JP3994985B2 - Electric pot - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric pot that is used for use by heating the content liquid in an inner container accommodated in a container body by a heating source such as a heater or an induction heating coil to keep the water boiling or keeping warm.

  Since the use of the electric pot is related to eating and drinking, boiling with the exception of sterilization and removal of chlorinated components is performed once without exception. However, due to the diversification of applications, it can be used as hot water as it is at a high temperature of about 98 ° C., which can be used immediately in a high temperature state almost unchanged after boiling, but it can be used as hot water as it is, but it takes too much time to use it after boiling again. Normal heat retention at about 90 ° C and 85 ° C, and extraction at low temperatures, such as low temperature gyokuro, and low temperature heat retention at about 60 ° C suitable for melting baby's milk so that various required temperatures can be selected. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  According to these selections, the electric pot stops the heating by the heating source when the content liquid boils, and after the temperature of the content liquid is lowered to the selected heat retention temperature, the re-boiling operation is performed while maintaining the heat retention temperature for use. If there is a sudden drop in temperature due to the addition, a boiling operation is performed and then the mode is switched to the heat retention mode.

  However, it takes time to naturally cool the content liquid after boiling to the set temperature. For example, it takes 30 minutes to cool down to 98 ° C., and about 5 hours to cool down to 60 ° C. (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Therefore, cooling using a fan is performed in order to shorten the temperature lowering time to these heat retention temperatures (for example, refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  Patent Document 1 discloses that the heat sink and the fan are disposed between the outer casing of the pot body and the barrel of the inner container in order to dissipate heat by the heat sink of the IGBT element which is a switching element for driving the heating coil at high frequency. Is arranged so that the fan is on the inner container side with respect to the heat sink, and the heating coil applies the air to the heat sink while heating the inner container, and heating by the heating coil is temporarily interrupted after boiling Then, when the temperature is lowered and the temperature is shifted to the heat retention, the fan is rotated in the reverse direction so that the air from the fan is applied to the inner container to shorten the temperature lowering time to the heat retention temperature.

The thing of patent document 2 is trying to shorten temperature-falling time by circulating the content liquid with a pump to the circulation path which has the fin in the outer periphery, and temperature-falling by performing the ventilation from a fan to a fin part. I'm trying to make it even faster. Both are arranged between the outer case of the container and the inner container.
JP 2003-284642 A JP 2003-235731 A

  By the way, like the thing of the patent documents 1 and 2, if it cools by a fan at the time of transfer to any heat retention temperature, a cooling operation will be wasted. For example, the heat retention at 98 ° C. is a temperature setting at which no generation of high-temperature steam is observed, but it can be used almost as boiling water, and it is not necessary to cool down to the heat retention temperature. Can be used. In addition, heat retention at 90 ° C. or 95 ° C. cannot be regarded as boiling water, but it can be used as it is with a certain degree of satisfaction, and if it is not satisfactory, it can be used after being re-boiled in a relatively short time. Since it is a heat retention aiming at energy saving, it is particularly unreasonable to forcibly cool this to lower the temperature.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an electric pot that can be quickly cooled without irrational depending on the purpose of keeping warm.

In order to achieve the above object, the electric pot of the present invention heats the content liquid in the inner container accommodated in the container body by heating with a heating source, performs boiling, keeps it warm, and keeps the content liquid after boiling. In the electric pot that cools the content liquid using a fan when shifting to, and accelerates the temperature drop, it is equipped with a low temperature heat retention mode that maintains a low temperature heat retention temperature corresponding to the application, and a selection means that selects the low temperature heat retention mode, The basic configuration is that the fan is driven after boiling of the content liquid when the low temperature heat retention mode is selected.

In such a basic configuration, when the content liquid is boiled and then transferred to heat insulation, when the low temperature heat insulation mode for maintaining the low temperature heat insulation temperature corresponding to the application is selected, the fan is driven after the content liquid boils. The content liquid can be forcibly cooled, and the temperature can be lowered quickly to a low temperature keeping temperature corresponding to the application for use.

In addition to the above, the electric pot according to the present invention is characterized in that the driving of the fan is stopped when the temperature becomes lower than the low temperature keeping temperature by the driving of the fan.
In such a feature, the actual temperature of the content liquid seems to be delayed with respect to the detected temperature of the content liquid, but the actual temperature to be lowered by cooling can be surely reached to the low temperature keeping temperature corresponding to the application from the rule of thumb.

