JP2020022286A - Device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a device enabling power of a power supply battery to be effectively used as much as possible while securing visibility of a liquid crystal display.SOLUTION: A device 1 (gas cooking stove) has a power supply battery 21 for feeding a back light 11a of a reflective liquid crystal display 11, and a power supply battery 22 for feeding to a feeding object other than a back light 11a respectively composed so as to be loaded, and a voltage monitoring section 26 monitoring voltage of the power supply batteries 21 and 22 respectively. The voltage monitoring portion 26, when the voltage of the power supply battery 21 becomes a state just before a voltage of a use limit during feeding from the power supply battery 21 to the back light 11a, outputs notification information indicating that the power supply battery 21 is in a state just before the use limit, with no display of device operation information on the liquid crystal display 11 as a necessary condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a device that uses a battery as a power source and includes a liquid crystal display with a backlight.

  BACKGROUND ART Various devices using a battery as a power supply and including a liquid crystal display device with a backlight have been generally known. In this type of equipment, for example, as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the voltage of the power supply battery is reduced to some extent in order to prevent the remaining capacity of the power supply battery from decreasing early due to power consumption by the backlight. It is known that when detected, the backlight is turned off or the emission luminance of the backlight is reduced to reduce or reduce the power consumption of the backlight.

  In addition, in this type of equipment, when the voltage of the power supply battery is lowered to some extent, it is general to issue a notification (so-called dead battery notification) indicating the fact in order to prompt replacement of the power supply battery.

JP-A-11-110660 JP-A-2006-201399

  In conventional devices as disclosed in Patent Literatures 1 and 2, the power battery is used not only as a backlight but also as a power source for other power supply targets (control circuits, electronic devices, and the like). Even if the power that can normally emit light remains in the power supply battery, it may not be possible to normally supply necessary power to other power supply targets.

  For this reason, in a conventional device, the threshold value regarding the voltage of the power supply battery is usually set high so that the battery can be notified at the stage where the required power can be supplied to all power supply targets including the backlight. Is done. As a result, a situation in which the power supply battery is replaced with a new one when the available power remains in the power supply battery is likely to occur. As a result, of the electric power held by the power supply battery, the amount of electric power remaining without being consumed is likely to increase.

  On the other hand, the liquid crystal display is not limited to a transmissive liquid crystal display that requires a backlight, but may be a reflective liquid crystal display that does not necessarily require a backlight. The reflective liquid crystal display can visually recognize display information without a backlight if the surroundings are bright to some extent. However, for example, when it is difficult to brighten the surroundings of the liquid crystal display due to the installation environment of the device or when the user's vision of the device is deteriorated, the reflection type liquid crystal display is not used. However, there are cases where illumination by a backlight is required. Therefore, it is desirable that the backlight can be illuminated even when a reflection type liquid crystal display is adopted as the liquid crystal display of the device.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a device that can effectively and effectively utilize the power of a power supply battery while ensuring the visibility of a liquid crystal display. . It is another object of the present invention to provide a device that can appropriately perform a process according to a voltage drop of a power supply battery.

  The device of the present invention is a device provided with a reflective liquid crystal display capable of performing illumination by a backlight and displaying device operation information that is information on an operation state of the device, in order to achieve the above object. A first power supply battery for supplying power to the backlight and a second power supply battery for supplying power to a power supply target other than the backlight are configured to be separately loadable. invention).

  According to the first aspect, when the periphery of the liquid crystal display is kept bright, or when the periphery of the liquid crystal display can be made brighter at any time by appropriate illumination, the device is provided with a device. It is possible to omit loading the first power supply battery.

  In this case, it is necessary to load the second power supply battery into the device for the operation of the device, but since the second power supply battery does not consume power by the backlight, it is necessary to supply power to the power supply other than the backlight. The period during which power can be supplied can be lengthened, and the power of the second power supply battery can be effectively used as much as possible for the operation of the device. Further, in this case, although the backlight does not illuminate the liquid crystal display, the visibility of the display information of the liquid crystal display can be secured by external light such as sunlight or external illumination.

  In addition, when it is difficult to brighten the periphery of the liquid crystal display, or when the brightness of the liquid crystal display is necessary due to a decrease in the visual acuity of the user of the device, the first power supply battery is loaded into the device. This makes it possible to illuminate the liquid crystal display with the backlight. Thereby, the visibility of the display information of the liquid crystal display is ensured.

  Also, in this case, the power supply target of the first power supply battery is only the backlight, so that the period during which the first power supply battery can supply the required power to the backlight can be lengthened, and the first power supply battery can supply power to the backlight. The power of one power supply battery can be used effectively for turning on the backlight as much as possible. And it is the same as the above that the electric power of the second power supply battery can be effectively used as much as possible for the operation of the device.

  Therefore, according to the first invention, it is possible to use the total power of the first power supply battery and the twenty-first power supply battery as effectively as possible while securing the visibility of the liquid crystal display.

