of the liquid container, and the amount of liquid in the inner container can be confirmed through the liquid level of the pumping pipe. There is a liquid container of construction.

However, in such a conventional liquid container, since the liquid level in the inner container can only be confirmed by the presence of the pumping pipe standing in front of the inner container in communication with the inner container, As a liquid container having a structure having only a top opening such as a vacuum double bottle and no pumping pipe communicating with the inner container, there is a problem that the liquid level in the inner container, that is, the amount of liquid cannot be known at all. .

Moreover, there is a problem that it is impossible to know at all whether the liquid temperature in the inner container, particularly in the vacuum double bottle, is maintained at a desired temperature as well as the liquid surface, that is, the liquid amount.

Therefore, the present applicant attaches a detection unit having a liquid amount detection means and a liquid temperature detection means in the inner container, and provides a space portion in the shoulder member of the liquid container, and a power source and a main control board are provided in the space portion. Invented a liquid container in which a display plate for displaying a liquid amount and a liquid temperature is arranged, and has already been filed as Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-62724.

However, in such a liquid container, the liquid temperature detecting means is always energized to operate the liquid temperature detecting means, and the liquid amount detecting means is always energized to operate the liquid amount detecting means. Therefore, even if the liquid temperature is much lower than when drinking, it will be displayed on the display board, so it is useless and unusable, and the liquid temperature and liquid volume are displayed independently of each other. There was a problem that excessive power consumption could not be suppressed.

The present invention includes an inner container 2 for storing a liquid, a shoulder member 4 having a handle 3 on the rear side of the upper end of the inner container and a spout 14 on the opposite side, and an upper end opening of the inner container at the upper end of the shoulder member. A lid 5 that opens and closes, a liquid temperature detecting means 22 that detects the liquid temperature in the inner container, a liquid amount detecting means 21 that detects the amount of liquid in the inner container, and a main that controls both the detecting means 22 and 21. A control board 7, a power source 8 that is a power source of the main control board, and a detection unit 6 including a display plate 9 for displaying the liquid temperature and the liquid volume are provided, and the liquid temperature and liquid volume in the inner container 2 are provided. In the liquid container 1, the detection unit 6 includes a liquid temperature detection unit 22 and a liquid amount detection unit 21, an energization control unit 18 that controls energization of both the detection units 22, 21, and a liquid temperature detection unit 22. When energizing, the liquid amount detecting means 21 is operated only above a predetermined liquid temperature, and both the liquid temperature and the liquid volume are It has a configuration and a display control unit 19 for displaying at 示板 9.

The present invention solves the conventional problems, and provides a liquid container that is easy to use without wasteful display and that can suppress excessive power consumption in relation to the liquid temperature and the liquid volume. .

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the liquid container 1 is a desktop pot, and includes a shoulder member 4 integrally provided with a handle 3 on the rear side of the upper end of the inner container 2 that also serves as a liquid container body. And a detection unit 6 that detachably attaches a lid 5 that opens and closes the upper end opening of the inner container 2 at the center of the upper end of the shoulder member 4, and detects and displays the liquid temperature and amount in the inner container. is doing.

The inner container 2 also serving as a liquid container main body is a vacuum double bottle in which a space between the inner wall 10 and the outer wall 11 is evacuated with a metal material such as stainless steel, and the bottom is covered with a bottom wall 20 made of a homogeneous material.
The inner container 2 has a structure in which the liquid level in the inner container cannot be seen from the outside other than the upper end opening.

As shown in FIG. 3, the inner container 2 has an inner wall 10 that extends upward from a peripheral wall that forms an upper end opening, and forms a step portion at the upper end that surrounds the inner wall 10, and the tip of the inner container 2 is the upper end opening of the inner wall. An outer wall 11 is provided on the upper part of the peripheral wall to be formed and welded, and a shoulder member screw is engraved on the outer side of the step portion of the outer wall 11.

As shown in FIG. 3, the shoulder member 4 includes a double-walled shoulder portion 12 having a screw portion to be screwed on the shoulder member screw of the inner container 2, and a lower central portion from the upper end of the shoulder portion 12. A hollow receiving portion 13 extending toward the front, a spout 14 extending outwardly by cutting out the double wall in front of the receiving portion 13, and a shoulder of the double wall at the rear of the receiving portion 13 A handle 3 extending greatly outward is integrally provided behind the portion 12.

As shown in FIG. 2, the receiving portion 13 of the shoulder member 4 is provided with a female screw for screwing a lid 5 described later on a peripheral wall forming a central hollow. A notch portion 15 on which a detection unit 6 to be described later is placed is provided at a location near the handle 3 between the receiving portion 13 of the shoulder member 4 and the shoulder portion 12 of the double wall. The lower end of the handle 3 is fixed to the bottom wall 20.