In addition to the above basic configuration, the electric pot of the present invention is further characterized in that the driving of the fan is reduced or stopped when a predetermined temperature or time is reached during the temperature drop by the fan .
According to such another feature, when the content liquid is forcibly cooled by the fan and lowered to the low temperature keeping temperature corresponding to the application, the fan is reached when a predetermined temperature or time in the middle, that is, an elapsed time is reached. If the drive of the fan is reduced or stopped, energy saving and quietness can be ensured by the amount that the fan drive is reduced or stopped prior to reaching the low temperature keeping temperature. Even if it is reduced or stopped, the liquid temperature will be close to the low temperature insulation temperature due to the previous temperature drop. It can be used at a low temperature keeping temperature corresponding to the application.

In addition to the above basic configuration, the electric pot of the present invention further includes an additional boiling mode in which the content liquid is boiled by driving the fan after boiling the content liquid when the low temperature heat retention mode is selected , of a reboiling mode to boil the liquid content on the basis of the reboil operation, that after boiling by replenishing the boiling mode during cold insulation mode is to drive a fan, which after reboiling by reboiling mode does not drive the fan It has other features.
According to such other features, while the content liquid is boiled due to the addition during the low temperature heat retention mode, the unboiled content liquid is eliminated, and then the forced cooling to the low temperature heat insulation temperature corresponding to the application is performed by cooling with a fan. While it is possible to return to the low temperature keeping mode at an early stage, it is possible to ensure that the boiling content liquid is used at a high temperature by not driving the fan after boiling the content liquid by the reboiling operation in the low temperature keeping mode.

  Further objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description. Each feature of the present invention can be employed alone or in combination in various combinations as much as possible.

According to the electro-pots according to one aspect of the present invention, by its basic configuration, since Kyoseru early use of low temperature heat retaining temperature corresponding to the application to force cooling the liquid contents after boiling at a low temperature insulation mode In addition, it is possible to use the forced cooling effectively for the convenience of the user.

In addition, by driving the fan after boiling , when the temperature is lower than the low temperature holding temperature, the fan is stopped , and the actual temperature of the content liquid is lowered without being affected by the difference between the actual temperature of the content liquid and the detected temperature. The heat insulation temperature can be surely reached.

According to the electric pot of another aspect of the present invention, when the predetermined temperature or time is reached during the temperature drop by the fan, the fan drive is reduced or stopped , so that the fan drive is reduced or stopped during the temperature drop. Energy saving and quietness can be ensured, and the liquid content can be used as it is with the temperature drop until then, with the temperature drop during use, or after a short waiting time at a low temperature keeping temperature corresponding to the application.

According to an electric kettle according to another aspect of the present invention, but after boiling by replenishing the boiling mode during cold insulation mode to drive the fan, since after reboiling by reboiling mode does not drive the fan, in the low temperature heat retaining mode For the addition, after boiling the content liquid by re-boiling operation, the content liquid is boiled and forced to cool by a fan afterwards, so that the boiled content liquid can be used early at a low temperature keeping temperature corresponding to the application. Can ensure that the boiling liquid is used at high temperatures without unnecessary fan drive and influence.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12 for understanding of the present invention. The following description is a specific example of the present invention, and does not limit the scope of the claims.

  This embodiment is an example of an electric pot for home use. As shown in FIG. 1 (a), an overall case is made of a stainless steel single container without a special heat insulating structure. 5 has a container 1 housed as an inner container 3, and uses the heater 11 as a heating source to heat the content liquid to boil and keep warm for use. Stainless steel has sufficient bending rigidity and strength, and has a rust-proofing effect, and since it easily exhibits antibacterial properties by containing Cu or the like, it is suitable for an inner container in an electric pot for eating and drinking. The liquid content is discharged by the electric pump 12 to the outside through a pipe-type discharge passage 13 to supply hot water for use. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a heating coil for heating by electromagnetic induction can be adopted as a heating source. Further, the discharge of the content liquid may be performed by using a manual pump such as a bellows pump in place of or along with the electric pump.

