JP2017180935A - Gas cooking stove - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gas cooking stove capable of excellently reading internal information without decomposing a housing part.SOLUTION: A gas cooking stove 1 includes a housing part 2, a light-emitting part 60 configured to emit visible light toward at least any outside of a top plate part 3 or a front face part 4A in the housing unit part 2, and a control part provided inside the housing part 2. The control part is configured to visible optical communication of transmitting to the outside information corresponding to change of a light-emitting state with change of the light-emitting state of visible light emitted from the light-emitting part 60.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a gas stove.

  In the field of gas appliances, a system has been proposed in which internal information can be extracted from a remote controller. For example, in the heat source apparatus system disclosed in Patent Document 1, a light emitting element and a light emission control unit are provided in a remote control, and by controlling the light emission of the light emitting element, an optical signal representing information on the heat source apparatus system is transmitted to the light emitting element. Is output to the outside.

JP 2015-21675 A

  By the way, when taking out the internal information of a gas appliance, it may be desired not to take out from a remote controller like patent document 1, but to take out directly from an appliance main part. For example, many gas stoves do not use a remote controller as in Patent Document 1, and in this case, internal information cannot be extracted by a method as in Patent Document 1.

  For this reason, in the gas stove, when internal information of the instrument is required during maintenance, etc., the controller can be accessed by removing the top plate and internal parts, etc., and the information in the controller is read using a special reading device It is necessary to acquire internal information by such a method. However, with such a method, the labor of the operator is increased, and it takes time to acquire the internal information.

  On the other hand, in the field of electronic devices, a method of acquiring internal information of devices by attaching an RFID tag to an internal component and reading the RFID tag from the outside as necessary is considered. However, it is difficult to apply this method to a gas stove. The gas stove casing is made of a metal material in consideration of durability and heat dissipation, so even if an RFID tag is attached to the internal parts, it will be shielded by the metal casing at the time of reading. This is because it cannot be performed well.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gas stove that can read internal information satisfactorily without disassembling the casing.

The gas stove of the present invention is
With a gas burner,
A housing portion that has a top plate portion and a front surface portion and accommodates at least a gas flow path to be supplied to the gas burner;
A light emitting part that emits visible light toward at least one of the top plate part and the front part; and
A control unit configured to perform visible light communication that is provided inside the housing unit and transmits information corresponding to a change in the light emission state to the outside by changing a light emission state of the visible light emitted from the light emitting unit;
including.

  In the gas stove according to the present invention, the control unit performs visible light communication, and the information corresponding to the change in the light emission state can be transmitted to the outside by changing the light emission state of the visible light emitted from the light emission unit. Therefore, the internal information of the gas stove can be read without disassembling the container. In addition, when a metal component is included in the casing, it is difficult to read the internal information with the RFID technology. However, according to this method, the internal information can be read satisfactorily.

  In this invention, the light emission part may have a display part which displays at least any one of a symbol and a figure. The control unit may be configured to perform control for displaying information based on at least one of a symbol and a graphic on the display unit.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to share information display by explicitly indicating symbols and figures and information transmission by visible light communication in the same part. In particular, if the display unit is also used for visible light communication, the number of parts and the cost can be reduced, which is advantageous in terms of space.

  In the present invention, the control unit may be configured to transmit information different from at least information that can be displayed on the display unit to the outside by visible light communication.

  According to this configuration, even information that is not displayed by the display unit can be output to the outside.

  The present invention may include a storage unit that stores information. The control unit may be configured to transmit information stored in the storage unit to the outside through visible light communication.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to read information stored in the storage unit without disassembling the casing unit.

  In the present invention, the information stored in the storage unit may include history information of errors that have occurred in the past.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to grasp the history of errors that have occurred in the past without disassembling the casing, and it is possible to perform error analysis more easily.

  In this invention, the information memorize | stored in the memory | storage part may contain at least any one of the specific information attached | subjected uniquely to the said gas stove, or the kind specific information which specifies the kind of the said gas stove.

  According to this configuration, the specific information of the gas stove or the type identification information of the gas stove can be accurately read as electronic data without performing the work of disassembling the casing.

FIG. 1 is a front view schematically illustrating a part of the gas stove according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically illustrating a part of the gas stove according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the electrical configuration of the gas stove according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of display control performed in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the blinking display performed in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a visible light signal transmitted during a lighting period during blinking display. FIG. 7A is an explanatory diagram illustrating content transmitted by visible light communication, and FIG. 7B is an explanatory diagram illustrating another example of content transmitted by visible light communication. FIG. 8 is a front view schematically showing a gas stove according to another embodiment. FIG. 9 is a front view schematically showing a gas stove of another embodiment different from FIG.

