JP2012170706A - Electric kettle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a kettle that exhausts steam generated in the kettle from the spout side of the kettle.SOLUTION: The kettle 10 includes: a kettle body 11 opened on the upper side, having a heater arranged at the bottom part, and storing a predetermined amount of liquid; a detachable lid body 28 covering the opening of the kettle body 11; and a feeder base 63 installing the kettle body 11 thereon and supplying electric power to the heater. The lid body 28 includes a liquid supply passage for supplying liquid stored in the kettle body via a water filling port; a liquid supply port formed between the liquid supply passage and the kettle body; an on-off valve for opening/closing the liquid supply port; a steam passage for conducting steam generated in the kettle body; and a steam conducting port formed between the steam passage and the kettle body to guide the steam to the steam passage. The steam passage communicates with the downstream side of the on-off valve in the liquid supply passage, and the steam conducted in the steam passage passes through the liquid supply passage and is exhausted to the outside from the water filling port.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric kettle, and more particularly to a highly safe electric kettle that can discharge steam generated in the kettle from the spout side of the kettle.

  Electric kettles have become widespread as being easy to carry and capable of boiling hot water easily. This electric kettle has, for example, a kettle body having an electric heating part for heating a predetermined amount of water and the like, and a power supply base connected to an external power cord for supplying electric power to the electric heating part of the kettle main body, By setting the kettle body on this power supply stand and turning on the power switch, hot water can be boiled.

  There is also known a configuration in which the lid is detachable from the main body, and the contents are not washed away when the kettle main body is sealed with the lid body and the kettle falls. In such an electric kettle, a structure for discharging the steam generated in the kettle body to the outside at the time of boiling is provided in the lid, and the steam is discharged from a steam port provided in the upper part of the lid. ing. For example, a steam hole for discharging steam to the outside is formed in the upper surface of the lid of the electric kettle disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, and a steam passage for guiding the steam to the steam hole in the lid Is formed.

  In the electric kettle disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, steam in the steam passage enters the sensor chamber leaving a margin and comes into contact with the sensor with good renewability so that it can be smoothly vaporized and diffused without generating a large amount of condensed water. , A container body that performs boiling with a heater, a lid body of the container body, a handle provided around the exterior of the container body, a sensor chamber at an upper part of the handle that introduces steam generated in the container body and contacts the steam sensor; The sensor chamber is branched from the middle of the steam passage for introducing and discharging steam into the upper part of the handle from the container side, so that the steam flowing from the steam passage into the sensor chamber contacts the steam sensor, The steam passage side and the sensor chamber side are partially connected to the branch point on the upstream side of the steam passage between the steam passage and the sensor chamber so as to restrict the inflow region of the steam from the steam passage to the sensor chamber. In Partition wall cut is provided.

  By taking such a configuration, with the vapor pressure generated by limiting the discharge to the outside while limiting the position and range of the steam generated from the container body when boiling the water by the lid body, While part of the steam generated in the container flows into the steam passage on the handle side from the container side and is discharged, it also flows into the sensor chamber branched from the steam passage and makes contact with the steam sensor to detect boiling. In addition, a partition wall extending toward the downstream side of the steam passage is regulated at a branch point upstream of the steam passage between the steam passage and the sensor chamber, and the inflow region of the steam into the sensor chamber is regulated, and the sensor chamber is left with a partition region left behind. Since an appropriate amount of water is allowed to flow in from the range, the flow of water flowing inwardly into the sensor chamber should not be given to the opposite side of the sensor chamber while smoothly returning to the steam passage without causing competition with the inflowing steam without excessive condensation. Et updated good can be brought into contact with the vapor sensor.

JP 2009-291418 A (paragraphs [0025], [0031], [0040])

  In the electric kettle described in Patent Document 1, the steam generated inside the kettle is efficiently guided to the steam sensor through the steam passage, and the steam is discharged from the rear part of the lid body away from the extraction port and the operation part of the lid body. Therefore, it is said that steam is discharged to the outside from a safe position away from the extraction port side where human hands and face are often located, thereby ensuring safety in use.

  However, since the conventional kettle including the electric kettle described in Patent Document 1 has a steam hole for discharging steam formed on the upper side of the lid, the opening / closing provided in the lid during or immediately after boiling When operating the switch or putting a hand to pour it, there was a risk of burns from the steam that spouted from the top of the lid. In particular, an electric kettle configured to seal the kettle body with a lid body is provided with an operation portion of a lid attachment / detachment mechanism and an extraction path opening / closing mechanism operation portion on the upper surface of the lid body provided with a steam port. Therefore, there is a risk that the user may accidentally touch the steam. On the other hand, since no operation unit or the like is arranged on the extraction path side, there is a relatively low risk that the user will accidentally touch the hand.