  The first invention further includes a voltage monitoring unit that monitors respective voltages of the loaded first power supply battery and the second power supply battery and executes a control process according to the voltages. The voltage monitoring unit, when it is detected that the voltage of the first power supply battery is lower than a predetermined first voltage or has become a state immediately before the first voltage, notifies the user of a decrease in the voltage of the first power supply battery. And at least one of a process for inhibiting power supply from the first power supply battery to the backlight is configured to be executed, and the voltage of the second power supply battery is set to a predetermined second voltage. When it is detected that the voltage falls below the voltage or the state immediately before it is detected, a process of notifying the voltage drop of the second power supply battery and power supply from the second power supply battery to the power supply target are prohibited. Processing and less of Is also configured to execute one of the processes, and a value obtained by converting the first voltage into a voltage value per element battery constituting the first power supply battery is the second voltage. It is preferable that the first voltage and the second voltage are set so as to be smaller than a value obtained by converting a voltage value per element battery constituting the second power supply battery (second invention). ).

  Here, each of the first power supply battery and the second power supply battery in the present invention may be constituted by a single element battery, but a plurality of element batteries are connected in series or in parallel or in series connection. It can also be configured as connected in the form of a combination of connection and parallel connection. In the second invention, the value obtained by converting the first voltage into a voltage value per one of the element batteries constituting the first power supply battery is the element constituting the first power supply battery. When the number of batteries is one, it means the voltage of the elementary battery itself. When the number of elementary batteries constituting the first power supply battery is plural, of the first power supply battery, A voltage value obtained by dividing the first voltage by the number of element batteries connected in series. When all of the plurality of element batteries constituting the first power supply battery are connected in parallel, the number of the element batteries connected in series is regarded as one.

  Similarly, a value obtained by converting the second voltage into a voltage value per element battery constituting the second power supply battery is defined as the number of element batteries constituting the second power supply battery being one. When the number of the element batteries is plural, it means the voltage of the element battery itself, and when the number of the element batteries constituting the second power supply battery is plural, the elements connected in series among the second power supply batteries It means a voltage value obtained by dividing the second voltage by the number of batteries. When all of the plurality of element batteries constituting the second power supply battery are connected in parallel, the number of the element batteries connected in series is regarded as one.

  In the present invention, since the power supply target of the first power supply battery is only the backlight, there is no need to consider voltage fluctuations of the first power supply battery due to power supply to another power supply target. Thus, the first voltage and the second voltage can be set as in the second invention. Thus, according to the second aspect, when the first power supply battery is loaded in the device, the power of the first power supply battery can be maximally used for lighting the backlight. Become.

  In the first aspect, the power supply apparatus further includes a voltage monitoring unit that monitors a voltage of the first power supply battery in a loaded state, and executes a control process according to the voltage. During power supply from the power supply battery to the backlight, when it is detected that the voltage of the first power supply battery has reached a state immediately before falling below a predetermined first voltage, the device operation information is displayed on the liquid crystal display. Is preferably configured to output notification information indicating that the first power supply battery is in a state immediately before a usage limit, as a necessary condition that the state is not displayed (third invention).

  In the present invention, the “usage limit” of the first power supply battery means that the power required for normal operation of the backlight is transferred from the first power supply battery to the backlight as the discharge of the first power supply battery progresses. It means a state in which it is difficult to supply power (a so-called dead battery state).

  Here, since the liquid crystal display is a reflection type liquid crystal display, even if the first power supply battery reaches the use limit, if there is some external light around the liquid crystal display, the liquid crystal display is The display information can be viewed. Therefore, the notification information indicating that the first power supply battery is in a state immediately before the usage limit is notification information having relatively low urgency. Also, since it is highly possible that the user of the device is performing an operation related to the operation of the device while the device operation information is displayed on the liquid crystal display, in such a state, low-urgent notification information is transmitted. When output, the notification information tends to be troublesome for the user. Therefore, the third invention is configured as described above.

  According to this, while power is being supplied from the first power supply battery to the backlight, the first power supply battery is in a state immediately before the use limit (a state in which the first power supply battery is expected to reach the use limit soon). When this is detected, the notification information is output on the condition that the device operation information is not being displayed on the liquid crystal display. For this reason, in a state in which the device operation information is displayed on the liquid crystal display, that is, in a case where there is a high possibility that the user has performed some operation regarding the operation of the device related to the device operation information, the notification information is output. Not done. Therefore, in a state where the device operation information is displayed on the liquid crystal display, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the user is distracted by the notification information from occurring.

  Then, when the operation of the device according to the device operation information ends and the device operation information is not displayed on the liquid crystal display, the notification information is output. Thereby, the user recognizes that the remaining capacity of the first power supply battery is the state immediately before the shortage state, and recognizes that it is necessary to replace the first power supply battery with a new one soon. Can be. In this case, since the user receives the notification information after the operation of the device related to the device operation information ends, it is possible to prevent the user from being bothered by the notification information.

  Therefore, according to the third aspect, it is possible to appropriately perform notification about a voltage drop of the first power supply battery for supplying power to the backlight. Note that the third invention may be combined with the second invention. In this case, the voltage monitoring unit in the second invention may be the same as the voltage monitoring unit in the third invention. Then, the first voltage in the second invention may be the same as the first voltage in the third invention.

  In the third invention, the voltage monitoring unit may be configured to display the notification information on at least the liquid crystal display when outputting the notification information (a fourth invention).

