JP2017009228A - Apparatus applying battery as power source, and gas cooking stove applying battery as power source - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a battery type gas cooking stove capable of properly determining battery life in a start processing.SOLUTION: An apparatus includes a stepping motor 30 operated while applying a battery 101 as a power source, and a control portion 100 controlling an operation of the stepping motor 30 and operated while applying the battery 101 as the power source. The control portion 100 determines battery life on the basis of an output voltage of the battery 101. The determination of the battery life is constituted so that the stepping motor 30 is full-phase excited when the open-circuit voltage of the battery 101 is determined to be, for example, less than 2.4 V, and the life of the battery 101 is determined when the battery voltage in the high power consumption state is, for example, less than 1.9 V.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a device using a battery as a power source, for example, a battery-type gas stove.

  In paragraph No. 0012 of Patent Document 1 below, when it is detected that the battery voltage has dropped below the second set value during the combustion operation in a gas stove using a dry battery as a power source, the dry battery has reached the replacement time. In view of this, a technique is disclosed in which a battery replacement error is displayed blinking to stop driving the load. Further, it is mentioned that the second set value is preferably an end voltage, which is a lower limit operating voltage that can drive a load with a maximum voltage drop in a repeatable manner (paragraph number 0016).

Japanese Patent No. 4168041

  However, since the gas stove is used for cooking, in the above conventional technique, it is determined whether or not it is time to replace the dry battery during the combustion operation, so the battery voltage drops below the second set value during cooking. If this happens, the gas stove will stop burning even though it is in the middle of cooking, and the taste of the cooking may be significantly impaired, or in the worst case, the ingredients used for cooking may be wasted. is there.

  In order to remedy such problems, the applicant of the present invention, in a gas stove equipped with a stepping motor for adjusting the flow rate of the combustion gas, immediately after turning on the power and before starting the combustion operation of the gas stove, the stepping motor which is the maximum load is excited in all phases. The battery life is determined based on whether or not the battery voltage detection value at that time is less than a predetermined voltage, and when it is determined that the battery life is reached, the battery replacement request is notified and the combustion operation is not started. We are developing battery-operated gas stoves to control.

  However, if all phase excitation of the stepping motor is performed every time the power is turned on, there is a problem that the power consumption for the battery life confirmation operation that is not the original operation increases. On the other hand, since the battery has the characteristic that the open circuit voltage is the largest and the output voltage decreases as the output current increases, determining the battery life based on the open circuit voltage in the state where the maximum load is not operated, When the maximum load is operated during the combustion operation, a sufficient battery output voltage cannot be obtained, which hinders the operation of the load.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a device using a battery as a power source capable of accurately determining the battery life before starting the device operation while suppressing power consumption.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following technical means.

  That is, the present invention includes an electrical load that operates using a battery as a power source, and a control unit that controls the operation of the electrical load and operates using the battery as a power source. The control unit is based on the output voltage of the battery. In an apparatus using a battery as a power source, the battery life determination means includes battery life determination means for determining whether or not the battery is at the end of life, and the battery life determination means is configured such that when the electric load is in a low power consumption state, When it is determined that the output voltage is lower than the first threshold, the operation of the electric load is controlled so that the electric load is in a high power consumption state in which the power consumption is larger than that in the low power consumption state. The battery is configured to determine that the battery has a lifetime when the output voltage of the battery is lower than a second threshold value lower than the first threshold value in a high power consumption state. There (claim 1).