  The present invention was made in order to solve such problems of the conventional technology, and by discharging the steam generated in the kettle from the pouring side of the kettle, the user may accidentally touch the steam. The purpose is to provide an electric kettle that is low in safety and high in safety.

  In order to achieve the above object, the electric kettle according to claim 1 has an opening on the upper side, and a spout bent outward is formed in a part of the opening, and a predetermined amount of liquid is accommodated therein. An electric kettle having a kettle body, heating means for heating the liquid contained in the kettle body, and a detachable lid that covers the opening of the kettle body, wherein the lid is attached to the kettle body Formed between the liquid supply path and the kettle body, the liquid supply path for supplying the stored liquid through the water inlet formed at a position corresponding to the pouring opening of the kettle body, A liquid supply port for guiding the liquid to the liquid supply path; an on-off valve that opens and closes the liquid supply port; a vapor passage that conducts vapor generated in the kettle body; the vapor passage and the kettle Body A vapor conduction port formed between the two and connected to the downstream side of the on-off valve of the liquid supply passage and conducted through the vapor passage. Vapor is discharged from the water inlet through the liquid supply path.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electric kettle according to the first aspect, a handle portion is formed on the kettle main body on a side facing the pouring spout, and a side of the handle portion on which the lid body is attached is An opening communicating with the handle is formed, a steam sensor is provided inside the handle on the side where the lid is mounted, and a steam port is formed in the lid facing the steam sensor The steam passage is formed so as to communicate with the opening of the kettle body and the steam port of the lid, and to conduct the steam to the steam sensor.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, a hollow box-shaped steam valve chamber having a liquid leakage suppression mechanism is provided between the steam passage and the steam conduction port, and the top surface of the steam valve chamber has the A steam conduction port is formed, and a blocking member having a size capable of closing the steam conduction port is placed inside the steam valve chamber, and steam can pass between the steam valve chamber and the blocking member. A gap opening is formed, and a steam opening communicating with the gap passage is formed in a bottom surface portion of the steam valve chamber, and the liquid leakage suppression mechanism is configured such that when the kettle body is tilted, the steam conduction port is closed. It is blocked by a member.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the electric kettle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a negative pressure valve is provided in the steam passage.

  In the conventional kettle, the steam hole for discharging steam was formed on the upper side of the lid, so that the open / close switch provided on the lid was operated during boiling or immediately after boiling, and the hands were attached to pour. There was a risk of scalding when steaming. However, in the electric kettle according to claim 1 of the present invention, the steam generated inside the kettle is guided to the downstream side of the on-off valve of the liquid supply path through the steam path by the steam path formed in the lid. Then, it is discharged outside from the water inlet of the lid toward the outlet of the kettle body. Therefore, according to the electric kettle according to the first aspect, there is less possibility that the user accidentally touches the steam, the safety can be improved, and the on / off valve is provided. However, leakage of the liquid inside can be suppressed.

  According to the electric kettle of the second aspect, the steam passage is formed so as to guide the steam to the steam sensor for determining the boiling state in the kettle, so that the steam for guiding the steam to the liquid supply path and the steam sensor. The passage can be formed integrally, and the structure for detecting that the liquid in the kettle has boiled can be simplified.

  According to the electric kettle according to the third aspect, since the steam conduction port is formed at a position close to the handle portion, the steam sensor can detect steam at a position close to the steam sensor provided in the handle portion. The boiling state in the kettle body can be obtained accurately. Also, an accurate temperature can be obtained.

  According to the electric kettle which concerns on Claim 4, when the electric kettle falls down, it can suppress that the liquid of a kettle main body overflows from a vapor | steam conduction | electrical_connection opening by a liquid leak suppression mechanism, and leaks from a water injection opening.

  According to the electric kettle according to claim 5, it is not necessary because the water that has been cooled and accumulated in the steam passage or the liquid that has not been injected and returned to the steam passage can be returned to the kettle body through the negative pressure valve. Liquid leakage can be suppressed.

It is a back perspective view of the electric kettle concerning Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear exploded perspective view of the electric kettle of FIG. 1. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view which cut | disconnected the kettle main body of FIG. 2 by the III-III line. 4A is a perspective view of the lid body of FIG. 2 cut along line IV-IV as seen from the X direction, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the lid body as seen from the Y direction.

  Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below exemplifies an electric kettle for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and is not intended to specify the present invention as the electric kettle. Other embodiments within the scope are equally applicable.

  With reference to FIGS. 1-5, the electric kettle (henceforth a kettle) which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the kettle 10 has an opening at the top and a heater 17 as a heating means disposed at the bottom, and a kettle body 11 that contains a predetermined amount of liquid such as water, and the kettle body. 11, a power supply base 63 for supplying power to the heater 17 of the kettle body 11, a detachable lid 28 that covers the upper opening 12 of the kettle body 11, and a side wall of the kettle body 11 that can be gripped by the user It is the structure which provided the handle part 23.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the kettle main body 11 has an upper opening 12 and a lower opening 13, and a cylindrical frame 14 formed with a predetermined diameter, and an outer peripheral side wall 15 of the frame 14. For example, it has a handle portion 23 of a “U” shape that protrudes outward and can be gripped, and is formed of a heat-resistant resin molding. A spout 20 that is bent outward is formed in a part of the upper opening 12 that faces the handle portion 23. The kettle body 11 has a lid 28 detachably mounted on the upper opening 12 side, and is closed by a bottom lid 16 having a center opened on the lower opening 13 side. A heater 17 is mounted on the bottom lid 16 together with a main body-side power feeder 18, and a container 19 for storing a liquid is installed on the heater 17. The container 19 is formed to be liquid-tight when the lid body 28 is attached.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the kettle main body 11 has a steam conduction hole 21 on the inner wall in the vicinity of the upper opening 12 and communicating with a steam sensor 24 built in the handle portion 23 in a portion where the handle portion 23 is formed. Is formed. The handle portion 23 includes a handle member 27 formed integrally with the kettle body 11 and a handle cover 25 that covers the handle member 27, and the inside of the handle portion 23 is formed hollow. A control means (not shown) for controlling the heater 17 by inputting the detection value of the steam sensor 24 is accommodated in the hollow portion, and the steam sensor 24 and the control means are connected by a lead wire (not shown). ing. In addition, a power switch 26 for turning on / off the power supply to the heater 17 is disposed outside the handle cover 25 in the handle portion 23.

  The control means (not shown) accommodated in the handle portion 23 includes a microcomputer and a memory, and the memory has a reference for stopping energization of the heater 17 when the steam temperature reaches a predetermined value. A value (for example, 85 ° C.) is stored. By setting the reference value in this way, the control means performs control to stop heating the heater 17 when the detected steam temperature reaches the reference value, so that the liquid is kept at a desired temperature. (For example, boiling temperature) can be heated, and it can suppress that a liquid continues boiling.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a power supply base 63 on which the kettle main body 11 is placed has a shallow power supply upper base 64 having an opening 65 in the center and a kettle main body installed on the upper surface, and a lower part of the power supply upper base 64. A power supply lower pedestal (not shown) covering the power supply, a power supply stand 67 mounted on the power supply lower pedestal and projecting from a central opening 65 of the power supply upper pedestal 64, and an electrical connector. The power supply upper pedestal 64 has a bottom portion formed in a substantially circular shape having a diameter substantially the same as the diameter of the kettle body 11 and a short side wall portion erected from the periphery of the bottom portion. It consists of a container and is formed of a resin molding. The electrical connector is fixed to the approximate center of the power supply base 63. A lead wire is connected to the electrical connector, and a plug connector is connected to the tip of the lead wire. And the heater 17 of the kettle main body 11 can be heated by electrically connecting the power feeder stand 67 of the power supply stand 63 and the main body side power feeder 18 of the kettle main body 11 to be energized.

  With reference to FIG.2 and FIG.4, the structure of the cover body 28 is demonstrated. The lid body 28 includes an intermediate plate 29, an outer peripheral wall 30 having a predetermined height extending in the vertical direction around the intermediate plate 29, an upper lid 31 mounted above the outer peripheral wall 30, and an outer peripheral wall 30 and an inner lid 32 formed with a plurality of holes to be mounted below. The outer peripheral wall 30 has a water inlet 33 for injecting the liquid in the container 19 of the kettle main body 11 into the spout 20, and a steam generated in the kettle main body 11 on the opposite side of the water inlet 33. A steam port 36 for leading to the steam sensor 24 is formed, and a steam packing 34 is attached around the steam port 36. In the upper lid 31, a switch 54 of the opening / closing mechanism 53, a pair of knob members 37 a and 37 b of the attachment / detachment mechanism 48, and a spout lid 38 that covers the spout 20 formed in the kettle body 11 are formed. In addition, a space in which the attachment / detachment mechanism 48 is accommodated is formed between the middle plate 29 and the upper lid 31.

