JP2012196355A - Electric kettle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric kettle capable of changing the amount of liquid to be poured therefrom and keeping the amount of the liquid constant.SOLUTION: In the electric kettle having a kettle body and a lid body 28, the lid body 28 includes : a liquid supply passage 36 located internally that communicates from a spout to a liquid supply port 35 in which liquid flows from the kettle body ; and a plate-like body large enough to stop up the liquid supply port 35. The plate-like body is provided with an on-off valve 57 with a protrusion 58 formed vertically nearly from the center of the plate-like body to the mounting direction of the lid body 28 ; and an adjusting lever 49 for moving vertically the protrusion 58 and making a part of the upper part of the lid body 28 protrude to turn a cam 52. Degrees of opening of the liquid supply port 35 can be adjusted by operating the adjusting lever 49 to move the on-off valve 57 vertically.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric kettle, and more particularly to an electric kettle that can change the amount of liquid dispensed from the electric kettle and keep the amount of liquid constant.

  Electric kettles are widely used as being easy to carry and capable of boiling hot water, coffee, etc. easily. The configuration of the electric kettle includes, for example, a kettle main body having an electric heating part that heats a predetermined amount of water and a power supply base to which an external power cord for supplying electric power to the electric heating part of the kettle main body is connected. However, by setting the kettle body on the power supply stand and turning on the power switch, hot water or the like can be boiled.

  When the user uses the electric kettle, release the opening and closing means formed on the electric kettle, hold the handle formed on the electric kettle, lift the electric kettle, tilt it, Pour out liquid such as hot water. At this time, the user can adjust the amount of liquid required by adjusting the time and angle of the kettle tilting. However, since the kettle opening / closing means and the like are only in an open state and a closed state, if the user tilts the kettle too much when the opening / closing means or the like is in the open state, there is a risk that more liquid than necessary may be discharged.

  Therefore, the following Patent Document 1 describes an invention of an electric kettle that can be easily operated with one hand at the time of hot water supply for pouring by inclining the kettle body, and can also adjust the pouring amount. .

  The electric kettle disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a heating mechanism that heats water in the main body, a start switch that starts the heating mechanism, a stop mechanism that detects heating completion and stops heating by the heating mechanism, The main body has an opening on the side, and a lid that closes the opening of the main body, and the lid is between the closed posture in which the lid closes the opening and the open posture in which the opening is open. The electric kettle is configured to be swingable around a swing shaft provided in the lid, and has a spout and a steam port on the lid, and a handle on the main body body, and the outflow from the main body of hot water through the spout is prevented. A valve mechanism capable of blocking is provided, the valve mechanism is provided with a valve seat provided on the lid body, a valve body that prevents outflow of hot water in a state in contact with the valve seat, and biases the valve body toward the closed state. Opening / closing operation unit configured with a valve body biasing mechanism The opening / closing operation unit biasing is configured to be movable between a standby position for maintaining the closed state of the valve mechanism and an operation position for opening the valve mechanism, and for biasing the opening / closing operation unit to the standby position. An opening / closing operation unit from a standby position in a configuration in which the valve mechanism is opened in an operated state in which the opening / closing operation unit is operated to the operation position side against the urging force of the opening / closing operation unit urging mechanism. The opening degree of the valve mechanism is supposed to change according to the operation amount.

  By setting it as such a structure, according to the electric kettle of the following patent document 1, a valve mechanism is comprised as a combination of a valve body and a valve seat, and a valve body moves relative to a lid body, The valve mechanism opens and closes. Here, the valve body is urged to the closed state by the valve body urging mechanism, and the opening / closing operation portion is urged to the standby position by the opening / closing operation portion urging mechanism. Valve opening occurs. And it is supposed that the amount of hot water supply can be adjusted by changing the opening degree of a valve mechanism according to the operation amount of the opening / closing operation part from a standby position.

JP 2010-0669016 A

  In the electric kettle described in Patent Document 1, it is said that the amount of hot water can be adjusted, but this adjustment is performed in accordance with the pressure of the user operating the opening / closing operation unit. In order to adjust the amount of hot water supply, it is necessary for the user to keep the pressure on the opening / closing operation part constant, and if this pressure changes when the user is pouring liquid from the kettle, the hot water supply will change accordingly. Since the amount changes, there is a possibility that the desired amount of hot water supply cannot be obtained.