  The present invention has been made based on the knowledge that the open circuit voltage of a battery also decreases as the battery is consumed, and the battery life determination means first determines whether the electric load is in a low power consumption state (for example, power consumption). Whether the battery output voltage is lower than a first threshold (for example, 2.6V if the battery's rated voltage is 3V). If it is higher than the first threshold, it is determined that the battery life is not reached, and the battery life determination process can be ended.In this case, the battery life determination process can be ended with almost no power consumption. The battery life can be extended. On the other hand, when it is determined by the battery life determination means that the output voltage of the battery when the electric load is in the low power consumption state is lower than the first threshold, the electric load is set to the high power consumption state and the battery The output voltage is determined. At this time, it is determined whether or not the output voltage of the battery is lower than the second threshold value lower than the first threshold value, and the output voltage of the battery is the second threshold value in the high power consumption state. If it is lower than the threshold value, it is determined that the battery life is reached, and if it is equal to or greater than the second threshold value, it is determined that the battery life is not reached. In this way, by determining the battery life based on the output voltage of the battery in a high power consumption state, it is possible to prevent in advance that a voltage shortage occurs when the maximum load is activated during normal operation of the device. This makes it possible to accurately determine the battery life before the normal operation of the device.

  In the apparatus using the battery of the present invention as a power source, preferably, the control unit can be configured such that the determination process by the battery life determination unit is executed when the control unit is powered on (claim). Item 2). According to this, by determining the battery life when the device is turned on, the use of the device is started despite the battery life, and the device suddenly stops due to the battery life during the maximum load operation during use of the device. Can be avoided.

  In addition, an operation unit related to the electric load is further provided, and the control unit controls the operation of the electric load based on an operation of the operation unit. When it is determined, it may be configured not to accept the operation of the operation unit (claim 3). According to this, in a device capable of operating an electric load by operating the operation unit, the battery life is determined by the battery life determination unit in advance before the operation unit is operated, and determined to be the battery life. In this case, even if the operation unit is operated after that, the operation control of the electric load accompanying the operation of the operation unit is not performed, and it is possible to avoid the occurrence of a malfunction of the electric load due to the battery life.

  The low power consumption state may be a state in which the operation of the electric load is stopped. According to this, the power consumption required during the determination operation of the battery life determination means until the battery output voltage becomes lower than the first threshold can be suppressed as low as possible, and the battery life is further improved. be able to.

  The electric load includes a plurality of electric drive components, and the high power consumption state is a state in which an electric drive component that consumes the maximum power among the plurality of electric drive components is operated at the maximum power consumption. Good (Claim 5). According to this, a power consumption state equivalent to the maximum power consumption during the operation of the actual device can be generated during the determination process by the battery life determination means, and a more accurate battery life determination can be performed.

  The control unit detects whether or not the battery has been replaced, and the battery in the low power consumption state when the battery replacement detecting unit detects that the battery has been replaced. Drop voltage measuring means for measuring a difference voltage between the output voltage of the battery and the output voltage of the battery in the high power consumption state, and a threshold value for changing the value of the first threshold when the difference voltage is equal to or greater than a predetermined value And a changing unit. (Claim 6) Generally, it is known that depending on the type and grade of the battery, there are some cases where the voltage drop when a load is connected to the open voltage is severe. Even if is higher than the first threshold value, when the maximum load operates during operation of the device, the output voltage of the battery may drop significantly, which may hinder the operation of the device. However, according to the above configuration, when the battery is replaced, the differential voltage in the high power consumption state is measured, and when the differential voltage when the battery is new is large, the first threshold value is changed ( More preferably, the first threshold value can be set appropriately in accordance with the quality of the battery.

  The control unit detects whether or not the battery has been replaced, and the battery in the low power consumption state when the battery replacement detecting unit detects that the battery has been replaced. Drop voltage measuring means for measuring a difference voltage between the output voltage of the battery and the output voltage of the battery in the high power consumption state, the battery life determination means, the battery life determination means when the difference voltage is greater than or equal to a predetermined value The operation of the electric load is controlled so that the electric load is in the high power consumption state without determining whether the output voltage of the battery when in the low power consumption state is lower than a first threshold value. Then, when the output voltage of the battery is lower than the second threshold value in the high power consumption state, it may be determined that the battery is at the end of its life (claim 7). According to this, when the battery is replaced, the differential voltage in the high power consumption state is measured, and when the difference voltage when the battery is new is large, the battery life determination means is always in the high power consumption state. Since it is determined whether or not the output voltage of the battery is lower than the second threshold value, it is possible to accurately determine the battery life even when the battery is replaced with a battery having a different performance.