  Since the inner container 3 is made of stainless steel and has low thermal conductivity among metals, even the single container having no special heat insulation structure cooperates with the outer case 5 made of synthetic resin to The single container without a special heat insulation structure while ensuring a certain degree of heat retention efficiency is efficient for cooling the content liquid after boiling it using the fan 14, and the content liquid after boiling It is suitable for early use by lowering the temperature to a set or selected heat retention temperature in a short time. However, it is not limited to this.

  The specific structure of the electric pot of the present embodiment will be described. The inner container 3 and the outer case 5 are connected to each other between upper end portions by a synthetic resin shoulder member 15 to constitute the container 1. For this connection, for example, the outer flange at the upper end of the inner container 3 is received from below by a shoulder member 15 fitted to the upper end of the outer case 5 by stamping from above, and the bottom of the inner container 3 and the outer case 5 in this state are received. Can be integrated in a separable manner by connecting them to each other with a metal fitting (not shown) and pulling them together. However, the shoulder member 15 can be forcibly fitted to the outer case 5 and the inner container 3 can be screwed to the shoulder member 15. Moreover, the bottom part of the exterior case 5 can also be made into another member.

  The shoulder member 15 is connected to the inner container 3 and the outer case 5 to form an opening 1a of the container 1 that communicates with the opening 3a of the inner container 3, and a lid 17 is attached to and detached from the rear portion of the shoulder member 15 by a hinge pin 16. The openings 1a and 3a are simultaneously opened and closed by being supported so as to be rotatable. In particular, the metal inner lid 18 provided inside the lid 17 faces the opening 3a, and the seal packing 119 sandwiched between the outer peripheral portions of the lid 17 and the inner lid 18 is closely attached to the entire circumference of the opening 3a. To close. In this state, the steam passage 19 that leads from the steam inlet 19a provided on the inner lid 18 to the steam outlet 19b provided on the upper surface of the lid 17 does not allow the liquid contents that may flow into the lid 17 to flow straight. It is formed with a form and a route that delays reaching the steam outlet 19b by accumulating or detouring in the middle. A falling water stop valve 19c is provided on the steam inlet 19a side of the steam passage 19 to prevent the liquid content from flowing into the steam passage 19 when the container 1 falls.

  Further, when the lid 17 is closed at the front portion of the lid 17, the spring 23 is biased to the locking portion 21 by a hole or the like formed on the side of the container body 1, specifically, a part of the shoulder member 15. Are provided with a lock member 22 that engages and locks the lid 17 in a closed state, and a lock release member 25 that releases the lock by the lock member 22. The unlocking member 25 is pivotally supported by the shaft 24, and when the front end 25a is moved downward by the thumb of the hand, the lock releasing member 25 is rotated counterclockwise around the shaft 24 to retract the locking member 22 against the spring 23, The unlocked lid 17 can be lifted open by releasing the lock of the lid 17 in the closed state and lifting the rear end 25b moved upward at that time with an index finger or the like of the hand.

  Further, the hinge pin 16 is fixed to the lid 17 side, and the stopper 27 is inserted into the U-shaped pin receiver 26 formed on the shoulder member 15 with the front side of the container body 1 open while pushing down against the spring 28. Then, since the open part of the pin receiver 26 is closed by the upward movement return of the stopper 27 by the spring 28 after the insertion, the lid 17 is pivotally supported so that it can be opened and closed. The stopper 27 has an operation piece 27a that protrudes to the rear of the container body 1. When the stopper 27 is moved downward against the spring 28 by the operation piece 27a, the pin receiver 26 is opened. The lid 17 can be removed from the container body 1 with the drawer from the receptacle 26. As a result, the lid 17 can be washed.

  The electric pump 12 is a centrifugal pump, and is provided at a midway position where the content liquid in the discharge passage 13 flows, particularly at a midway position below the bottom of the inner container 3, and is driven into the electric pump 12 by being driven to rotate. The inflowing content liquid is sent out toward the discharge port 13a facing the outside of the container 1 of the discharge path 13 to be discharged for use. In the middle of the discharge path 13, a water stop valve 31 at the time of overturning and a water stop valve 32 at the time of forward tilt are provided, and in this example, it further rotates according to the difference in the flow rate of the content liquid sent through the discharge path 13 and detects it. A flow sensor 33 is provided.