  In addition, although the structure which maintains a predetermined opening degree is described in the said patent document 1, this predetermined opening degree is maintained only in the largest position where an opening degree maintenance part opens a valve mechanism. It is difficult to maintain an opening at an arbitrary position, that is, the opening changing unit. Therefore, in the electric kettle of the said patent document 1, it cannot maintain and pour the hot water supply amount in the arbitrary positions which a user desires.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems of the prior art, and can dispense a liquid amount desired by the user, and can maintain the liquid amount constant. The purpose is to provide an electric kettle.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the invention of claim 1 is a detachable covering the kettle body containing a predetermined amount of liquid having an upper opening and a spout formed at the upper end, and covering the opening of the kettle body. In the electric kettle having a lid, the lid is formed in the liquid supply port and a liquid supply path that communicates the pouring spout and a liquid supply port through which liquid flows from the kettle body. An on-off valve comprising a plate-like body sized to block the liquid supply port, and having a protrusion formed vertically from a substantially central portion of the plate-like body in a direction in which the lid is mounted, and the lid An adjustment lever that partially protrudes from the upper part of the body and moves the protrusion up and down by rotating the cam;
And operating the adjustment lever to move the on-off valve in the vertical direction to adjust the degree of opening of the liquid supply port.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electric kettle according to the first aspect, the cam comprises a multistage cam having a plurality of stages each having a different distance from the rotating shaft.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electric kettle according to the first aspect, the on-off valve is driven by an elastic member so that the protrusion is pressed toward the cam.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electric kettle according to any one of the first to third aspects, the projection of the on-off valve includes a piston portion, and the piston portion slides in a cylinder disposed in the lid. It is attached to be movable.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the adjustment lever is operated, the on / off valve is driven by the protrusion that rotates the cam and operates as the cam shaft, and the liquid supply port is driven by the driving of the on / off valve. The degree of opening and closing can be controlled. Since the opening / closing degree of the liquid supply port is controlled by the adjustment lever in this way, the liquid is supplied from the electric kettle at the required flow rate without depending on the angle of inclination of the electric kettle when the user pours the liquid. can do. Furthermore, since the on-off valve can be opened and closed while the liquid is being supplied, the liquid can be changed from the kettle to be supplied at an arbitrary multi-stage flow rate even while the liquid is being supplied.

  According to the electric kettle of the second aspect, when a multistage cam is used for the cam provided on the adjustment lever, the projection of the on-off valve is fixed in contact with each stage of the cam, and liquid is supplied from the kettle. By operating the adjustment lever, the on-off valve can be kept at a position where a desired flow rate can be obtained, so that liquid can be supplied while maintaining a constant flow rate.

  According to the kettle of the third aspect, since the protrusion of the on-off valve is pressed by the cam, the protrusion reliably contacts the cam when the cam is rotated, and the movement of the cam can be transmitted efficiently. become able to.

  According to the electric kettle of the fourth aspect, since the piston portion provided in the projection portion of the on-off valve can move up and down in the cylinder in the lid body, the movement of the cam is transmitted to the on-off valve through the projection portion without waste. be able to.

1 is a perspective view of an electric kettle according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the state in which the cover body was attached to the kettle main body of the electric kettle of FIG. It is the perspective view which excised part of the cover body of the electric kettle of FIG. It is a figure explaining the adjustment lever in the electric kettle which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV of the lid portion of the electric kettle in FIG. 1. FIG. 5A is a view showing that the on-off valve is in a closed state, and FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments 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 an electric kettle. The present invention can be equally applied to the other embodiments included in the scope.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electric kettle 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is open at the top and is provided with a heater 17 as a heating means at the bottom, and stores a predetermined amount of liquid such as water. A kettle main body 11, a power supply base 60 on which the kettle main body 11 is placed and supplies power to the heater 17 of the kettle main body 11, and an upper opening 12 of the kettle main body 11 are provided, and an attachment / detachment mechanism or an opening / closing mechanism is provided The free cover body 28 and the handle 23 that can be gripped by the user are provided on the side wall of the kettle main body 11. In the present embodiment, the case where the power supply stand 60 is provided for supplying power to the heater 17 will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration capable of supplying power may be provided in the kettle body 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the kettle body 11 has an upper opening 12 and a lower opening 13, and has 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. 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.