  The attaching / detaching mechanism 48 for the lid 28 is provided at the approximate center of the lid 28. The attachment / detachment mechanism 48 is configured so that the locking pieces 51a and 51b of the respective knob members 37a and 37b are attached to the lid body 28 by springs (not shown) that are operated between a pair of left and right knob members 37a and 37b provided on the upper surface of the lid body 28. The outer peripheral wall 30 always protrudes from a pair of left and right openings 52a and 52b. Corresponding to this, the locking pieces 51 a and 51 b of the lid body 28 are formed to engage with a pair of left and right engaging grooves 22 a and 22 b formed on the shoulder portion of the kettle body 11.

  Between the intermediate plate 29 and the outer peripheral wall 30, a liquid supply path 49 that guides the liquid in the container 19 of the kettle body 11 to the water inlet 33 is formed. The opening / closing mechanism 53 of the liquid supply path 49 is formed between the attachment / detachment mechanism 48 and the water injection port 33. When the switch 54 of the opening / closing mechanism 53 is slid to the spout 20 side, the pressing portion 55 interlocked with the switch 54 presses the opening / closing valve 57 closing the liquid supply port 56 of the intermediate plate 29, thereby causing the liquid supply port 56. Is opened, and the liquid in the container 19 can be poured. At this time, the open / close spring 58 disposed between the open / close valve 57 and the inner lid 32 is pushed and elastically deformed. On the other hand, when the switch 54 is slid to the handle portion side in this open state, the pressing portion 55 is not pressed against the opening / closing valve 57, and the elastic force of the opening / closing spring 58 disposed between the opening / closing valve 57 and the inner lid 32. As a result, the liquid supply port 56 of the intermediate plate 29 is closed by the on-off valve 57.

  Further, a steam valve chamber 39 is formed between the intermediate plate 29 and the outer peripheral wall 30 and serves as a passage for the steam generated in the container 19. Between the steam valve chamber 39 and the intermediate plate 29, steam is formed. A vapor passage 40 communicating with the sensor 24 and the liquid supply passage 49 on the downstream side of the on-off valve 57 is formed. As shown by arrows in FIGS. 4A and 4B, when the liquid boils inside the container 19, the generated steam passes through the steam valve chamber 39 and flows into the steam passage 40 from the steam conduction port 45, and a part of the steam is generated. The steam passes through the downstream side of the on-off valve 57 of the liquid supply passage 49 and is discharged to the outside from the water inlet 33 through the spout 20. In this way, the steam is guided to the downstream side of the opening / closing valve 57 of the liquid supply path 49 through the steam passage 40 and discharged from the spout 20 of the kettle body 11 to the outside through the water inlet 33 instead of the upper part of the lid 28. Therefore, according to the electric kettle according to the embodiment of the present invention, there is less possibility that the user may accidentally touch the steam, and safety can be improved. In addition, since the on-off valve 57 is provided, it is possible to prevent the liquid inside from leaking even if the kettle falls while the on-off valve 57 is closed.

  In this embodiment, when the liquid boils inside the container 19, the weight 44 is lifted by the boiling pressure, and the steam enters the steam passage 40 from the steam opening 50 through the steam conduction port 45. However, when a plurality of holes (not shown) are formed in the mortar-shaped surface of the mounting portion 46 and the liquid boils inside the container 19, the vapor may be released from the plurality of holes.

  A part of the steam passes through the steam passage 40 and then contacts the steam sensor 24 in the handle 23 through the steam port 36 and the steam conduction hole 21. As described above, since the steam passage is formed so as to guide the steam to the steam sensor 24 for judging the boiling state in the kettle, the steam passage for guiding the steam to the liquid supply path and the steam sensor is integrally formed. The structure for detecting that the liquid in the kettle has boiled can be simplified.

  Further, in the electric kettle of the present embodiment, since the steam conduction port 45 is formed at a position close to the handle portion 23, steam at a position close to the steam sensor 24 provided in the handle portion 23 is transferred to the steam sensor 24. The boiling state in the kettle body 11 can be accurately obtained. Further, since the distance passing through the steam passage 40 is short, the steam temperature is unlikely to decrease, and a more accurate steam temperature can be obtained.