  According to this, when the operation of the device related to the device operation information is completed and the device operation information is not displayed on the liquid crystal display, the notification information is displayed on the liquid crystal display. Can be displayed on the liquid crystal display device in such a manner that the user can easily and clearly recognize it. Consequently, the user can easily and clearly recognize that the first power supply battery is in a state immediately before the usage limit.

  In the third or fourth invention, the voltage monitoring unit may be configured to output at least the notification information by voice when outputting the notification information (fifth invention).

  According to this, after the operation of the device according to the device operation information is completed, the liquid crystal display is hidden by an opening / closing lid or the like, or the first power supply is not changed until the operation of the device according to the device operation information ends. The user can receive the notification information by voice even if the luminance of the backlight decreases due to the further decrease in the voltage of the battery, and thus the visibility of the display on the liquid crystal display decreases. As a result, the user can appropriately recognize that the first power supply battery is in a state immediately before the usage limit.

  When the fifth invention is combined with the fourth invention, the notification information is output by both the display on the liquid crystal display and the sound.

  In the third to fifth inventions, the voltage monitoring unit may be in a state immediately before the voltage of the first power supply battery falls below the first voltage while the power supply from the first power supply battery to the backlight. When it is detected, at least during the period in which the device operation information is displayed on the liquid crystal display, the backlight blinks or the light emission luminance of the backlight is periodically changed to high or low. May further be configured to have a function of controlling power supply from the first power supply battery to the backlight (sixth invention).

  According to this, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the backlight during the period in which the device operation information is displayed on the liquid crystal display, and to suppress the power consumption of the first power supply battery. In this case, since the liquid crystal display is a reflection type liquid crystal display, it is possible to prevent the visibility of the liquid crystal display from being significantly impaired by the flickering of the backlight or the change in the luminance of the light emission.

  Further, since the backlight is turned on or off or the luminance is changed without greatly deteriorating the visibility of the liquid crystal display, the user must make a preliminary check that the voltage of the first power supply battery is likely to be low. It becomes possible to recognize.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The perspective view which looked at the gas stove as the apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention from the front side. The figure which shows the surface part of the operating device with which the gas stove of embodiment was provided. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a main configuration of a circuit provided in the gas stove according to the embodiment. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control process of a remaining capacity monitoring unit illustrated in FIG. 3.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Referring to FIG. 1, the device described in the present embodiment is, for example, a built-in type gas stove 1. A plurality (for example, three) of stove burners 3a, 3b, and 3c are arranged on the upper surface portion 2 (top surface) of the gas stove 1, and each of the stove burners 3a, 3b, and 3c is surrounded by a virtue 4a and 4b. , 4c. Further, inside the housing 5 below the upper surface portion 2 of the gas stove 1, a grill storage and a grill burner (not shown) are provided.

  A grill door 6 for opening and closing a grill storage is provided on a front portion of the housing 5. On the right side of the grille door 6 in the front part of the housing 5, there are burner operating parts 7a, 7b, 7c for performing ignition / extinguishing and heat power adjustment of the stove burners 3a, 3b, 3c, respectively. An opening / closing operation device 8 for performing a setting operation such as automatic cooking using each of the stove burners 3a, 3b, 3c, and a power switch 13. On the left side of the grill door 6 in the front part of the housing 5, a burner operation unit 7d for performing ignition / extinguishing of the grill burner and adjusting the heating power, and setting operations such as automatic cooking using the grill burner are provided. An opening / closing operation device 9 for performing the operation is provided.

  Each of the burner operation units 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d is an operation unit capable of performing a pushing operation and a rotating operation, and the pushing operation causes the corresponding burner to be ignited or extinguished, and the corresponding burning operation is performed by the rotating operation. Burner power adjustment is performed. The combustion operation of each of the stove burners 3a, 3b, 3c and the grill burner can be performed in a state where the power switch 13 is turned on.

  The operating devices 8 and 9 have the same structure as each other, and the operating device 8 will be representatively described below. FIG. 1 shows the operating device 8 in a closed state. In this state, the entirety of the operating device 8 except for the front surface portion is housed in the housing 5. Then, when the front portion of the operation device 8 is pushed in this closed state, the operation device 8 is brought into an open state in which the operation device 8 projects forward of the front surface of the housing 5. In this open state, the operation panel surface 8a (shown in FIG. 2) formed on the upper end surface of the operation device 8 is exposed.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, an operation panel 10 of the operation device 8 includes an operation unit 10 including a plurality of operation switches, and a display 11 that displays various information. In the illustrated example, the operation unit 10 includes, for example, an operation switch 10a for performing a timer operation of each of the stove burners 3a, 3b, and 3c, and an operation switch for performing an automatic water heating operation with each of the left and right stove burners 3a and 3c. 10b, an operation switch 10c for performing an automatic cooking operation in the left and right stove burners 3a, 3c, an operation switch 10d for performing a rice cooking operation in the rear stove burner 3b, and an operation switch for each of the left and right stove burners 3a, 3c. An operation switch 10e for setting a cooking temperature (tempura oil temperature or the like), an operation switch 10f for performing high-temperature cooking in each of the left and right stove burners 3a, 3c, and a timer time in each of the stove burners 3a, 3b, 3c. Alternatively, an operation switch 10g for increasing or decreasing a set numerical value such as a cooking temperature, and an operation for changing various setting information of the gas stove 1 or the like. Switch 10h, it includes operation switch 10i for the child lock.