  In the kettle body 11, an opening 21 is formed in an inner wall near the upper opening 12 and communicated with a steam sensor 24 built in the handle portion 23 in a portion where the handle portion 23 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.

  Furthermore, the handle part 23 accommodates control means (not shown) that inputs the detection value from the steam sensor 24 and controls the heater 17. This control means includes a microcomputer, a memory, and the like, and the memory stores a reference value (for example, 85 ° C.) for stopping energization of the heater 17 when the steam temperature reaches a predetermined value. . 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.

  Next, the power supply stand 60 on which the kettle body 11 is placed will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the power supply base 60 is provided in the power supply base 61 with a shallow power supply base 61 having an opening 62 in the center and a kettle main body installed on the upper surface, and an opening in the center of the power supply base 61. The power supply stand 63 protrudes from 62 and an electrical connector (not shown). The power supply pedestal 61 has a bottom portion formed in a substantially circular shape having a diameter substantially the same as the diameter of the kettle main body 11 and a short side wall portion standing from the periphery of the bottom portion. And is formed of a resin molded body. The electrical connector is fixed to the approximate center of the power supply base 60. 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 supply stand 63 of the power supply stand 60 and the main body side electric power feeder 18 of the kettle main body 11 and being energized.

  Next, the lid will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, 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, and an upper portion of the outer peripheral wall 30. And an inner lid 32 having a plurality of holes to be attached below the outer peripheral wall 30. In FIG. 3, half of the middle plate 29 is cut off. 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 34 for leading to the steam sensor 24 in 23 is formed. Also, the lid is formed with an adjustment lever 49 of the opening / closing mechanism 48 and a pair of knob members 37a, 37b of the attaching / detaching mechanism 46, and a part of the upper lid is opened so that these can be operated from the upper lid. Further, a portion of the top lid 31 corresponding to the spout 20 formed so as to cover the spout 20 formed in the kettle body 11 and a portion corresponding to the spout 20 of the middle plate 29 of the lid 28 Is formed to extend. Further, a liquid supply path 36 that guides the liquid in the container 19 to the spout 20 and a liquid supply port 35 that connects the liquid supply path 36 and the container 19 are provided in a portion adjacent to the spout 20 of the lid 28. The details are described later.

  Between the intermediate plate 29 and the outer peripheral wall 30, a steam valve chamber 39 is provided in which a steam conduction port 44 serving as a passage for steam generated in the container 19 is formed. In addition, a steam passage 40 having a middle plate 29 as a ceiling is formed inside the lid body 28, and the steam passage 40 communicates with a steam port 34 and a steam discharge port 42 formed in the lid body 28. As shown in FIG. 2, the steam passage 40 is a portion that conducts steam generated in the container 19, and discharges the steam to the outside and guides it to the steam sensor 24.

  The steam passage 40 is formed with the intermediate plate 29 formed inside the lid body 28 as a ceiling portion 41, a member 43 a provided with a liquid leakage prevention mechanism 43 as a bottom surface, and the outer peripheral wall 30 of the lid body 28 as a side surface. Yes. Further, the steam passage 40 communicates with the steam port 34 of the lid 28 so that the steam is guided to the steam sensor 24 provided in the handle portion 23 of the kettle body 11, and the steam release provided in the upper lid 31. It also communicates with the outlet 42. When boiling the liquid in the container 19, the liquid supply port 35 is closed by an on-off valve 57. When the liquid in the container 19 boils and vapor is generated, the vapor passes through the vapor valve chamber 39 and is guided from the vapor conduction port 44 to the vapor passage 40. Thereafter, a part of the steam passes through the steam port 34 of the lid 28 and the opening 21 of the kettle main body 11, reaches the steam sensor 24, and the steam temperature is detected. On the other hand, other steam is discharged to the outside air from a steam discharge port 42 provided in the upper lid 31.