  In addition, the information processing device further includes a notification unit that is controlled by the control unit, and the control unit is configured to cause the notification unit to perform a notification operation when the battery life determination unit determines that the battery life is reached. (Claim 8). According to this, when it is determined that the battery life is reached, it is possible to prompt the user to replace the battery by performing a notification operation of the notification unit.

  The present invention can be suitably implemented as a battery-type gas stove comprising a device using the above-described battery as a power source (Claim 9), and more preferably includes a stepping motor for adjusting a flow rate of combustion gas as the electric load, The power state may be a state in which all phases of the stepping motor are excited (claim 10). According to this, the battery life of the battery-type gas stove can be determined with as low power consumption as possible, and the battery can be prevented from running out during the operation of the stepping motor that adjusts the combustion gas flow rate.

  Note that the electric drive component that is controlled to be in the high power consumption state may include a movable part such as a slider or a rotor. In this case, preferably, the high power consumption state includes the movable part. It can be in a state where the power consumption is increased while being stopped or held in position (for example, all-phase excitation of a stepping motor). According to this, the movable part of the electric drive component does not move during the battery life determination process.

  As described above, according to the apparatus that uses the battery according to claim 1 of the present invention as a power source, the battery life determination means first has an electrical load in a low power consumption state (for example, a state in which there is no power consumption, Determining whether or not the output voltage of the battery at a very low power consumption is lower than a first threshold (for example, 2.6 V if the rated voltage of the battery is 3 V), If the threshold value is higher than 1, the battery life determination process can be ended by determining that the battery life is not reached. In this case, the battery life determination process can be ended with almost no power consumption. Can be achieved. On the other hand, when it is determined by the battery life determination means that the output voltage of the battery when the electric load is in the low power consumption state is lower than the first threshold, the electric load is set to the high power consumption state and the battery The output voltage is determined. At this time, it is determined whether or not the output voltage of the battery is lower than the second threshold value lower than the first threshold value, and the output voltage of the battery is the second threshold value in the high power consumption state. If it is lower than the threshold value, it is determined that the battery life is reached, and if it is equal to or greater than the second threshold value, it is determined that the battery life is not reached. In this way, by determining the battery life based on the output voltage of the battery in a high power consumption state, it is possible to prevent in advance that a voltage shortage occurs when the maximum load is activated during normal operation of the device. This makes it possible to accurately determine the battery life before the normal operation of the device.

  In addition, according to the device using the battery as the power source according to claim 2 of the present invention, the use of the device is started regardless of the battery life by performing the battery life determination when the device is turned on. It can be avoided that the device suddenly stops due to the battery life during the maximum load operation.

  According to the apparatus using the battery as the power source according to claim 3 of the present invention, in the apparatus capable of operating the electric load by the operation of the operation unit, the battery life determining means is previously set before the operation unit is operated. If the battery life is determined by the above, even if the operation unit is operated after that, the operation of the electrical load accompanying the operation of the operation unit is not performed, and the operation of the electric load due to the battery life It is possible to avoid the occurrence of defects.

  In addition, according to the device using the battery as the power source according to claim 4 of the present invention, the power consumption required for the determination operation of the battery life determination unit until the output voltage of the battery becomes lower than the first threshold as much as possible. The battery life can be further improved.

  In addition, according to the device using the battery as the power source according to claim 5 of the present invention, the power consumption state equivalent to the maximum power consumption during the operation of the actual device is caused during the determination processing by the battery life determination means, and more Accurate battery life determination can be performed.

  Further, according to the device using the battery as the power source according to claim 6 of the present invention, when the battery is replaced, the difference voltage in the high power consumption state is measured, and the difference voltage when the battery is new is large. The first threshold value can be appropriately set according to the quality of the battery by changing the first threshold value.

  Further, according to the apparatus using the battery as the power source according to claim 7 of the present invention, when the battery is replaced, the difference voltage in the high power consumption state is measured, and the difference voltage when the battery is new is large. The battery life determination means always determines whether or not the output voltage of the battery in the high power consumption state is lower than the second threshold value. Can be determined.