  The configuration of the operation unit 10 (the type, function, number, layout, and the like of the controls provided in the operation unit 10) is not limited to the configuration in the illustrated example, and may be another configuration.

  In the present embodiment, the display 11 is, for example, a reflective liquid crystal display with a backlight. The display 11 mainly displays information on the operation (combustion operation) of each of the stove burners 3a, 3b, 3c (for example, the elapsed time (or remaining time) during the timer operation of each of the stove burners 3a, 3b, 3c. Information, information indicating a cooking process at the time of the automatic cooking operation, abnormality occurrence information, etc.) are displayed. In addition, the display 11 can be notified of notification information about a voltage drop (capacity drop) of the power supply batteries 21 and 22 described below.

  Although not shown, the configuration of the operation device 9 is also substantially the same as that of the operation device 8, and includes an operation unit and a display (reflection type liquid crystal display). However, the operation unit of the operation device 9 is an operation unit related to the operation (combustion operation) of the grill burner such as the timer operation and the automatic cooking operation of the grill burner, and the display of the operation device 9 mainly operates the grill burner (combustion operation). ) Is a display device for displaying information regarding (1). In the following description, for convenience, both operation units of the operation devices 8 and 9 are generally referred to as an operation unit 10, and both displays of the operation devices 8 and 9 are generally referred to as a display device 11.

  The gas stove 1 further has a circuit configuration as shown in FIG. That is, a power supply battery 21 (hereinafter, referred to as a backlight battery 21) for supplying power to the backlight 11 a of the display 11, and a power supply battery 22 (hereinafter, referred to as power supply) for supplying power to a power supply target other than the backlight 11 a of the gas stove 1. The main battery 22) is loaded in a battery box (not shown) provided at an appropriate position in the gas stove 1. The backlight battery 21 and the main battery 22 correspond to a first power supply battery and a second power supply battery in the present invention, respectively. In the illustrated example, the backlight battery 21 is configured by, for example, a single element battery (for example, a battery having a nominal voltage of 1.5 V), and the main battery 22 is configured by, for example, directly connecting two element batteries. ing.

  Note that the backlight 11a is provided for each of the indicators 11 of the operation devices 8 and 9. The backlight battery 21 is a common power supply battery for these backlights 11a. Supplementally, the number of component batteries constituting the first power supply battery 21 and the connection form thereof and the number of component batteries constituting the second power supply battery 22 and the connection form thereof are different from those shown in FIG. Is also good. For example, the first power supply battery 21 may be configured as a plurality of element batteries connected in series. Further, each of the first power supply battery 21 and the second power supply battery 22 may include a plurality of element batteries connected in parallel.

  The backlight battery 21 includes a booster circuit 23 that boosts the output voltage of the backlight battery 21 and a luminance adjustment circuit 24 that adjusts the light emission luminance of the backlight 11a. Connected through. In this case, the booster circuit 23 can operate in an ON state in which power is supplied from the backlight battery 21 to the backlight 11a and an OFF state in which the power supply is interrupted by a control signal given from a voltage monitoring unit 26 described later. is there. In addition, the brightness adjustment circuit 24 can adjust the amount of power supplied to the backlight 11a (and thus adjust the light emission brightness of the backlight 11a) by a control signal given from a voltage monitoring unit 26 described later. .

  For a power supply target of the main battery 22, a voltage monitoring unit 26 having a function of monitoring respective voltages (output voltages) of the backlight battery 21 and the main battery 22 and executing a control process according to the voltages; The display 11 includes a display control unit 27 that controls information displayed on the display 11 and the display 11. The voltage monitoring unit 26, the display control unit 27, and the display 11 control the output voltage of the main battery 22. It is connected to the main battery 22 via a boosting circuit 28 for boosting the voltage.

  Although not shown, the power supply target of the main battery 22 includes various power supply targets other than the voltage monitoring unit 26, the display control unit 27, and the display 11. Specifically, the power supply target includes an operation control unit (control circuit) having a function of performing an operation control related to a combustion operation of each burner (the stove burners 3a, 3b, 3c and the grill burner) of the gas stove 1; An electromagnetic valve that opens and closes the fuel supply path, a fuel supply adjustment valve that adjusts the amount of fuel supplied to each burner, and electric devices such as a sounder and a notification lamp are included. 22.

  The voltage monitoring unit 26 and the display control unit 27 are each configured by an electronic circuit unit including a microcomputer, a memory, an interface circuit, and the like, and can communicate with each other.

  In addition to communication data with the display control unit 27, the voltage monitoring unit 26 receives signals indicating the actual output voltages V1 and V2 of the backlight battery 21 and the main battery 22 from a voltage sensor or an input circuit (not shown). Is entered.

  The voltage monitoring unit 26 has a function of executing a control process according to the output voltage V1 of the backlight battery 21 as a function realized by both or one of the implemented hardware configuration and a program (software configuration). Have. Although details will be described later, the control processing includes processing for controlling the light emission of the backlight 11a via the booster circuit 23 (or the luminance adjustment circuit 24) and controlling the display on the display 11 via the display control unit 27. And a process of controlling a sound generator (not shown).