The detection unit 6 for detecting the liquid amount and the liquid temperature in the inner container 2 includes a liquid temperature detection means 22 for detecting the liquid temperature in the inner container, a liquid amount detection means 21 for detecting the liquid amount in the inner container, Energization control means 18 for controlling the energization of both means 22, 21; a main control board 7 for controlling these means 22, 21, 18; and a power source 8 such as a battery or a storage battery as a power source for the main control board; , A display board 9 for displaying the liquid temperature and the liquid volume, a display control means 19 for displaying both the liquid temperature and the liquid volume on the display board, each means 18, 19, 21, 22 and the main control board 7, a power supply 8, In addition, a unit exterior body 25 that houses the display board 9 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 5, the detection unit 6 passes through the energization control means 18 before starting the liquid temperature detection means 22 and the liquid amount detection means 21 from the start. If the temperature measured in advance is determined based on the temperature at the time of drinking and a temperature reference is provided, and the temperature measured at regular intervals based on this temperature reference is high, the liquid temperature detection means 22 and the liquid amount detection means If the measured temperature is low, the liquid temperature detecting means 22 and the liquid amount detecting means 21 are not led. By intermittently measuring the temperature by the energization control means 18, it is possible to reduce the power consumption required for the measurement and to eliminate the need for a switch from the start.

The liquid temperature detection means 22 of the detection unit 6 measures the liquid temperature with a temperature sensor 31 having a temperature sensing element such as a thermistor or a thermocouple, and is disposed on the lower wall of the hanging cylinder part 26 of the unit exterior body 25 described later. The wiring leads from the electrode substrate 23 in the drooping cylinder portion 26 to the main control substrate 7, and displays only the temperature above the temperature reference on the display plate 9 in a stepwise manner. .

The liquid amount detection means 21 of the detection unit 6 includes a plurality of electrode elements 27 disposed on the outer wall of a hanging cylindrical body portion 26 of a unit exterior body 25 (described later) at predetermined intervals above and below to be one of + and − electrodes. , 27 and the other electrode of + and − are provided on the lower wall of the hanging cylinder part 26, and the liquid electrode disposed above and below the electrode 28 on the lower wall immersed in the liquid in the inner container 2. Capacitance is detected by passing an electric current between the uppermost electrode elements 27 immersed in the liquid crystal, and the amount of liquid is measured and displayed on the display board 9 step by step through the main control board 7.

The wirings of the electrode elements 27, 27, and 28 communicate with the main control board 7 from the electrode substrate 23 in the drooping cylinder part 26, and the electrode substrate 23 is connected to the tip ends of the electrode elements 27, 27, and 28. Except for the portion, the electrodes 27, 27 and 28 are insert-molded together with the electrode members 27, 27 and 28 into the hanging cylindrical body portion 26.

The principle of detection and measurement of the liquid amount detection means 21 is generally insulative if it is pure water, and if the water contains impurities such as tea, coffee, etc., the insulation is lost and it becomes slightly conductive. In view of this, when water touches both the negative electrode and the positive electrode, current flows between the electrodes, and the capacitance of the current flowing between the electrodes is measured by an electric circuit. The amount of liquid in the inner container can be known.

In order to intermittently measure the temperature with the energization control means 18 in this way, power consumption for measurement can be suppressed as much as possible, and the temperature at the time of drinking is determined in advance as a reference value, and this temperature reference When the temperature is lower, neither temperature display nor liquid volume measurement or display is performed, and when it is unnecessary, power is not wasted, battery consumption is suppressed, and battery life is shortened. Also, the user can judge that it is not a condition to drink coffee or tea when the display is off, and if the temperature is higher than the temperature reference, the liquid temperature display is displayed step by step, and the liquid amount display is also performed step by step. Will be shown.

Moreover, since it is automatically determined by measuring the temperature at regular intervals, when you want to know the liquid temperature and liquid volume in the inner container from the outside of the liquid container, if you have a power switch or a display switch, Although there are some unusable points due to forgetting to turn it off, there is no need to worry about it because no switch is required.

The main control board 7 uses the electrical system of the energization control means 18, the liquid temperature detection means 22, the liquid amount detection means 21, the display control means 19, and the display board 9 for displaying the liquid temperature and the liquid amount as an electronic circuit mechanism of the microcomputer. The data from each means is processed to display the liquid temperature and the liquid amount on the surface of the display board 9. The display board 9 uses an LCD display.