  The heater 11 is located in a recess 3b formed by forming an upward convex portion on the bottom surface of the bottom of the inner container 3, and is provided with a spring member 35 provided between the heat shield 34 attached with a metal fitting below the bottom of the inner container 3. Is pressed against the lower surface of the bottom of the inner container 3. The discharge path 13 is connected to the upwardly projecting top surface portion formed by the recess 3b, and the remaining amount is secured so as not to discharge the content liquid below the height of the top surface to prevent emptying. In addition, a temperature sensor 36 is applied to a central recess 3b1 formed at the center of the top surface so as to protrude upward, so that the content liquid temperature is detected. As a result, when the content liquid is lowered to the top surface, the central recess 3b1 of the inner container 3 is exposed from the content liquid prior to other ranges and rapidly rises in temperature. It is possible to determine that the amount has been reduced to a level where it cannot be discharged.

  From the portion of the discharge passage 13 where the water stop valve 31 at the time of overturning and the water stop valve 32 at the time of forward tilting are provided to the discharge port 13a, one discharge port side block 13b is formed. 15 is positioned in a protruding portion 37 that protrudes in a bowl shape toward the front portion of the container body 1, and the discharge port 13 a faces downward at the tip portion position of the protruding portion 37 away from the body portion of the container body 1. An operation panel 38 is provided on the upper surface of the protrusion 37. As shown in FIG. 1B, the operation panel 38 has, for example, a heat retention selection key 41 for selecting a heat retention temperature of 98 ° C., 90 ° C., and 60 ° C. in a rotary manner, and a hot water supply that discharges and supplies hot water by operating the electric pump 12. A key 42, a reboiling key 48 for boiling the content liquid being kept warm, other operation keys, and various display units are provided. A control board 40 is provided inside the operation panel 38. The control board 40 includes switches (not shown) that respond to the operation of various keys on the operation panel 38, inputs from these switches, a temperature sensor 36, and a flow sensor 33. In response to the input, the microcomputer 46 that drives and controls the heater 11, the electric pump 12, and the fan 14 via the drivers 43 to 45 shown in FIG. 1B, and a liquid crystal display corresponding to various display units of the operation panel 38 Tools, display lamps, and the like are mounted, and a buzzer 47 that performs external auditory notification is mounted as necessary.

  In the initial boiling when the power is turned on, the microcomputer 46 operates by blowing the air to the inner container 3 by operating the fan 14 based on the detected temperature of the content liquid by the temperature sensor 36 from the boiling time of the content liquid or the end of boiling water corresponding thereto. After the liquid is cooled and the temperature is lowered to an initial setting or a predetermined predetermined temperature, the fan 14 is stopped and a control for shifting to a temperature maintaining operation for maintaining the temperature at the predetermined temperature is performed.

  However, as described above, the temperature drop due to the forced cooling to the heat retention temperature at 90 ° C. or 95 ° C. is particularly unreasonable. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in particular, after the boiling of the content liquid, in the low-temperature heat retention mode in which the low-temperature heat retention temperature corresponding to the use such as extraction of low-temperature gyokuro or melting of the milk, for example, the 60 ° C. heat retention is selected by the operation of the heat retention selection key 41. The fan 14 is controlled to be driven. As a result, the content liquid is once boiled and then transferred to heat retention. After the content liquid has boiled, the fan 14 is driven to forcibly cool the content liquid, and the temperature is lowered quickly to a low temperature heat retention temperature corresponding to the application. Can be used. Therefore, since the content liquid after boiling can be used for early use at a low temperature keeping temperature corresponding to the application by forced cooling, the forced cooling can be effectively used for convenience to the user. Further, the microcomputer 46 controls the fan 14 to stop and start the low-temperature heat insulation when the content liquid is lowered to the low-temperature heat insulation temperature. As a result, the content liquid is forcibly cooled and the temperature is lowered to a low temperature keeping temperature corresponding to the application at an early stage, and then the fan 14 is stopped and can be used at any time while maintaining the low temperature keeping temperature.

  By the way, the content liquid temperature detected by the temperature sensor 36 does not match the actual temperature of the content liquid, and the actual temperature of the content liquid tends to be lower than the detected temperature. Therefore, if the drive of the fan 14 after boiling is controlled to be performed at a temperature lower than the set low temperature keeping temperature 60 ° C. by a predetermined temperature α corresponding to the temperature difference, the cooling of the content liquid to be lowered by cooling is performed. The actual temperature can be surely reached the low temperature keeping temperature according to the application from the rule of thumb.