  In this case, in the present embodiment, the voltage monitoring unit 26 determines that the output voltage V1 of the backlight battery 21 is lower than a predetermined first voltage (a state where the output voltage V1 has dropped to a voltage range slightly higher than the first voltage). Then, notification information indicating that the battery of the backlight 21 is almost dead (use limit) is output from the display 11 and the sound generator. When the output voltage V1 of the backlight battery 21 falls below the first voltage, the voltage monitoring unit 26 displays the notification information indicating that the backlight battery 21 is out of battery by the display 11 and the sound generator. And the booster circuit 23 is operated so as to cut off the power supply of the backlight 11a from the backlight battery 21 (prohibit the emission of the backlight 11a). The first voltage is, for example, 0.9 V in the present embodiment.

  Further, the remaining capacity monitoring unit 26 has a function of executing a control process according to a decrease in the output voltage V2 of the main battery 22. For example, when the output voltage V2 of the main battery 22 becomes a state immediately before the output voltage V2 falls below the predetermined second voltage (a state where the output voltage V2 has dropped to a voltage range slightly higher than the second voltage), the voltage monitoring unit 26 Notification information indicating that the burnout (use limit) is near is output from the display 11 and the sounding device, or a notification lamp (not shown) is turned on. In addition, when the output voltage V2 of the main battery 22 falls below the second voltage, the voltage monitoring unit 26 outputs, for example, notification information indicating that the main battery 21 is out of battery from the display 11 and the sound generator. At the same time, a process for inhibiting the combustion operation of each burner is executed. In the present embodiment, the second voltage is, for example, 1.9V.

  Here, in the present embodiment, since the backlight battery 21 is configured by a single element battery (a battery having a nominal voltage of 1.5 V), the first voltage (0.9 V) is applied to the backlight. The value converted into the voltage value per one of the element batteries constituting the battery 21 for use matches the first voltage. Further, since the main battery 22 is formed by connecting two element batteries in series, the second voltage (1.9 V) is converted into a voltage value per element battery constituting the main battery 22. The value obtained is 1.9V / 2 = 0.95V.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the value (= 0.9 V) obtained by converting the first voltage (0.9 V) into a voltage value per element battery constituting the backlight battery 21 is the above-mentioned value. The first voltage and the second voltage are set so that the second voltage (1.9 V) is smaller than a value (= 0.95 V) obtained by converting the second voltage (1.9 V) into a voltage value per element battery constituting the main battery 22. Is set.

  In addition to communication data with the voltage monitoring unit 26, an operation signal of the operation unit 10 of the operation devices 8 and 9 is input to the display control unit 27. The display control unit 27 has a function of controlling the display of the display 11 as a function realized by both or one of the implemented hardware configuration and the program (software configuration).

  In addition, the voltage monitoring unit 26 and the display control unit 27 may be configured integrally, for example. The display control unit 27 may be provided separately for each of the indicators 11 of the operating devices 8 and 9. In addition, all or a part of the function of the voltage monitoring unit 26 or all or a part of the function of the display control unit 27 may be included in the operation control unit.

  Next, a control process executed by the voltage monitoring unit 26 according to the output voltage V1 of the backlight battery 21 will be specifically described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

  When the power switch 13 of the gas stove 1 is turned on, power supply (supply of power) from the main battery 22 to the voltage monitoring unit 26 and the display control unit 27 is started. Then, the voltage monitoring unit 26 starts the control processing shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  In STEP1, based on the output voltage V1 of the backlight battery 21, the voltage monitoring unit 26 determines whether the backlight battery 21 of an appropriate voltage capable of normally lighting the backlight 11a is loaded in the battery box of the gas stove 1. Determine whether or not. In this case, for example, when the output voltage V1 of the backlight battery 21 is higher than a predetermined first voltage (for example, 0.9 V), the voltage monitoring unit 26 loads the backlight battery 21 of the appropriate voltage. Judge that there is.

  If the determination result in STEP 1 is affirmative, the voltage monitoring unit 26 controls the booster circuit 23 so as to drive the backlight 11 a to light in STEP 2. Specifically, the voltage monitoring unit 26 controls the step-up circuit 23 to be in the ON state, thereby causing the backlight battery 21 to supply power to the backlight 11a, and thereby turning on the backlight 11a.

  If the open / close state of each of the operating devices 8 and 9 can be detected, in STEP 12, only the backlight 11a corresponding to the display 11 of the open operating device among the operating devices 8 and 9 is turned on. You may do so.

  Next, in STEP 3, based on the output voltage V1 of the backlight battery 21, the voltage monitoring unit 26 determines whether or not the backlight battery 21 is in a state immediately before battery exhaustion (use limit). Here, the battery exhaustion of the backlight battery 21 means a state in which it becomes difficult to supply power to the backlight 11a so that the backlight 11a can be normally turned on due to a decrease in the capacity of the backlight battery 21. means. In the present embodiment, the state of battery exhaustion is a state in which the output voltage V1 of the backlight battery 21 has decreased to, for example, the first voltage (0.9 V) or less.

  Then, in STEP 3, when the output voltage V1 of the backlight battery 21 is a voltage value in the range of, for example, 1.0V> V1> 0.9V, the voltage monitor 26 It is determined that the state is just before the cut.