  The adjustment lever 49 includes an operation piece 50 projecting from an opening 47 provided in the upper lid 31, and an on-off valve pushing portion 51 having a multistage cam-like cam 52 that contacts the on-off valve 57. In the on-off valve pressing portion 51, the upper portion facing the opening 47 having the operation piece 50 in the center has an arc shape, and the cam is rotated within a predetermined angle at the boundary between the cam 52 and the upper portion. The fixed piece 53 to restrict | limit is provided. The cam 52 has a multi-stage cam shape, and is provided with a rotation shaft 54 fixed to the middle plate 29 at a substantially central portion, and concave portions 55a to 55d for pressing the tip of the projection portion 58 of the on-off valve 57, and the projection portion. Protrusions 56a to 56c that restrict movement are provided.

  The on-off valve 57 is formed with a size that can block the liquid supply port 35 provided on the middle plate 29 of the lid body 28, and the on-off valve 57 is in contact with the on-off valve pushing portion 51 at a substantially central portion thereof. A protrusion 58 is formed. The on-off valve 57 is under the middle plate 29 and receives a force pressed toward the middle plate 29 by a spring 59 fixed to a recess provided in the inner lid 32. Most of the protrusion 58 is a piston 58 a that is slidably attached to a cylinder 45 provided on the intermediate plate 29. The upper end of the protruding portion 58 is a pressing portion 58b that comes into contact with the concave portion of the cam 52, and protrudes from the upper portion of the inner lid. The piston portion 58a is provided with packing so that liquid does not flow out from the opening 47 through the cylinder portion 45 even when the on-off valve 57 is opened.

  Next, with reference to FIG.4 and FIG.5, operation | movement of the opening-and-closing mechanism 48 in this embodiment is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 4A, the cam 52 of the on-off valve pushing portion 51 is provided with, for example, four concave portions 55a to 55d and three convex portions 56a to 56c, and the rotation shaft 54 of the concave portions 55a to 55d. The distances d1 to d4 are different from each other. As shown in FIG. 4B, in a state where the operation piece 50 is located on the rightmost side (closed position), the pressing portion 58b is located in the rightmost recess 55a. Since the distance d1 from the rotation axis of the recess 55a is the shortest, the on-off valve 57 is at the highest position. In this state, as shown in FIG. 5A, the opening / closing valve 57 is pressed against the intermediate plate 29 by the elastic force of the spring 59, and the liquid supply port 35 is closed (closed state) by the opening / closing valve 57.

  When the operation piece 50 is operated at a predetermined angle in the left direction (opening direction) from this position, the pressing portion 58b is temporarily pushed down by the rotation of the multistage cam around the rotation shaft 54, and the convex portion 56a is moved. Get over and abut against the recess 55b located one place to the left (see FIG. 4C). When the operation of the adjustment lever 49 is stopped at this position, the distance d2 from the rotation shaft 54 of the recess 55b is longer than the shortest distance d1, so that the on-off valve 57 is lower than the state of FIG. As a result, the on-off valve 57 is separated from the liquid supply port 35, the liquid supply port 35 is opened, and the liquid supply path 36 communicates with the container 19. Further, the on-off valve 57 moves downward, so that the spring 59 is compressed. Since the opening / closing valve 57 presses the concave portion 55b by the elastic force of the spring 59, the pressing portion 58b can get over the left and right convex portions even if the user releases his hand from the operation piece 50 in this state. Therefore, the adjustment lever 49 is fixed at this position, and the opening / closing valve 57 can also maintain this degree of opening.

  By further operating the operation piece 50 to the left by a predetermined angle, the pressing portion 58b is temporarily pushed down, gets over the convex portion 56b, and comes into contact with the concave portion 55c. At this time, since the distance d3 of the recess 55c from the rotation shaft 54 is further increased (see FIG. 4D), the degree of opening of the liquid supply port 35 is increased when the on-off valve 57 stays further downward. Similarly, in a state where the operation piece 50 is further operated to the left by a predetermined angle and the pressing portion 58b is positioned in the leftmost recess 55d, the distance d4 between the rotation shaft 54 and the recess 55d is the largest. 57 is located at the lowermost position (see FIGS. 4E and 5B), the degree of opening of the liquid supply port 35 is the largest (fully open state), and the maximum liquid amount can be dispensed.