  In addition to the initial boiling mode, the boiling mode in which the content liquid is boiled is an additional boiling mode in which the content liquid is added during the heat retention and the content liquid is boiled when the temperature is lowered to a predetermined temperature or less, so that the unboiled content liquid is eliminated. There is a re-boiling mode in which the content liquid being kept warm is boiled by operating the re-boiling key 48, and both the boiling mode and the re-boiling mode can occur during the low-temperature keeping, but the re-boiling mode is the content that the user is keeping warm. Regardless of whether or not the liquid contains an unboiled portion, it is unreasonable to perform forced cooling after boiling uniformly because it is intended to boil and use at a high temperature. Therefore, the fan 14 is driven after boiling of the content liquid in the additional boiling mode during the low temperature keeping mode, but in the reboiling mode, the fan 14 is controlled not to be driven after the re-boiling. As a result, while the unboiled content liquid is eliminated by boiling the content liquid due to the addition in the low temperature heat retention mode, the forced cooling to the low temperature heat retention temperature corresponding to the application is achieved by cooling with the fan 14 and the low temperature heat retention mode is achieved at an early stage. The boiling content liquid can be used early at a low temperature keeping temperature corresponding to the application. In addition, it is possible to guarantee that the boiling content liquid is used at a high temperature without being driven by the fan after the boiling of the content liquid by the re-boiling operation in the low temperature keeping mode and without being influenced by it.

  FIG. 6 shows a specific example of such control. To explain this, if the initial boiling at the time of turning on the power or the additional boiling due to the addition of the content liquid during the heat retention, the fan 14 is driven in the low temperature heat retention mode if the initial boiling is an additional boiling. Therefore, the boiling operation is continued until the boiling is detected after the fan 14 is stopped. When the boiling is detected, it is determined whether or not the selection of the heat retention temperature is 60 ° C. which is the low temperature heat retention temperature. If it is not a selection, 98 ° C. heat retention or 90 ° C. heat retention according to another selection is continued thereafter. If the heat retention at 60 ° C. is selected, the fan 14 is driven until the temperature of the content liquid drops to 60 ° C., and forced cooling is continued. When the temperature reaches 60 ° C., the fan 14 is stopped and the heat retention at the low temperature heat retention temperature 60 ° C. To continue.

  Also, if neither the initial boiling nor the additional boiling is performed, and the re-boiling key 48 is operated, the fan 14 may be driven in the low temperature heat retention mode, so that the boiling operation is performed until the boiling is detected after the fan 14 is stopped. If the boiling is detected, it is determined whether or not the selection is the low temperature keeping temperature 60 ° C. without driving the fan 14, and the process proceeds to the heat keeping control according to the judgment and then continues.

  In the example shown in FIG. 7, in addition to the example shown in FIG. 6, the fan 14 is driven with a strong output of 10/10 corresponding to the heat insulation selection of the low temperature heat insulation temperature 60 ° C. after the initial boiling or the additional boiling. While aiming at an early temperature drop of the content liquid toward 60 ° C., a predetermined intermediate temperature X, for example, 70 ° C. is detected during the temperature drop, and the fan 14 is switched to a weak output drive halved to 5/10 to 60 ° C. Until the temperature reaches 60 ° C., the fan 14 is stopped and the temperature is shifted to a low temperature insulation at 60 ° C., and then continues. As a result, the content liquid is forcibly cooled by the fan 14 and the temperature is lowered toward the low temperature keeping temperature 60 ° C. corresponding to the application, so that the driving of the fan 14 is reduced before reaching the low temperature keeping temperature 60 ° C. , Energy saving and quietness can be ensured, and even if the drive of the fan 14 is reduced during the temperature drop, the content liquid temperature is reduced to the low temperature keeping temperature due to the previous temperature drop. In handling such as transfer, the temperature is lowered as it is used, or after a short waiting time, it can be used at a low temperature keeping temperature corresponding to the application of 60 ° C.