  Moreover, according to the apparatus which uses the battery as a power supply concerning Claim 8 of this invention, when it determines with it being a battery life, a user can be prompted to replace a battery by carrying out alerting | reporting operation | movement of an alerting | reporting part.

  In addition, according to the battery-type gas stove according to claim 9 of the present invention, the battery life of the battery-type gas stove can be determined with as low power consumption as possible. Furthermore, according to the battery type gas stove according to claim 10 of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the battery from running out during the operation of the stepping motor for adjusting the flow rate of the combustion gas.

It is a schematic circuit diagram of the battery-type gas stove which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the starting process at the time of power activation of the battery type gas stove. It is a flowchart which shows 1st Example of the battery life determination process of the battery life determination process of the battery type gas stove. It is a flowchart which shows 2nd Example of the battery life determination process of the battery life determination process of the battery type gas stove.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a battery-type gas stove (device using a battery as a power source) according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic circuit diagram of a main circuit portion related to the present invention. The basic configuration of the gas stove may be a conventionally known appropriate one, and for example, may be the same configuration as the gas stove disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-7808.

  First, the basic configuration of a gas stove will be described with reference to the reference numerals shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 of the above publication. The gas stove (1) includes a box-shaped casing (10) that opens upward, and a casing An outer shell is constituted by a glass top plate (11) that closes the upper opening of (10) and becomes the top surface portion of the gas stove (1).

  The top plate (11) is provided with a plurality of heating sections (2) having a stove burner (25). As the heating section (2), a standard burner (2a), a small burner (2b), a high thermal power burner ( A total of three stove burners (25) of 2c) are provided.

  The gas stove (1) is provided with a grill cabinet provided with a grill burner, and the front opening of the grill cabinet is closed by a grill door (12) provided in front of the gas stove (1).

  Each heating section (2) is provided with a heated object detecting means (22). The to-be-heated object detection means (22) is in a state where the to-be-heated object is placed on the five virtues (21), i.e., the to-be-heated object is arranged on each stove burner (25). Whether or not.

  The front panel (13) constituting the front portion of the gas stove (1) is provided with an operation section (14) comprising a knob dial device for operating each heating section (2).

  Each operation unit (14) is manually operated to command switching and fire power adjustment of the corresponding combustor (25), and control of the thermal power. It functions as a thermal power setting means (target position setting means for the flow rate control member) for switching the fire extinguishing and adjusting the thermal power. The thermal power control may be adjusted in multiple stages such as fire extinguishing, small thermal power, medium thermal power, and large thermal power, and it should be adjustable in 10 to tens of stages from fire extinguishing to large thermal power. In addition, in order to prevent extinction, it is possible not to set the thermal power from the fire extinguishing to the small thermal power, and to adjust the thermal power from the small thermal power to the large thermal power in 10 to 10 stages. The operation unit (14) can be configured by a rotary encoder that outputs a number of pulses corresponding to the rotation operation amount to the control unit, can also be configured by a rotary potentiometer, or can be configured by a touch panel. It is also possible to configure the operation unit (14) so as to increase or decrease the heating power setting value stored in the control unit by a touch operation.

  A setting input panel (15) constituting setting means for instructing the setting of cooking of the corresponding burner (25) is provided below each operation unit (14) of the front panel (13). By operating the setting input panel (15), an automatic cooking mode such as a cooking timer mode, a water heating mode, and a rice cooking mode can be set for each cooker (25).

  Further, a setting input panel (16) for instructing switching between ignition and extinguishing of the grill burner and adjustment of the thermal power is provided on the left side of the front panel (13).

  When cooking without mode setting using the setting input panels (15) and (16), the power is turned on by operating the power switch (17) provided on the front, and then the operation unit (14) is pressed. Then, an ignition command is sent to the control unit. Upon receiving this command, the control unit opens the original gas solenoid valve (27) of the gas supply passage (26), and opens the flow rate control valve (3) corresponding to the arbitrary burner (25) or grill burner at a predetermined opening. At the same time, the spark plug (24) is sparked to ignite the burner (25) or the grill burner. Thereby, the to-be-heated material mounted on the five virtues (21) corresponding to the flame of the stove burner (25) can be heated, and the meat and fish in the grill can be baked by the flame of the grill burner.