  When the user pours the liquid in the container 19, the adjustment lever 49 is moved to an arbitrary stage in the opening direction, so that an arbitrary concave portion of the cam 52 of the on-off valve pushing portion 51 becomes a protrusion 58 of the on-off valve 57. , And the opening / closing valve 57 moves downward accordingly, and the liquid supply port 35 opens at an arbitrary size (see FIG. 5B). At this time, the piston 58 a provided on the projection 58 of the on-off valve 57 moves in the cylinder 45 of the lid, and the movement of the cam 52 can be transmitted to the on-off valve 57 through the projection 58 without waste. .

  By tilting the kettle body 11 toward the spout 20 in this state, the liquid can flow to the liquid supply path 36 at a constant flow rate regardless of the angle at which the kettle body is tilted. Further, after use, the adjustment lever 49 of the opening / closing mechanism 48 is moved to the closed position, which is the end opposite to the direction moved, and the opening / closing valve pushing portion 51 is moved to cause the recess 55a of the cam 52 to move. The projection 58 of the on-off valve 57 is brought into contact with the inner valve 32, so that the on-off valve 57 is moved upward by the elastic force of the spring 59 which is provided between the on-off valve 57 and the inner lid 32 and is compressed. The mouth 35 can be closed (see FIG. 5A).

  Thus, since the opening degree of the liquid supply port 35 is adjusted by the adjustment lever 49, the flow rate required from the electric kettle is not dependent on the angle of inclination of the electric kettle when the user pours the liquid. Liquid can be supplied. Further, since the on-off valve can be opened and closed even during the supply of the liquid, the liquid can be changed to be supplied from the kettle at any multistage flow rate even during the supply of the liquid. Further, since the pressing portion 58b is fixed by the elastic force of the spring 59 and the convex portion by using the multistage cam for the adjusting lever, the on-off valve can be mechanically kept at the optimum degree of opening, and a constant amount can be obtained. Liquid can be supplied while maintaining the flow rate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Kettle 11 ... Kettle main body 15 ... Outer peripheral side wall 19 ... Container 20 ... Spout 21 ... Opening 23 ... Handle part 24 ... Steam sensor 26 ... Power switch 28 ... Lid 29 ... Middle plate 30 ... Outer peripheral wall 31 ... Upper lid 32 ... Inner cover 33 ... Water injection port 34 ... Steam port 35 ... Liquid supply port 36 ... Liquid supply path 38 ... Spout cover 39 ... Steam valve chamber 40 ... Steam passage 41 ... Ceiling part 42 ... Steam discharge port 43 ... Liquid leak suppression mechanism 44 ... steam conduction port 46 ... attachment / detachment mechanism 48 ... opening / closing mechanism 49 ... adjustment lever 50 ... operation piece 51 ... opening / closing valve pushing part 52 ... cam 54 ... rotating shaft 57 ... opening / closing valve 58 ... projection part 59 ... spring 60 ... power supply stand

Claims (4)

In an electric kettle having a kettle body containing a predetermined amount of liquid with an upper opening and a spout formed at the upper end, and a detachable lid covering the opening of the kettle body,
The lid body includes a liquid supply path that communicates the pouring spout and a liquid supply port through which liquid flows from the kettle body, and a plate that is large enough to block the liquid supply port formed in the liquid supply port. An open / close valve formed with a protrusion perpendicularly from the substantially central portion of the plate-like body toward the mounting direction of the lid, and a part of the on-off valve projects from the top of the lid. An adjustment lever that moves the protrusion up and down by rotating, and
An electric kettle characterized in that, by operating the adjustment lever, the opening / closing valve is moved in the vertical direction to adjust the degree of opening of the liquid supply port.   2. The electric kettle according to claim 1, wherein the cam is a multistage cam having a plurality of stages each having a different distance from the rotation shaft.   The electric kettle according to claim 1, wherein the on-off valve is driven by an elastic member so that the protrusion is pressed toward the cam.   The said protrusion part of the said on-off valve is provided with the piston part, and the said piston part is attached so that the inside of the cylinder arrange | positioned in the said lid body is slidable. Electric kettle.

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