  Here, the point in time when the predetermined temperature X is reached can be determined as the elapsed time from the temperature drop characteristic according to the liquid amount at that time, and if the liquid amount is known, the predetermined intermediate temperature X is detected. Instead, it is possible to determine the passage of time that will reach the midway temperature X and execute the drive output reduction control of the fan 14. The amount of liquid can be accurately determined based on the temperature rise characteristics when boiling the content liquid, that is, how many times it rises during a certain time, or the ratio thereof, and the determination result may be used. If the fan 14 is stopped instead of reducing the drive output of the fan 14 when the predetermined intermediate temperature X or a predetermined elapsed time is reached, the subsequent temperature drop rate becomes slower than when the drive output is reduced. However, energy saving and quietness can be improved. However, it is possible to set two stages of intermediate temperature or time, reduce the output of the fan 14 when the first intermediate temperature is reached, and stop the fan 14 when the next intermediate temperature is reached. Further, the drive output of the fan 14 is reduced stepwise or continuously, and stopped at the same time when the low temperature heat retention temperature reaches 60 ° C., or at a predetermined intermediate temperature X that reaches the low temperature heat insulation temperature 60 ° C. It can also be stopped.

  On the other hand, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 36 during cooling by the fan 14 differs depending on the amount of liquid, but is nearly 10 ° C. lower than the actual temperature of the content liquid. For this reason, if the detection temperature is set to the actual temperature and the temperature is kept at a low temperature at 60 ° C., the temperature is shifted to a low temperature at a temperature as high as about 70 ° C., and then the temperature is not kept at a low temperature at 60 ° C. until there is no influence during cooling. Therefore, even during that short period of time, the user misuses the content liquid having a temperature higher than the intended temperature as the one corresponding to the application. Milk melting can make your baby feel hot. Therefore, as in the example shown in FIG. 8B, the relation between the actual temperature of the content liquid and the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 36 when the actual temperature of the content liquid reaches a predetermined low temperature keeping temperature 60 ° C. corresponding to the liquid volume is an empirical rule. To table 1 in advance. Then, as in the example shown in FIG. 8A, the amount of liquid determined at the time of initial boiling or boiling in the additional boiling mode is read, and the detected temperature t at which the actual temperature becomes the low temperature keeping temperature 60 ° C. from the table 1. To get. In addition, since the elapsed time from the liquid amount until reaching the predetermined temperature t can be calculated, the remaining time until the predetermined temperature t is displayed is displayed. Therefore, the transition to the low temperature heat retention, that is, the low temperature heat retention temperature of 60 ° C. While notifying the user of when the content liquid can be used, the user waits for the temperature to reach a predetermined temperature t. When the temperature reaches the predetermined temperature t, the actual temperature of the content liquid reaches 60 ° C. However, particularly in this example, by turning on the heater 11 for a predetermined time, for example, 10 seconds with a strong output at the time of boiling, for example, for 10 seconds before shifting to the low temperature heat retention, the content liquid is rapidly heated and convection is performed for a moment. The temperature difference between the upper and lower sides is broken to obtain a substantially uniform temperature distribution. As a result, the low-temperature heat retention is started stably at an actual temperature of approximately 60 ° C. and with no temperature difference between the upper and lower content liquids. If the heating of the supplied power exceeds 10 seconds, the actual temperature of the content liquid is increased beyond the purpose of generating convection, and this is an operation contrary to the low-temperature heat retention.

  In addition, if there is an addition during the low temperature keeping mode, an error may occur in the liquid amount determination due to the difference between the amount of the addition liquid and the temperature. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, when the addition is detected by the temperature drop of the content liquid to a predetermined width or below a certain temperature, the fan 14 is stopped, and the content liquid is boiled with a strong output of the heater 11. The remaining time processing of forced cooling is performed by re-driving the fan 14 toward a predetermined low temperature keeping temperature 60 ° C., but the initial remaining time at the end of the addition boiling is displayed by displaying, for example, 50 minutes corresponding to the maximum capacity of the electric pot. To do. Thereby, the situation where a user misuses the content liquid whose actual temperature is higher than the low temperature keeping temperature 60 ° C. when the remaining time elapses can be surely avoided. On the other hand, the remaining time is still displayed even though the actual temperature is the low temperature keeping temperature 60 ° C., and there is no actual harm even if the user's use is delayed. However, while the initial display time is set to match the maximum capacity as described above, the remaining time can be corrected from the temperature drop characteristics of the content liquid temperature during the remaining time processing thereafter.