  When the determination result in STEP 3 is negative (V1 ≧ 1.0 V), the voltage monitoring unit 26 turns off the power switch 13 in STEP 4 while maintaining the lighting drive state of the backlight 11a. It is determined whether or not the operation has been performed.

  If the result of the determination in STEP 4 is negative (the ON state of the power switch 13 continues), the voltage monitoring unit 26 repeats the processing from STEP 1. Further, when the result of the determination in STEP 4 becomes affirmative due to the OFF operation of the power switch 13, the voltage monitoring unit 26 controls the booster circuit 23 to the OFF state so as to turn off the backlight 11a in STEP 5. I do.

  Note that the gas stove 1 of the present embodiment is configured such that the power is automatically turned off when no operation is performed for a predetermined time or more, and even in this case, the determination result of STEP 4 is positive. become. Supplementally, when the determination result of STEP 4 is affirmative, the processing of STEP 5 is executed and the display 11 (including the display of the first notification information or the second notification information described later) is performed. I will not be able to do it. In addition, if the audio output of the first notification information or the second notification information described below is performed immediately before the determination result in STEP 4 becomes positive, the audio output is stopped.

  When the determination result in STEP 3 is affirmative (when the backlight battery 21 is in a state immediately before the usage limit), the voltage monitoring unit 26 blinks the backlight 11a in STEP 6 (lighting). (The switching from the driving to the blinking driving).

  Specifically, the voltage monitoring unit 26 controls the booster circuit 23 to alternately switch between the ON state and the OFF state at a predetermined cycle, thereby intermittently supplying power from the backlight battery 21 to the backlight 11a. Thereby, the backlight 11a is driven to blink at a predetermined cycle.

  In this way, by driving the backlight 11a to blink, the power consumption of the backlight 11a is reduced as compared with the case of continuous lighting driving, and thus, it is delayed that the backlight battery 21 becomes out of battery. Can be done.

  Further, since the brightness of the display 11 of each of the operation devices 8 and 9 periodically changes due to the blinking of the backlight 11a, the user seems to be in a state where the backlight battery 21 is almost exhausted. Can be intuitively recognized through the visual recognition of the display 11.

  Here, in the present embodiment, since the display 11 of each of the operation devices 8 and 9 is a reflection type liquid crystal display, if the surroundings of the gas stove 1 are bright to some extent, each of the blinking operations of the backlight 11a is performed in each cycle. Even during the light-out period, the information displayed on the display 11 can be visually recognized. Therefore, the visibility of the information displayed on the display 11 is ensured.

  Supplementally, in STEP 6, instead of blinking the backlight 11a, for example, the luminance adjustment circuit 24 is controlled so that the light emission luminance of the backlight 11a is alternately switched between high and low luminances periodically. You may do

  In STEP 6, for example, as the output voltage V1 of the backlight battery 21 decreases at a higher rate, the time width of lighting of the backlight 11a per cycle of blinking is shortened, or the lighting of the backlight 11a is turned on. The cycle may be lengthened. Alternatively, as time elapses from the start of the blinking drive of the backlight 11a, the lighting time width per one blinking cycle of the backlight 11a is shortened, or the lighting cycle of the backlight 11a is lengthened. You may do so. The same applies to the case where the light emission luminance of the backlight 11a is periodically switched between high and low.

  Further, in the case where the time width of the period requiring display on the display 11 can be predicted, such as the timer operation of one of the burners or the automatic cooking operation, the longer the time width is, the more the backlight becomes. The time width of lighting per cycle of blinking of 11a may be shortened, or the lighting cycle of backlight 11a may be lengthened. The same applies to the case where the light emission luminance of the backlight 11a is periodically switched between high and low.

  When the open / close state of the operating devices 8 and 9 can be detected, the backlight 11a blinks (or periodically switches the emission luminance), and the backlight 11a corresponding to the display 11 of the operating device in the open state. May be executed only.

  In the state where the backlight 11a is driven to blink as described above, the voltage monitoring unit 26 determines in step 7 that the operation information on the operation of the burner (the stove burner 3a or 3b or 3c or the grill burner) (specifically, the elapsed time during the timer operation ( Or the remaining time), display information that is highly necessary for the user to appropriately visually recognize the operation of the burner, such as a cooking process during an automatic cooking operation. Hereinafter, this information is referred to as display-necessary operation information). It is determined through communication with the display control unit 27 whether or not the display is being displayed on the display 11. The display-required operation information corresponds to the device operation information in the present invention.

  If the determination result in STEP 7 is affirmative (if the display-required operation information is displayed on one of the display devices 11 of the operating devices 8 and 9), the voltage monitoring unit 26 displays the display on the display device 11. The processing from STEP 4 is executed without changing the information.

  In addition, when the determination result in STEP 7 is negative (when the display-required operation information is not displayed on both the indicators 11 of the operating devices 8 and 9 or the display of the display-required operation information is ended). In step 8, in step 8, the first notification information indicating that the battery of the backlight battery 21 is almost exhausted is displayed on one of the display devices 11 (or both display devices 11) of the operation devices 8 and 9 in step 8. It instructs the display control unit 27 to display. Thereby, the first notification information is displayed on the display 11.

  When the open / close state of the operating devices 8 and 9 can be detected, the first notification information may be displayed only on the display 11 of the operating device in the open state.