  Further, the gas device is provided with a control unit mainly composed of a microcomputer. The controller receives an electromotive force of a thermocouple (23) as a combustion detection means provided in each burner (25), and the controller causes the input electromotive force to exceed a predetermined value (for example, 3.5 mV). When this happens, the combustion lamps (combustion lamps corresponding to the respective burners) provided in the display unit provided on the setting input panels (15) and (16) and / or the top plate (11) are turned on.

  A fuel passage for supplying fuel is connected to each of the stove burner (25) and the grill burner, and as this fuel passage, a branch passage that branches from a gas supply passage (26) for supplying a fuel gas such as city gas ( 26a) is connected.

  The flow control valve (3) having a closing function for controlling the amount of fuel passing through each branch passage (26a) and preventing the passage of fuel in each branch passage (26a), and the flow control valve (3). A stepping motor (30) for driving the valve is provided for each branch passage (26a), and fine adjustment of the opening position of the flow rate control member (34) functioning as a valve element is performed by the stepping motor (30). Moreover, the potentiometer (4) which detects the opening position of a flow control member (34) is provided. Furthermore, an original gas solenoid valve (27) is provided as an on-off valve having a closing function for preventing the passage of fuel in the fuel passage. Thus, as a valve device having a closing function for preventing the passage of fuel in the fuel passage, the flow control valve (3) and the original gas electromagnetic valve (27) are provided in series, and the original gas electromagnetic valve (27). Is provided upstream of the gas flow path from the flow control valve (3).

  The original gas solenoid valve (27) and the stepping motor (30) that drives the flow rate control valve (3) are controlled by the control unit, and the detected voltage in the potentiometer (4) is output to the control unit and processed. The Further, the flow rate control valve (3) is closed so that the flow rate becomes zero and a shut-off state is established when the corresponding combustor (25) is not used.

  As the stepping motor (30), a two-phase to five-phase motor can be suitably used. When the flow control valve (3) is closed, the stepping motor (30) is excited in all phases by the control unit. Therefore, it is possible to generate a larger torque and thereby perform the valve closing operation reliably.

  The gas stove configured as described above includes a stepping motor (30) of the flow rate control valve (3), an original gas solenoid valve (27), a spark plug (24), and a display unit as electric drive parts that serve as an electric load of the battery. In other words, it is a component that consumes the maximum power among the electric drive components on which the stepping motor (30) excited in all phases is mounted.

  Next, the control configuration of the battery type gas stove according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit is mainly configured by a microprocessor 100 provided on a control board, and the microprocessor 100 and the electric drive component are accommodated in a battery accommodating unit provided in a housing. The two dry batteries 101 are operated as a power source. The power supply line that supplies the output voltage (hereinafter referred to as “battery voltage”) of the battery 101 from the battery 101 to the microprocessor 100 and the electric drive component is turned on / off using a power switch composed of a simple on / off switch. In this embodiment, a self-power holding circuit 102 is provided in the middle of the power supply line so that the microprocessor 100 can control the power supply to itself.

  The self-power holding circuit 102 includes a switching element Q1 made of a p-channel FET provided in the middle of the power supply line. The gate of the switching element Q1 is connected to the positive electrode of the battery 101 via a pull-up resistor R1, and is connected to the ground via switching elements Q2 and Q3 comprising two npn transistors provided in parallel. ing. The bases of the switching elements Q2 and Q3 are grounded through the pull-down resistors R2 and R3, respectively. The base of one switching element Q2 is connected to the self-holding output port of the microprocessor 100. While the self-holding signal voltage is output from the microprocessor 1 to the switching element Q2, the switching element Q2 is turned on. Thus, the gate of the switching element Q1 is grounded, whereby the switching element Q1 is turned on and the power supply voltage is supplied to the microprocessor 100. The base of the other switching element Q3 is connected to the positive electrode of the battery 101 via the power switch SW. When the power switch SW is operated and turned on, the switching element Q3 is turned on and the gate of the switching element Q1 is turned on. The switching element Q1 is also turned on by this being grounded, and the power supply voltage is supplied to the microprocessor 1. The microprocessor 1 is activated when a power supply voltage is supplied by the power switch SW, and maintains the power supply to itself by outputting the self-holding signal immediately after the activation, and satisfies a predetermined power-off condition. The power supply is automatically turned off by stopping the output of the self-holding signal.