  In the example shown in FIG. 10, the temperature lowering process up to a predetermined low temperature keeping temperature of 60 ° C. corresponds to the fact that the temperature lowering curve when the content liquid after boiling is forcibly lowered by cooling by the fan 14 is not constant due to the difference in the liquid amount. The remaining time is controlled so that it can be displayed correctly. To explain this, the relationship between the amount of liquid and the remaining time is set as a table 2 from an empirical rule as shown in FIG. 10B, and the time of 3 ° C. drop and the current remaining time as shown in FIG. 10C. The relationship with the subtraction time is set as a table 3 from an empirical rule. Then, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), the amount of liquid determined at the time of initial boiling or boiling in the additional boiling mode is read, the remaining time corresponding to this is obtained from Table 2, and the temperature is kept at a low temperature keeping temperature of 60 ° C. Displays the initial remaining time of. Next, the time to decrease the temperature by 3 ° C. is acquired, the subtraction time corresponding to this is acquired from the table 3, and the subtraction time is subtracted from the current display remaining time to display the remaining time. As a result, the display of the initial remaining time due to the difference in the liquid amount and the display of the remaining time during the temperature drop can be correctly performed corresponding to the decrease in the actual temperature.

  Further, the example shown in FIG. 11 corresponds to a case where the liquid amount determined at the time of boiling is changed when the user discharges the content liquid during the remaining time process, that is, during the cooling operation toward the predetermined low temperature keeping temperature 60 ° C. You are in control. Explaining this, while calculating and displaying the remaining time with the tables 2 and 3 shown in FIG. 10, the discharge of the content liquid is determined by the discharge flow detection of the liquid amount sensor 33 during the measurement of the time to drop by 3 ° C. Then, the measurement of the time that the temperature falls by 3 ° C. is stopped until the discharge is completed, and the control below the measurement of the time that the temperature falls by 3 ° C. is continued after the discharge is completed. The remaining time can be displayed correctly corresponding to the actual temperature drop.

  Further, in the example shown in FIG. 12, the difference between the actual temperature drop of the content liquid during the cooling operation toward the predetermined low temperature keeping temperature 60 ° C. and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 36 changes over time. The temperature display is controlled in response to the degree of change depending on the amount of liquid. To explain this, as shown in FIG. 12 (b), the relationship between changes in the correction value for adjusting to the actual temperature with respect to the detected temperature that varies depending on the temperature lowering stage of the boiled content liquid is determined from the empirical rule for each liquid amount difference. And set as Table 4. Then, as shown in FIG. 12 (a), during the remaining time processing, that is, during the cooling operation toward the predetermined low temperature keeping temperature of 60 ° C., the liquid amount determined at the time of initial boiling and boiling in the additional boiling mode is read. A data string of correction values corresponding to is selected from the table 4. Next, the temperature t2 detected by the temperature sensor 36 is acquired, and when the low temperature heat retention temperature 60 ° C. is reached, the temperature is shifted to the low temperature heat insulation with the fan stopped, and then continued. However, if the low temperature keeping temperature 60 ° C. has not been reached, the correction value t1 corresponding to the detected temperature t2 is read from the selected data string, and the display temperature t3 is calculated as t1 + t2 from these, and the calculated display temperature is displayed. Control is repeated. As a result, the difference between the actual temperature drop of the content liquid during the cooling operation toward the predetermined low temperature keeping temperature 60 ° C. and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 36 changes over time, and the degree of this change also depends on the difference in the liquid amount. Even if it changes, the actual temperature of the content liquid during the temperature drop can be correctly displayed, and it is possible to eliminate the unexpected hot feeling caused by the actual temperature being higher than the display temperature.