<Example 1>
Hereinafter, a gas stove 1 embodying an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. These drawings are used to explain technical features that can be adopted by the present invention. The structure of the apparatus described below is merely an illustrative example, and is not intended to be limited to that unless otherwise specified.

  The gas stove 1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 has a casing portion 2 constituted by a top plate portion 3 and a casing body 4, and the casing portion 2 constitutes an outer wall portion of the gas stove 1. The flow path of the gas to be supplied is accommodated. The housing part 2 is formed by detachably attaching a top plate part 3 configured in a plate shape to the housing body 4.

  The housing body 4 is configured as a box-shaped case body whose upper side is opened by, for example, a metal material, and has a configuration in which various components are accommodated in an internal space surrounded by walls in front, rear, left, and right. The housing body 4 includes a front surface portion 4A constituting the front wall portion of the gas stove 1, and a rear surface portion (not shown) is provided on the rear side of the front surface portion 4A. Further, side portions are provided in pairs on the left and right sides, and a box-shaped case body is constituted by the front surface portion 4A, the rear surface portion, and the side surface portions.

  The top plate portion 3 is configured as a metal plate-like member, and is assembled to the housing body 4 from above so as to close the opening on the upper side of the housing body 4. The top plate portion 3 functions as an upper surface portion of the gas stove 1 in a state assembled to the housing body 4 as shown in FIGS. The top plate portion 3 can be attached to and detached from the housing body 4. Openings are formed on the left and right sides of the top plate portion 3 so as to penetrate the top plate portion 3 in the thickness direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a gas burner 5 is provided inside the left opening of the top plate 3, and a gas burner 6 is provided inside the right opening. Five virtues 11 and 12 are respectively provided at the upper portions of the respective openings. The five virtues 11 and 12 are configured such that cooking containers such as cooking pots (not shown) can be placed on the upper surfaces thereof. The gas burners 5 and 6 function to burn the combustion gas and heat the cooking containers placed on the five virtues 11 and 12.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a sensor unit 15 is provided at the center of the gas burner 5, and a sensor unit 16 is provided at the center of the gas burner 6. The sensor portions 15 and 16 can be moved up and down and are urged upward by a spring (not shown). The sensor unit 15 includes the thermistor 7 shown in FIG. 3, and is configured to be pushed downward when the cooking pan is placed on the virtues 11, and the thermistor 7 of the cooking pan placed thereon. Detect the bottom temperature. The sensor unit 16 includes the thermistor 8 shown in FIG. 3. The sensor unit 16 is configured to be pushed downward when the cooking pan is placed on the virtues 12, and the thermistor 8 has the cooking pan placed on the cooking pan. Detect the bottom temperature.

  As shown in FIG. 2, ignition switches 21 and 22 are respectively provided in the region near the front end and the right end of the top plate 3 on the upper surface side of the gas stove 1 so as to penetrate the top plate 3. The ignition switches 21 and 22 are both arranged so as to protrude above the top plate portion 3, and the left ignition switch 21 is a switch for performing an ignition operation of the gas burner 5. The right ignition switch 22 is a switch for performing an ignition operation of the gas burner 6. An exhaust cover portion 13 is configured as a part of the top plate portion 3 so as to cover a grill exhaust port (not shown) in a region near the rear end of the top plate portion 3. A hole 13A is formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a grill door 17 and a grill ignition switch 23 are respectively provided on the front surface of the gas stove 1. The grill ignition switch 23 is configured as a switch for performing an ignition operation of a grill burner (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the gas burner 5, the gas burner 6, and the grill burner are provided with igniters 25 to 27, respectively. The igniters 25 to 27 are devices that ignite various burners by discharging sparks in conjunction with the ignition operations of the ignition switches 21 to 23, respectively. The gas stove 1 includes a first gas supply pipe (not shown) for supplying gas to the gas burner 5, a second gas supply pipe (not shown) for supplying gas to the gas burner 6, and gas to the grill burner. And a third gas supply pipe (not shown) are provided.

The electrical configuration of the gas stove 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the gas stove 1, a power supply unit 40 is accommodated in the housing body 4. The power supply unit 40 has a configuration in which, for example, two dry batteries are connected in series, and is fixed to the housing body 4 directly or indirectly through another member. In addition, a main board 9 in which various electronic components are mounted on the board body is provided inside the housing body 4, and the main board 9 is also directly or indirectly via other members with respect to the housing body 4. It is fixed to.