The unit exterior body 25 connects the drooping cylinder part 26 that hangs down in the inner container 2, the control body part 33 that protrudes from the shoulder 12 near the handle 3, and the drooping cylinder part and the control body part. The connecting cavity portion 34 that is placed in the notch portion 15 of the receiving portion 13 is integrally provided.
As described above, the drooping cylinder portion 26 includes a plurality of electrode elements 27, 27 on the outer wall and the electrode elements 28 and the temperature sensor 31 on the lower wall, and each wiring is a drooping cylinder body via the electrode substrate 23. It passes through the club.

In the control body 33, as shown in FIG. 4, the power supply 8 is disposed behind the power cover 35, and the main control board 7 and the display board 9 are disposed thereon together with the control board cover 36. A fixing plate 37 covering the cover is fixed with screws 38, a transparent plate 39 is disposed in the central cavity portion of the fixing plate, and a transparent seal 40 is pasted so as to cover the transparent plate. A terminal plate 41 made of a thin metal plate communicating with the terminal side of the control board 7 is arranged.
Reference numeral 42 denotes a seal extraction hole.

A shield seal 43 that can be removed is arranged between the terminal side at the back of the power source 8 and the terminal plate 41 communicating with the main control board 7 when the liquid container 1 is manufactured and assembled. Energization with the substrate 7 is blocked.

The shield seal 43 has its tip removed from the seal extraction hole 42 of the control body 33 when the liquid container 1 is manufactured and assembled. When the shield seal is pulled out, the terminal side of the power supply 8 and the terminal plate 41 are connected. The main control board 7 is energized.

Other methods for enabling the power supply and the main control board to be energized include a structure in which both of them are energized semi-permanently once the switch provided on the power supply side is pressed with a small rod-like body, or the magnet is brought closer to the power supply side. A structure that turns on the provided switch is also conceivable.

As shown in FIG. 2, the connecting cavity portion 34 of the unit exterior body 25 is detachably attached to the cutout portion 15 of the receiving portion 13, and is a flat surface of the receiving portion 13 that comes into contact with a seal packing 44 of the lid 5 described later. It is arranged so as to be flush with 45.

The lid 5 moves the valve body 48 up and down from the outside of the upper lid, a lower lid 46 provided with a male screw that is screwed into a female screw for the lid of the receiving portion 13, an upper lid 47 that closes the upper end of the lower lid, and the valve body 48. A lever 49 is provided, and the periphery of the valve body 48 is opened by operating the lever, so that the liquid in the inner container 2 is poured out from the spout 14 through the liquid passage.

The embodiments considered to be representative of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the structures of these embodiments. For example, the present invention is like a desktop thermos in which an inner container is surrounded by an outer case. The above-described constituent requirements are provided, the object of the present invention is achieved, and the present invention can be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope of the effects of the present invention.

The perspective view of an example of the present invention. The exploded perspective view of the example of the present invention. The AA longitudinal cross-sectional view of an Example of this invention. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the detection unit of other Example of this invention. The control flowchart of this invention other Example.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Liquid container
2 ... Inner container
3 ... handle
4 ... Shoulder member
5 ... Lid
6 ... Detection unit
7 ... Main control board
8 ... Power supply
9 ... Display board
12 ... shoulder
13 ... receiving part
14 ... Spout
15 ... Notch
18: Energization control means
19: Display control means
21 ... Liquid level detection means
22. Liquid temperature detection means
23 ... Electrode substrate
25 ... Unit exterior body
26 ... Drooping cylinder part
27, 27 ... Electrodes
28 ... Electrode
31 ... Temperature sensor
33 ... Control body
34 ... Connection cavity

Claims (1)

An inner container (2) for storing liquid, a shoulder member (4) having a handle (3) on the rear side of the upper end of the inner container and a spout (14) on the opposite side, and contents on the upper end of the shoulder member A lid (5) for opening and closing the upper end opening of the container, a liquid temperature detecting means (22) for detecting the liquid temperature in the inner container, a liquid amount detecting means (21) for detecting the liquid amount in the inner container, A main control board (7) for controlling both detection means (22) and (21), a power source (8) as a power source for the main control board, and a display board (9) for displaying the liquid temperature and the liquid volume In the liquid container (1) indicating the liquid temperature and the amount of liquid in the inner container (2), the detection unit (6) includes a liquid temperature detecting means (22). And the liquid amount detection means (21), the energization control means (18) for controlling the energization of both the detection means (22) and (21), and the liquid temperature detection means 22) When the energization of 22), the liquid amount detection means (21) is operated only above the predetermined liquid temperature, and the display control means (19) for displaying both the liquid temperature and the liquid volume on the display board (9) is provided. A liquid container characterized by.

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