  In FIG. 1, the battery voltage is directly supplied to the microprocessor 100 as a power supply voltage via the switching element Q1, but the voltage is stepped down by providing a current limiting resistor in series with the switching element Q1. Alternatively, a DC / DC converter may be provided between the battery 101 and the microprocessor 100, and the output voltage of the converter may be supplied to the microprocessor 100 as a power supply voltage. Further, the battery voltage is directly supplied to the microprocessor 100 as a power supply voltage, and a constant voltage output from the converter is used for the reference voltage of the input signal from the analog signal input port such as the battery voltage monitoring signal input port. Can be input to the reference voltage signal input port.

  Further, a battery voltage monitoring circuit 103 composed of a voltage dividing circuit is connected to the positive electrode of the battery 101, and a battery voltage monitoring signal output from the battery voltage monitoring circuit 103 is input to a battery voltage monitoring signal input port of the microprocessor 100. Have been entered. The microprocessor 100 is configured to be able to detect the battery voltage based on the battery voltage monitoring signal input to the battery voltage monitoring signal input port during start-up, and thus the battery voltage monitoring circuit 103 and the microprocessor 100 can detect the battery voltage. Battery voltage detection means is configured.

  A drive circuit 104 for driving the stepping motor 30 is provided on the control board, and the power supply voltage output from the self-power holding circuit 102 is also supplied to the drive circuit 104. The drive circuit 104 supplies a drive voltage to the stepping motor 30 based on a control signal output from the microprocessor 100. Although only one stepping motor 30 is shown in FIG. 1, a drive circuit can be provided for each stepping motor.

  The amount of operation of the operation unit 14 for operating the stepping motor 30, that is, the operation unit 14 for performing ignition / extinguishing of the corresponding stove burner (25) and adjusting the thermal power, is connected to the microprocessor 100. Detected by the operation board 105, the microprocessor 100 is configured to control the operation of the stepping motor 30 based on the operation of the operation unit 14 during normal control.

  Although not shown, the microprocessor 100 is provided with nonvolatile storage means such as an EEPROM in the form of internal memory or external memory, and stores the data stored in the nonvolatile storage means even when the power is turned off. It can be held.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of a startup process before the microprocessor 100 starts normal control. When the power to the microprocessor 100 is turned on, the setting contents of the battery life flag stored in the nonvolatile storage means are confirmed. If the battery life flag is 1, the process proceeds to step S9 to be described later, and the battery life flag is set. If 0, it is next determined whether or not it is the first activation after battery replacement (step S2). Note that the battery life flag is set to 0 when shipped from the factory. Further, it is possible to determine whether or not it is the first activation after battery replacement. For example, the open circuit voltage Vpre of the battery 101 immediately before the power supply is shut off is stored in the nonvolatile storage means. In step S2, the open circuit voltage Vo of the battery 101 when the power is turned on this time is detected, and this Vo can be determined by comparing with the above Vpre. The battery is characterized in that it is charged when the battery is not used and the potential is restored, and the amount of restoration is determined to some extent with respect to the value of the potential. Assuming that the potential increase due to such charging is Vc, if Vpre ≦ Vo ≦ Vpre + Vc, it is determined that the battery is not replaced, and if Vpre + Vc <Vo or Vo <Vpre, it is determined that the battery has been replaced. Accurate battery replacement determination can be performed.