  The main board 9 is provided with a microcomputer (hereinafter also referred to as a microcomputer) 50 that functions as a control circuit. The microcomputer 50 further includes a timer, an I / O interface, etc. (not shown) in addition to a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The CPU of the microcomputer 50 performs overall control of various operations of the gas stove 1 and can perform various arithmetic processes. Various control programs for the gas stove 1 are stored in the ROM of the microcomputer 50.

  The microcomputer 50 is connected to a power supply circuit 41, a switch input circuit 42, a thermistor input circuit 43, an igniter circuit 45, a safety valve circuit 46, an electromagnetic valve circuit 47, a drive circuit 62, and the like.

  The power supply circuit 41 has a function of receiving a power supply from a power supply unit 40 (for example, two dry batteries mounted in a battery box) and generating a DC power supply applied to various circuits. The switch input circuit 42 detects pressing of the ignition switches 21 to 23, respectively. The igniter circuit 45 drives igniters 25 to 27 of various burners. The safety valve circuit 46 opens and closes the safety valves 28 to 30 provided in the first to third gas supply pipes. The electromagnetic valve circuit 47 opens and closes the electromagnetic valves 31 and 32 respectively provided in the first and second gas supply pipes. The microcomputer 50 is a part that can control the opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve 31 and the safety valve 28 provided in the first gas supply pipe that continues to the gas burner 5. The microcomputer 50 is connected to the second gas supply pipe that continues to the gas burner 6. This is a part that can control the opening and closing of the provided electromagnetic valve 32 and safety valve 29.

  The gas stove 1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is provided with only the light emitting unit 60 composed of a single lamp as a component that emits light. The light emitting unit 60 is configured by a light emitting element such as an LED, for example, and is configured to emit light to the outside (front side) in the front surface portion 4A.

  The microcomputer 50 is configured to give a drive instruction for the light emitting unit 60 to the drive circuit 62. The drive circuit 62 controls lighting and extinguishing of the light emitting unit 60 in accordance with a command from the microcomputer 50. The microcomputer 50 corresponds to an example of a control unit, is provided inside the housing unit 2, and changes the light emission state of visible light emitted from the light emitting unit 60 to provide information corresponding to the change in the light emission state to the outside. It functions to perform visible light communication to be transmitted to.

  A voltage detection circuit 49 is connected to the microcomputer 50. The voltage detection circuit 49 is configured as a known voltage detection circuit that detects the voltage of the power supply unit 40 (battery), and the microcomputer 50 monitors the detection value from the voltage detection circuit 49 to thereby determine the battery voltage. I know.

Next, visible light communication performed in the gas stove 1 will be described.
The display process shown in FIG. 4 is a process that is repeatedly executed every predetermined short time by the microcomputer 50 after the gas stove 1 is turned on. In the process of FIG. 4, the remaining battery level is determined as the process starts (S1). In S1, it is determined whether or not the voltage (battery voltage) of the power supply unit 40 is less than the threshold voltage. If the voltage (battery voltage) of the power supply unit 40 is less than the threshold voltage, the process proceeds to Yes in S1. When the process proceeds to Yes in S1, the light emitting unit 60 is displayed in the first light emitting state (lighted state) (S4). When the light emitting unit 60 is turned on in S4, the light emitting unit 60 is continuously and continuously caused to emit light.

  In S1, when it is determined that the voltage (battery voltage) of the power supply unit 40 is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage, the process proceeds to No in S1. When the process proceeds to No in S1, it is determined whether or not a predetermined error has occurred (S2). In the gas stove 1, a plurality of types of errors are registered in advance as predetermined errors, such as ignition failure, fire extinguishing function operation, and abnormal heating prevention function operation.

  If it is determined that no error has occurred at the time of the determination process of S2, the process proceeds to No in S2 and ends the process of FIG. When it is determined that any error has occurred in any part at the time of the determination process in S2, the process proceeds to Yes in S2.

  When the process proceeds to Yes in S2, the light emitting unit 60 is displayed in the second light emitting state (flashing state) (S3). In the case of displaying in a blinking state in S3, for example, the light emitting unit 60 is blinked and displayed so as to alternately repeat a lighting state of about several seconds and a light-off state of about several seconds. Then, visible light communication is performed during the lighting period during the blinking display.

  As described above, in this configuration, display control is performed by the microcomputer 50 corresponding to the control unit, and when the first condition is satisfied (specifically, the power supply unit 40 (battery) is in a predetermined output reduction state). When the detection unit detects this), the light emitting unit 60 is controlled to the first light emitting state (lighting state). When the second condition is satisfied (when an error state different from the predetermined output reduction state of the power supply unit 40 (battery) occurs), the light emitting unit 60 is different from the first light emitting state (lighting state). Control is performed to a second light emission state (a blinking state in which the lighting state and the extinguishing state are repeated). And when controlling to a 2nd light emission state, visible light communication is performed and the information corresponding to the change of a light emission state is transmitted outside by changing the light emission state of the visible light discharge | released from the light emission part 60. FIG.

