JP2012024540A - Electric kettle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric kettle capable of accurately displaying the amount of hot water supply.SOLUTION: The electric kettle includes: a hot water supply pump for supplying hot water in an inner container; an operation panel on which a plurality of switches including a hot water supply switch for operating the hot water supply pump are disposed; hot water supply amount detecting means for irradiating the tube interior with light from a lower part or upper part of a water level detecting tube formed of a transparent material such as glass with high hydrophilic property connected at its upper and lower parts to the inside of the inner container, intermittently reading brightness from the upper end to the lower end of the water level detecting tube by an image sensor mounted to the side face of the water level detecting tube and detecting the variation of the water level from the moving amount of a distribution pattern of light intensity to detect the amount of hot water supply; and control means for making a digital display or a digital and bar display of the amount of hot water supply detected by the hot water supply amount detecting means, on a display panel during a hot water supply operation.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric pot that obtains and displays the amount of hot water using a water level measuring device that utilizes reflection of light at an interface.

Conventionally, as a method for obtaining the amount of hot water supply in an electric pot, there is a method for obtaining by measuring the number of revolutions of an electric pump motor for hot water supply. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1.)
In addition, there is a flow rate sensor that determines the amount of hot water supply. (For example, see Patent Document 2.)
In addition, there is a pressure sensor that determines the amount of hot water supply. (For example, refer to Patent Document 3.)
Some hot water supplies are displayed digitally. (For example, refer to Patent Document 3.)

  JP-A-07-163470   Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-296028   JP 2003-24212 PR

  In the conventional method, sufficient accuracy cannot be obtained for the amount of hot water supply.

  An object of this invention is to implement | achieve the electric pot which can display the amount of hot water supplies with sufficient precision.

  The electric pot of the present invention is connected to the hot water pump for supplying hot water in the inner container, an operation panel provided with a plurality of switches including a hot water switch for operating the hot water pump, and the inner container in the upper part and the lower part. Brightness from the upper end to the lower end of the water level detection tube is irradiated with light from the lower or upper part of the water level detection tube made of a transparent material such as glass with high hydrophilicity. Hot water amount detecting means for detecting the hot water amount by detecting the amount of change in the water level from the amount of movement of the light intensity distribution pattern, and the hot water amount detecting means during the hot water operation. It was set as the structure provided with the control means which displays the amount of hot water supplies on a display panel digitally or on a digital display and a bar.

  The electric pot of the present invention can determine the amount of hot water supply with high accuracy.

  In the electric pot according to the present invention, the amount of hot water supply is displayed as a bar.

  Side surface sectional drawing which shows the Example of the electric pot of this invention   Side surface sectional drawing which shows the Example of the lower part of the water level detection tube of the electric pot of this invention

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the electric pot of the present invention will be described by way of examples.

  FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of the electric pot of the present invention.

  The hot water supply switch 2 is actuated to operate the hot water supply pump 2, and the measurement of the water level in the water level detection pipe 5 is started when the hot water reaches the hot water supply sensor 3. A hot water supply amount is obtained based on a change in the water level since the measurement of the water level is started and displayed on the display panel. The user of the electric pot stops the hot water supply at an appropriate time while looking at the indication.

  FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of the lower part of the water level detection tube of the electric pot of the present invention.

  The light irradiated into the water level detection tube 5 from the light irradiation unit 6 below the water level detection tube 5 is a boundary between water and the water level detection tube 5, a boundary between the water level detection tube 5 and air, and a boundary between water and air. The light that is refracted and reflected by the light and goes out of the water level detection tube 5 is captured by the image sensor 7.

  The light captured by the image sensor 7 is strong when the water is pulled up along the wall surface of the water level detection tube 5 due to surface tension, extremely weak on the upper side, and gradually weak on the lower side. As a result, the light intensity distribution captured by the image sensor 7 shows one pattern near the water surface. The pattern moves with changes in water level, and the amount of movement is approximately equal to the change in water level.

  The signal from the image sensor 7 is processed by a signal processing circuit to determine the amount of movement of the pattern to determine the amount of hot water supply and display it on the display panel.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inner container 2 Hot-water supply pump 3 Hot-water supply sensor 4 Hot-water supply port 5 Water level detection tube 6 Light irradiation part 7 Image sensor 8 Hot water 9 Light emitter 10 Water surface 11 Optical path 1
12 Optical path 2
13 Optical path 3
14 Optical path 4
15 Optical path 5

Claims (1)

  A hot water pump for supplying hot water in the inner container, an operation panel provided with a plurality of switches including a hot water switch for operating the hot water pump, highly hydrophilic glass connected in the inner container at the upper part and the lower part, etc. Irradiate light into the tube from the bottom or top of the water level detection tube made of transparent material, and intermittently read the brightness from the top to the bottom of the water level detection tube with an image sensor attached to the side of the water level detection tube, The hot water supply amount detecting means for detecting the amount of hot water supply by detecting the amount of change in the water level from the movement amount of the light intensity distribution pattern, and the hot water supply amount detected by the hot water supply amount detecting means during the hot water supply operation are digitally displayed on the display panel. An electric pot comprising a display or digital display and a control means for displaying a bar.

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