  Further, a liquid reservoir 41 for storing condensed liquid is formed in the vapor passage 40, and a negative pressure valve 42 for returning the accumulated liquid into the container 19 is formed in the liquid reservoir 41. The negative pressure valve 42 is opened when the inside of the container becomes negative pressure when the liquid is poured, and the liquid that has accumulated in the liquid reservoir 41 as the steam cools down in the steam passage or returns to the steam passage without being able to fill water. Can be returned into the container 19 of the kettle main body 11, so that unnecessary liquid leakage can be suppressed.

  The steam valve chamber 39 is provided with a liquid leakage suppression mechanism 43. The liquid leakage suppression mechanism 43 is configured to close the steam passage 40 when the kettle body 11 falls or the like. The steam valve chamber 39 is formed by a weight 44 serving as a closing member accommodated in the steam valve chamber 39, and a steam conduction port 45 slightly smaller than the upper surface of the weight 44 at the outlet portion of the steam valve chamber 39. The liquid leakage suppression mechanism 43 includes a placement portion 46 in which the surface on which the weight 44 is placed has a mortar shape, and a weight 44 formed so that the bottom portion fits on the mortar-like surface of the placement portion 46; A clearance passage 47 formed in the clearance with the mounting portion 46 and a steam opening 50 provided in the bottom surface portion of the steam valve chamber 39 and communicating with the clearance passage.

  By forming in this way, when the kettle body 11 is tilted and falls, the liquid leakage suppressing mechanism 43 moves along the mortar-shaped inclination of the surface of the mounting portion 46 so that the steam conduction port 45 can be closed to prevent the liquid from flowing out from the spout 20 through the vapor passage 40.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Kettle 11 ... Kettle main body 14 ... Frame 15 ... Outer peripheral side wall 16 ... Bottom lid 17 ... Heater 18 ... Main body side electric power feeder 19 ... Container 20 ... Spout 21 ... Steam conduction holes 22a, 22b ... Engaging groove 23 ... Handle Portion 28 ... Lid 29 ... Middle plate 30 ... Outer wall 31 ... Upper lid 32 ... Inner lid 33 ... Water injection port 36 ... Steam port 39 ... Steam valve chamber 40 ... Steam passage 42 ... Negative pressure valve 43 ... Liquid leakage suppression mechanism 45 ... Steam Conducting port 48 ... Detachable mechanism 49 ... Liquid supply path 53 ... Opening / closing mechanism 57 ... Opening / closing valve 63 ... Feeding base

Claims (5)

A kettle body having an opening above and a spout bent outwardly in a part of the opening is formed, and a predetermined amount of liquid is accommodated therein,
Heating means for heating the liquid contained in the kettle body;
A detachable lid that covers the opening of the kettle body;
In an electric kettle having
The lid is
A liquid supply path for supplying the liquid contained in the kettle body through a water inlet formed at a position corresponding to the pouring hole of the kettle body;
A liquid supply port formed between the liquid supply path and the kettle body for guiding the liquid to the liquid supply path;
An on-off valve for opening and closing the liquid supply port;
A steam passage for conducting steam generated in the kettle body;
A steam conduction port formed between the steam passage and the kettle body for guiding the steam to the steam passage;
The vapor passage communicates with the downstream side of the on-off valve of the liquid supply passage,
The electric kettle characterized in that the vapor conducted through the vapor passage is discharged to the outside from the water injection port through the liquid supply path. The kettle body is formed with a handle on the side facing the pouring spout, and an opening communicating with the handle is formed on the side of the handle where the lid is attached,
A steam sensor is provided inside the handle on the side where the lid is mounted,
In the lid body, a steam port is formed at a position facing the steam sensor,
2. The steam passage according to claim 1, wherein the steam passage communicates with the opening of the kettle main body and the steam port of the lid body, and is formed so as to conduct the steam to the steam sensor. Kettle.   The kettle according to claim 1, wherein the steam conduction port is formed at a position close to the handle portion. A hollow box-shaped steam valve chamber having a liquid leakage suppression mechanism is provided between the steam passage and the steam conduction port,
The steam conduction port is formed in the upper surface portion of the steam valve chamber,
A blocking member having a size capable of closing the steam conduction port is placed inside the steam valve chamber,
A gap passage through which steam can pass is formed between the steam valve chamber and the closing member,
A steam opening communicating with the gap passage is formed in the bottom portion of the steam valve chamber,
4. The kettle according to claim 1, wherein when the kettle main body is tilted, the liquid leakage suppressing mechanism is configured such that the steam conduction port is closed by the closing member.   The kettle according to claim 1, wherein a negative pressure valve is provided in the steam passage.

Images