  When it is determined that an error has occurred in S2 (when a predetermined abnormal state has occurred), the microcomputer 50 performs the process of S3 to control the light emitting unit 60 to the second light emitting state and Detailed information regarding an error (predetermined abnormal state) is transmitted by visible light communication performed in the light emission state.

  When the light emitting unit 60 is blinked and displayed so as to alternately repeat the lighting state and the extinguishing state in S3, the visible light signal is superimposed on the period of the lighting state. FIG. 5 is an image diagram of blinking display. When blinking display is performed, the light emitting unit 60 is repeatedly turned on and off in a very short time during the lighting period. During the turn-off period, the light emitting unit 60 is continuously turned off.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a unit time Δt (minute time) that is sufficiently smaller than the lighting time T1 is determined for the lighting time T1 in the blinking display state (period of the lighting state). A visible light signal combined with a turn-off signal of unit time Δt is emitted every short time. FIG. 6 illustrates drive waveforms for driving the light emitting unit 60. The light emitting unit 60 is turned on during the L level period, and the light emitting unit 60 is turned off during the H level period. The L level waveform is the lighting signal and represents “1”, and the H level waveform is the extinguishing signal and represents “0”.

  In the example of FIG. 6, when the period of the visible light signal S1 is divided every unit time Δt, a lighting signal, a light-off signal, a light-off signal, a light-off signal, a light-off signal, a light signal, a light signal, and a light signal are obtained. The optical signal S1 represents data “10000111”. When the period of the visible light signal S2 is divided every unit time Δt, it becomes a lighting signal, a light-off signal, a light-off signal, a light-on signal, a light-off signal, a light-on signal, a light-on signal, and a light-off signal. 10010110 ". As described above, in each period of the visible light signals S1, S2, S3,... Set every short time, a value of “1” is transmitted by the lighting signal of the unit time Δt, and by the extinguishing signal of the unit time Δt. A value of “0” is transmitted. Necessary information can be transmitted by such data transmission.

  In S3 of FIG. 4, the detailed information described above is transmitted using such a visible light signal. The detailed information includes, for example, specific information uniquely given to the gas stove 1, instrument type specifying information for specifying the type of the gas stove 1, abnormal type specifying information for specifying the type of abnormality occurring in the gas stove 1, and the like. These pieces of information are stored in the memory 52, for example. The memory 52 corresponds to an example of a storage unit, and is configured by a known semiconductor memory such as a nonvolatile memory, for example.

  The detailed information may have a data structure as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 7A, a unique ID (serial number) is included as unique information uniquely assigned to the gas stove 1. Moreover, the product number (product number) and the lot number are included as the instrument type characteristic information for specifying the instrument type of the gas stove 1. These pieces of information are stored in advance in the memory 52, and in the visible light communication performed in S3, these pieces of information are read from the memory 52 and transmitted to the outside.

  Further, in the visible light communication performed in S3, as shown in FIG. 7A, information to be transmitted includes information such as the type of error determined in S2 and the portion where the error has occurred (error location). be able to. If a plurality of types of errors have occurred, it is possible to include all information relating to the generated error as shown in FIG.

  In the process of S3 in FIG. 4, such detailed information is transmitted from the light emitting unit 60 by visible light communication and transmitted to an external receiving device (a device that can receive and analyze a visible light signal). it can.

  As described above, in the gas stove 1, the microcomputer 50 corresponding to the control unit performs visible light communication, and changes the light emission state of the visible light emitted from the light emitting unit 60, thereby providing information corresponding to the change in the light emission state. Can be sent externally. Therefore, the internal information of the gas stove 1 can be read without disassembling the casing 2. Moreover, when a metal component is contained in the housing | casing part 2, although internal information is difficult to read with RFID technology, according to this method, internal information can be read favorably.

  The gas stove 1 includes a memory 52 (storage unit) that stores information. The microcomputer 50 corresponding to the control unit is configured to transmit information stored in the memory 52 to the outside by visible light communication. According to this configuration, the information stored in the memory 52 (storage unit) can be read without disassembling the casing unit 2.