  If it is determined that the battery has not been replaced, the process proceeds to a battery life determination process (step S7). On the other hand, when it is determined that the battery has been replaced, in order to confirm the quality of the battery, in step S3, when the battery voltage at no load (low power consumption state) and the stepping motor 30 are all-phase excited The difference voltage (drop voltage) from the battery voltage in the (high power consumption state) is measured, and the difference voltage is stored in the nonvolatile storage means. When measuring the battery voltage in a high power consumption state, all the stepping motors 30 described above may be energized in all phases, but all the stepping motors 30 are energized in all phases simultaneously during normal operation of the gas stove. Since almost no stepping motor is present, a state in which only one of the stepping motors is excited in all phases can be set to a high power consumption state.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the measured differential voltage is a predetermined voltage, for example, 0.4 V or more (step S4). If the measured differential voltage is less than the predetermined voltage, the battery quality is considered to be good. For example, 2.4V is set as the threshold (step S5). On the other hand, if the voltage is equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage, the battery performance is considered to be different from the intended one, and 2.8V is set as the first threshold (step S6). ), The set value of the first threshold value is stored in the nonvolatile storage means.

  Next, in step S7, the battery life illustrated in FIG. 3 is determined, and if it is determined that the battery life is reached, for example, 1 is set in the battery life flag provided in the non-volatile storage means, and it is determined that the battery life is not reached. For example, 0 is set in the battery life flag. In step S8, the setting content of the battery life flag is determined. If the battery life flag is 1, a predetermined notification that the battery life is reached is provided using a notification device (notification unit) such as a piezoelectric buzzer mounted on the gas stove. (Step S9), and abnormal termination is completed without starting normal control. The mode of abnormal termination may be appropriate, for example, the battery life notification described above may be continued without shutting off the power supply and accepting any operation, or after the battery life notification for a predetermined time, The power supply may be automatically shut off. On the other hand, if the battery life flag is other than 1, normal control of the gas stove is started, specifically, input reception processing of various operation units is performed, and when there is an input, a predetermined electric drive component corresponding Perform motion control.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the battery life determination process (battery life determination means) in step S7 in more detail. When the battery life determination process starts, first, the operation control of any electric drive component is performed. Open battery voltage (battery voltage in a constant power consumption state) is measured (step S10). If the open battery voltage is equal to or higher than the first threshold value, it is determined that the battery life is not reached, steps S12 to S15 described later are skipped, the battery life flag is set to 0 (step S17), and the determination process is performed. finish. On the other hand, if the open battery voltage is less than the first threshold value (step 11), the stepping motor 30 is excited in all phases to be operated at the maximum power consumption power (step S12). The battery voltage is measured (step S13), the stepping motor 30 is stopped (step S14), and it is determined whether or not the measured battery voltage during all-phase excitation is less than the second threshold (step S15). . The second threshold value is stored and set in the nonvolatile storage means at the time of shipment from the factory, and can be set to 1.9 V, for example. Also at this time, the state in which any one of the stepping motors 30 is excited in all phases can be changed to a high power consumption state. If more reliable determination is to be made, all the stepping motors 30 can be set in all phases. The excited state can be changed to a high power consumption state.

  If it is determined in step S15 that the battery voltage during all-phase excitation is less than the second threshold, the battery life flag is set to 1 assuming that it is the battery life (step S16), and the determination is terminated. . On the other hand, if it is equal to or greater than the second threshold value, it is considered that the battery life is not reached, the battery life flag is set to 0 (step S17), and the determination is terminated.

  According to the battery type gas stove of the present embodiment, since the battery life is determined in the startup process at the time of turning on the power, the battery life error occurs when the power consumption state is entered during cooking, and the combustion operation is stopped. Can be avoided. Further, when the open voltage of the battery 101 is sufficiently high, the battery life determination is completed with almost no power consumption. Therefore, a large amount of power is consumed in the battery life determination process every time the power is turned on, thereby shortening the battery life. Can be avoided. Furthermore, when the open circuit voltage of the battery 101 decreases below the first threshold, it is determined that the battery capacity is sufficient to perform the combustion operation by determining the battery life as a high power consumption state. This can be confirmed during the startup process, and accurate battery life determination can be performed. Furthermore, when a battery is replaced, the battery characteristics are inspected and a first threshold value is set for each battery characteristic, so that an accurate battery life determination can be made even when a battery with a different performance is replaced. Can do.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the design can be changed as appropriate.