  In STEP 8, the remaining capacity monitoring unit 26 further outputs first notification information indicating that the battery 21 of the backlight is almost exhausted from a sound generator (speaker) (not shown) as audio information.

  Accordingly, in STEP 8, the first notification information indicating that the battery of the backlight battery 21 is almost exhausted is output as visual information displayed on the display unit 11 and is also output as audio information. The processing in STEP 8 (output of the first notification information) is performed in a state in which the determination result in STEP 7 is affirmative (a state in which the display-required operation information is displayed on the display 11 of one of the operation devices 8 and 9). It is not performed, and is executed on the condition that the result of determination in STEP 7 is negative (that the display-required operation information is not displayed on both the indicators 11 of the operating devices 8 and 9) as a necessary condition. Then, after executing the processing in STEP 8, the voltage monitoring unit 26 executes the processing from STEP 4. Note that the processing in STEP 8 may be executed for a predetermined time.

  When the determination result in STEP 1 is negative (when the backlight battery 21 of an appropriate voltage is not loaded), the voltage monitoring unit 26 executes the processing from STEP 9. In STEP 9, the voltage monitoring unit 26 determines whether the backlight battery 21 is loaded in the gas stove 1 based on the output voltage V1 (the voltage between the output terminals of the battery box of the backlight battery 21). In this case, when the output voltage V1 is higher than a predetermined voltage (for example, 0.3 V) lower than the first voltage (0.9 V), the voltage monitoring unit 26 determines whether the It is determined that the light battery 21) is loaded.

  When the determination result in STEP 9 is affirmative (when the backlight battery 21 in a battery exhausted state is loaded), the voltage monitoring unit 26 holds the backlight 11 a in the OFF state in STEP 10. Thus, the booster circuit 23 is kept in the OFF state. As a result, the power supply from the backlight battery 21 to the backlight 11a is maintained in a cut-off state.

  Next, in STEP 11, the voltage monitoring unit 26 determines through communication with the display control unit 27 whether or not the display-required operation information is being displayed on one of the displays 11 of the operating devices 8 and 9. When the determination result in STEP 11 is affirmative (when the display-required operation information is displayed on one of the display devices 11 of the operating devices 8 and 9), the voltage monitoring unit 26 displays the display on the display device 11. The processing from STEP 4 is executed without changing the information.

  Further, when the determination result in STEP 11 is negative (when the display-required operation information is not displayed on both the indicators 11 of the operating devices 8 and 9 or the display of the display-required operation information is ended). In step 12, in step 12, the voltage monitoring unit 26 sends the second notification information indicating that the backlight battery 21 is in a dead battery state to one of the display devices 11 of the operation devices 8 and 9 (or both of the display devices 11). Is commanded to the display control unit 27 to be displayed. Thereby, the second notification information is displayed on the display 11.

  When the open / close state of the operating devices 8 and 9 can be detected, the second notification information may be displayed only on the display 11 of the operating device in the open state.

  Further, in STEP 12, the remaining capacity monitoring unit 26 causes second sounding information (speaker) (not shown) to output, as sound information, second notification information indicating that the backlight battery 21 is out of battery.

  Therefore, in STEP 12, the second notification information indicating that the backlight battery 21 is in a dead battery state is output as visual information displayed on the display 11 and also as audio information. . The processing in STEP 12 (output of the second notification information) is performed in a state in which the determination result in STEP 11 is affirmative (a state in which the display-required operation information is displayed on one of the display devices 11 of the operating devices 8 and 9). It is not performed, and is executed on the precondition that the result of determination in STEP 11 is negative (the display operation information required for display is not displayed on both the indicators 11 of the operating devices 8 and 9). Then, after executing the processing in STEP 12, the voltage monitoring unit 26 executes the processing from STEP 4. The processing in STEP 12 may be executed for a predetermined time.

  If the result of the determination in STEP 9 is negative, it can be considered that the backlight battery 21 is not loaded in the gas stove 1. In this case, the voltage monitoring unit 26 executes the processing from STEP 4 without executing the processing in STEPs 10 to 12.

  In the present embodiment, the control processing by the voltage monitoring unit 26 is executed as described above. According to the present embodiment, since the main battery 22 does not need to supply power to the backlight 11a, the main battery 22 is in a dead battery state compared to a case where the backlight 11a is included as a power supply target of the main battery 22. It is possible to lengthen the period until becoming.

  In addition, when the surroundings of the display 11 can be kept relatively bright, the user can ensure the visibility of the display 11 without loading the battery 21 for the backlight into the gas stove 1. The use cost of the gas stove 1 can be reduced.

  For example, a switch capable of ON / OFF operation is interposed in the power supply path from the backlight battery 21 to the backlight 11a (for example, a power supply path between the backlight battery 21 and the booster circuit 23). In addition, when the illumination of the backlight 11a is not required, the switch may be turned off according to a predetermined operation of the user. In this case, the state in which the backlight 11a is turned on and the state in which the lighting is prohibited can be selectively switched while the backlight battery 21 is loaded in the gas stove 1.