  The information stored in the memory 52 (storage unit) in the gas stove 1 includes at least one of specific information uniquely given to the gas stove 1 and type specifying information for specifying the type of the gas stove 1. According to this configuration, the specific information of the gas stove or the type identification information of the gas stove can be accurately read as electronic data without performing the work of disassembling the casing 2.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following examples are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the first embodiment, the information shown in FIG. 7A is given as the information stored in the memory 52 (storage unit). However, as shown in FIG. History information may be included. For example, each time an error occurs, error information (error date, error location, error type, etc.) may be stored in the memory 52, and such error history information may be transmitted when performing visible light communication. For example, in the process of S3 in FIG. 4, error history information that occurred in the past as shown in FIG. 7B may be transmitted by visible light communication, and when a special operation is performed on the gas stove 1 Information of error history as shown in FIG. 7B may be transmitted by visible light communication. In any case, according to this configuration, it is possible to grasp the history of errors that have occurred in the past without disassembling the casing unit 2, and it is possible to perform error analysis more easily.
(2) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the light emitting unit 60 is provided on the front surface portion is shown, but the light emitting unit may be provided on the top plate portion.
(3) In the above-described embodiment, the light emitting unit 60 configured as a dot-like or circular display unit is illustrated, but the light emitting unit is configured as a display unit that displays at least one of other symbols and figures. It may be. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the light emitting unit 260 may be configured in the form of a battery figure. Also in this case, the display process can be performed in the same flow as in FIG. 4, and when the process proceeds to Yes in S <b> 1 (when the battery voltage is less than the threshold value), the light emitting unit 260 (a display unit simulating a battery graphic). Display control is performed so that the battery graphic is lit. On the other hand, when the process proceeds to No in S1 and proceeds to Yes in S2, visible light communication similar to that in the first embodiment is performed, and information that cannot be represented by the graphic of the light emitting unit 260 (display unit imitating a battery graphic) is transmitted. can do. According to this configuration, it is possible to share information display by explicitly indicating symbols and figures and information transmission by visible light communication in the same part. In particular, if the display unit is also used for visible light communication, the number of parts and the cost can be reduced, which is advantageous in terms of space.
(4) In the first embodiment, the light emitting unit 60 configured as a simple circular type lamp is illustrated. However, for example, the light emitting unit 60 may be configured as a display unit capable of displaying characters and numbers. In FIG. 9, a double-digit seven-segment light-emitting unit 360 is used in place of the light-emitting unit 60, and the light-emitting unit 360 can display characters, numbers, and the like. Also in this case, the display process can be performed in the same flow as in FIG. 4. When the process proceeds to Yes in S1 (when the battery voltage is less than the threshold value), for example, the light emitting unit 360 is turned on and a predetermined code ( Display a code indicating battery shortage). On the other hand, when the process proceeds to No in S1 and proceeds to Yes in S2, the code of the error that has occurred is displayed on the light emitting unit 360 in S3 and the light emitting unit 360 is displayed by visible light communication from the light emitting unit 360. Information that cannot be represented by a graphic (for example, information as shown in FIG. 7) can be transmitted. Even in this case, the microcomputer 50 corresponding to the control unit can transmit information different from at least information that can be displayed on the light emitting unit 360 (display unit) to the outside by visible light communication, and the light emitting unit 360 (display unit). Even information that is not displayed by () can be output to the outside.
(5) In the first embodiment, the first light emission state is the lighting state, and the second light emission state is the blinking state. However, the first light emission state is the blinking state, and the second light emission is performed. The state may be a lighting state.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Gas stove 2 ... Housing | casing part 3 ... Top plate part 4A ... Front part 5,6 ... Gas burner 40 ... Power supply part 50 ... Microcomputer (control part)
60: Light emitting part

Claims (6)

With a gas burner,
A housing portion that has a top plate portion and a front surface portion and accommodates at least a gas flow path to be supplied to the gas burner;
A light emitting part that emits visible light toward at least one of the top plate part and the front part; and
A control unit configured to perform visible light communication that is provided inside the housing unit and transmits information corresponding to a change in the light emission state to the outside by changing a light emission state of the visible light emitted from the light emitting unit;
Including gas stove. The light emitting unit has a display unit for displaying at least one of a symbol and a figure,
The gas stove according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs control to display information based on at least one of a symbol and a graphic on the display unit.   The gas stove according to claim 2, wherein the control unit transmits at least information different from information that can be displayed on the display unit to the outside by the visible light communication. A storage unit for storing information;
The gas stove according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit transmits information stored in the storage unit to the outside through the visible light communication.   The gas stove according to claim 4, wherein the information stored in the storage unit includes history information of errors that have occurred in the past.   The gas stove according to claim 4, wherein the information stored in the storage unit includes at least one of unique information uniquely given to the gas stove, or type specifying information for specifying a type of the gas stove.