  For example, in the battery life determination process, as shown in FIG. 4, at the start of the determination, first, whether or not the difference voltage (drop voltage) stored in the nonvolatile storage means is a predetermined voltage, for example, 0.4 V or more. If it is 0.4V or more, it is considered that the battery has different performance, the determination of the open battery voltage in steps S10 and S11 is skipped, and the determination of the battery voltage in a state where the stepping motor 30 is always excited in all phases is determined. The control is configured to perform. In this case, since the first threshold value is not used, the step of setting the first threshold value in steps S4 to S6 in FIG. 2 can be deleted.

14 Operation unit 30 Stepping motor (electric load)
100 Control unit (microprocessor)
101 battery

Claims (10)

An electric load that operates using a battery as a power source, and a control unit that controls the operation of the electric load and operates using the battery as a power source. The control unit has a lifetime based on an output voltage of the battery. In an apparatus using a battery as a power source, comprising battery life determination means for determining whether or not
The battery life determination means determines that the electric load is lower than the low power consumption state when it is determined that the output voltage of the battery is lower than a first threshold when the electric load is in a low power consumption state. The operation of the electric load is controlled so as to be in a high power consumption state with a large power consumption, and the output voltage of the battery is lower than a second threshold value lower than the first threshold value in the high power consumption state. A device using a battery as a power source, wherein the battery is configured to determine that the battery has a lifetime.   2. The apparatus using the battery as a power source according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured such that the determination process by the battery life determination unit is executed when the control unit is powered on. Equipment that uses batteries to power.   The apparatus using a battery as a power source according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an operation unit related to the electric load, wherein the control unit controls an operation of the electric load based on an operation of the operation unit. An apparatus using a battery as a power source, configured to not accept an operation of the operation unit when the battery life determination means determines that the battery life is reached.   4. A device using the battery as a power source according to claim 1, wherein the low power consumption state is a state in which the operation of the electric load is stopped.   5. The device using the battery as a power source according to claim 1, wherein the electric load includes a plurality of electric drive components, and the high power consumption state is a maximum power consumption of the plurality of electric drive components. A device using a battery as a power source, wherein the electric drive component that performs the operation is operated with maximum power consumption.   The apparatus using the battery as a power source according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit detects whether or not the battery has been replaced, battery replacement detection means, and the battery replacement detection means causes the battery to be connected. Drop voltage measuring means for measuring a difference voltage between the output voltage of the battery in the low power consumption state and the output voltage of the battery in the high power consumption state when it is detected that the battery is replaced; A device using a battery as a power supply, further comprising threshold changing means for changing the value of the first threshold when the value is equal to or greater than the value.   The apparatus using the battery as a power source according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit detects whether or not the battery has been replaced, battery replacement detection means, and the battery replacement detection means causes the battery to be connected. Drop battery measuring means for measuring a difference voltage between the output voltage of the battery in the low power consumption state and the output voltage of the battery in the high power consumption state when detecting that the battery has been replaced; When the difference voltage is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the life determination means determines whether the output voltage of the battery when in the low power consumption state is lower than a first threshold value or not. Controlling the operation of the electric load so as to be in the high power consumption state, and when the output voltage of the battery is lower than the second threshold value in the high power consumption state, the life of the battery is Equipment for the battery, characterized in that the constant power supply.   The apparatus using a battery as a power source according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a notification unit that is controlled to perform a notification operation by the control unit, wherein the control unit is configured such that the battery life determination means is based on the life of the battery. A device using a battery as a power source, configured to cause the notification unit to perform a notification operation when it is determined to be present.   A battery-type gas stove comprising a device using the battery according to claim 1 as a power source.   10. The battery-type gas stove according to claim 9, further comprising a stepping motor that adjusts a combustion gas flow rate as the electric load, wherein the high power consumption state is a state in which the stepping motor is excited in all phases. Gas stove.

Images