  When the user needs to illuminate the display 11, such as when the surroundings of the display 11 are relatively dark, the backlight 11 is mounted on the gas stove 1 to illuminate the display 11. be able to. In this case, since the backlight battery 21 is a battery that supplies power only to the backlight 11a, by setting the first voltage (0.9 V) as described above, the backlight 11a is in a battery-out state. Can be extended, and the power of the backlight battery 21 can be used to the limit as long as power can be normally supplied to the backlight 11a.

  Further, when the backlight stove 21 is loaded in the gas stove 1, the display-required operation information is displayed on one of the indicators 11 of the operating devices 8 and 9, that is, when the user In a situation where there is a high possibility that an operation related to cooking using the burner is being performed, the first notification information and the second notification information relating to the voltage drop of the backlight battery 21 are not output, so the first notification information or By using the second notification information, it is possible to prevent the user's attention from being distracted or hindering the user's operation during execution.

  Then, when the operation of the gas stove 1 relating to the display-required operation information is completed and the display-required operation information is not displayed on both the indicators 11 of the operating devices 8 and 9, the first notification information or the second notification. Since the output of the information is performed, the user can recognize the first notification information or the second notification information without being bothered.

  Further, the display of the first notification information and the second notification information on the display 11 is performed in a state where the display-required operation information is not displayed on the display 11, so that the first notification information and the second notification information are displayed. Can be displayed on the display 11 in a form that is easily and clearly visible to the user. Therefore, the user can easily recognize the voltage drop state of the backlight battery 21 by displaying the first notification information and the second notification information on the display 11.

  Further, even if the operating devices 8 and 9 are in the closed state or the display on the display 11 is hard to be visually recognized such as when the surroundings of the gas stove 1 are dark, the first notification information and the second Since the two pieces of notification information are output as audio information, the user can easily recognize the state of a decrease in the voltage of the backlight battery 21 based on the audio information.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and embodiments of other aspects can be adopted. Hereinafter, some other embodiments will be described.

  In the above-described embodiment, the display 11 is provided in the openable and closable operation devices 8 and 9. However, the display 11 is provided in a position that can be always viewed, such as the top surface of the gas stove 1. Is also good.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the first notification information is output by the display on the display 11 and the sound in STEP8. However, the first notification information may be output by only one of the display and the sound. It is possible. This is the same even when outputting the second notification information in STEP12.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the built-in type gas stove 1 was illustrated as an example of the apparatus of this invention, However, this invention is applicable to various various apparatuses other than the gas stove 1. For example, the present invention is applied to a stove having a heating unit other than a burner, such as a table stove or an IH heater, or a heating cooker such as a microwave oven or a rice cooker, or a remote control of a water heater or an air conditioner. It is possible.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Gas stove (equipment), 11 ... Display (liquid crystal display), 11a ... Backlight, 21 ... Power supply battery (1st power supply battery), 22 ... Power supply battery (2nd power supply battery), 26 ... Voltage monitoring part.

Claims (6)

A device having a reflective liquid crystal display capable of displaying device operation information, which is information on an operation state of the device, which can perform illumination by a backlight,
A first power supply battery for powering the backlight;
An apparatus characterized in that a second power supply battery for supplying power to a power supply target other than the backlight can be separately loaded. The device of claim 1,
A voltage monitoring unit that monitors respective voltages of the first power supply battery and the second power supply battery in a loaded state, and executes a control process according to the voltages, the voltage monitoring unit includes: When detecting that the voltage of the first power supply battery is lower than the predetermined first voltage or that the first power supply battery is in a state immediately before the first voltage, a process of notifying the voltage drop of the first power supply battery; And at least one of a process of prohibiting power supply from the power supply battery to the backlight is executed, and a voltage of the second power supply battery falls below a predetermined second voltage, or When it is detected that the state immediately before the power supply has been detected, there are two types of processing: a notification of a voltage drop of the second power supply battery and a processing of prohibiting power supply from the second power supply battery to the power supply target. Perform at least one process A value obtained by converting the first voltage into a voltage value per element battery constituting the first power supply battery, and converting the second voltage to the second power supply battery. The first voltage and the second voltage are set so as to be smaller than a value obtained by converting a voltage value per one of the element batteries constituting the device. The device of claim 1,
A voltage monitoring unit that monitors a voltage of the first power supply battery in a loaded state and executes a control process according to the voltage;
The voltage monitoring unit, when power is supplied from the first power supply battery to the backlight, when it is detected that the voltage of the first power supply battery has become a state immediately before falling below a predetermined first voltage, It is configured to output notification information indicating that the first power supply battery is in a state immediately before a use limit, as a necessary condition that the device operation information is not displayed on the liquid crystal display. An apparatus characterized by that: The device according to claim 3,
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the voltage monitor is configured to display the notification information on at least the liquid crystal display when outputting the notification information. The device according to claim 3 or 4,
The voltage monitoring unit is configured to output at least the notification information by voice when outputting the notification information. The device according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
The voltage monitoring unit is configured to, when it is detected that the voltage of the first power supply battery is in a state immediately before falling below the first voltage during power supply from the first power supply battery to the backlight, at least, During the period in which the device operation information is displayed on the liquid crystal display, the backlight is turned on or off, and the backlight is switched from the first power supply battery so as to periodically change the emission luminance of the backlight between high and low. A device characterized by further having a function of controlling power supply to a light.