  Here, the electric pot of the present embodiment will be described in more detail. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 2, a fan 14 is provided below the bottom 50 of the inner container 3 in the container 1, and the air outside the container 1 is provided. Is sucked around the inner container 3 through the intake port 60 as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1A, and then collected under the bottom of the inner container 3 and exhausted from the bottom 51 of the container 1. Such a fan 14 is located below the bottom of the inner container 3 and does not increase the bulkiness around the trunk of the container 1. Therefore, the conventional level between the outer case 5 of the container 1 and the inner container is not necessary. The outside air is sucked into the narrow space S so as to be easily brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the inner container 3, and a flow that concentrates the sucked outside air 53 to be brought into contact with the fan 14 below the bottom 50 of the inner container 3 is created. 3 is made to lick the outer surface and reach the bottom 50 thereof. Further, the concentrated sucked-out air 53 is exhausted from the bottom 51 of the vessel 1 through the fan 14 so that the flow of the sucked-out air 53 that licks the outer surface of the inner container 3 does not disturb the exhaust flow 54. Increases efficiency. Therefore, it is a simple and inexpensive structure in which only the fan 14 is provided, and the outside air is sucked between the outer case 5 and the inner container 3 that forms the body part of the body 1 and does not increase in particular. The liquid contents are made efficient by the flow of the suctioned external air 53 that licks the outer surface of the inner container 3 that is exhausted in a concentrated manner on the fan 14 below the bottom 50 of the inner container 3 while contacting the surface and the heater 11 to cool them. It cools well and the temperature can be lowered quickly to a predetermined temperature.

  In addition, the air inlet 60 is provided at the lower part of the side surface of the container 1, and it is difficult for water to reach from the opening 1 a of the container 1. Becomes even more difficult. Moreover, since the suction force by the fan 14 extends to the upper part around the inner container 3, the suction outside air 53 from the intake port 60 is easily spread to the extent that a negative pressure can be generated there. The suctioned outside air 53 is made to extend along the outer surface of the inner container 3 to sufficiently contribute to cooling of the content liquid.

  Furthermore, the heater 11 as the heating source is located below the bottom 50 of the inner container 3, and a fan 14 is provided below the heater 11, so that air outside the container body 1 flows around the inner container 3 from the side surface of the container body 1. Then, the air is collected under the heater 11 and exhausted from the bottom 51 of the container 1. Thereby, in addition to the above, since the heater 11 is located below the bottom 50 of the inner container 3 and the fan 14 is below the heater 11, the outer surface is licked from the outer peripheral surface of the inner container 3 to the bottom 50. The outside air 53 sucked into the fan 14 is effectively applied to the heater 11 below the inner container 3 immediately before exhausting. That is, the temperature rise of the suction outside air 53 due to the cooling of the heater 11 is not disadvantageous for the cooling of the inner container 3 and the content liquid. Therefore, the outside air 53 sucked to the fan 14 that licks the outer surface from the outer peripheral surface of the inner container 3 to the bottom 50 works efficiently also on the heater 11 to lower the temperature, and the influence on the temperature drop of the content liquid is eliminated early. Therefore, the cooling performance is further enhanced.

  Further, in order to exhaust the suction outside air 53 from the bottom 51 of the container 1 by the fan 14, a blowing part 56 that blows out the exhaust flow 54 along the stationary surface 55 on which the container 1 is placed from below the lower part 51 of the container 1 is provided. It is provided. Thereby, the exhaust flow 54 from the bottom 51 of the container 1 is smoothly blown out along the stationary surface 55 of the container 1 through the blowing part 56. Therefore, the exhaust from the bottom 51 of the container body 1 can be performed smoothly without any deterioration, and the cooling efficiency does not decrease due to exhaust failure.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 (a), 2 and 4, the blowing portion 56 is formed with an upward convex portion 62 having a downward concave portion 61 on the bottom portion 51 of the container 1 formed by the exterior case 5. Then, the exhaust port 63 is formed in the convex portion 62 and the fan 14 is installed thereon, and the blowout port 64 in a state where the concave portion 61 is opened on both the left and right sides is used as the peripheral wall of the concave portion 61. It is formed as a dent from the lower surface of. As a result, the exhaust flow 54 exhausted from the fan 14 to the lower part of the container 1 is once discharged from the exhaust port 63 into the recess 61 closed to the stationary surface 55 of the container 1 and is guided by the stationary surface 55. Then, the air is smoothly discharged from the air outlet 64 to the left and right along the stationary surface 55 to the outside of the air outlet. In the experiments of the present inventors, the temperature is increased to about 60 ° C. as compared with the case where the fan is provided without exhausting such a recess 61. The cooling time is reduced by several tens of minutes. Moreover, the bottom 51 of the container 1 at the outlet 64 in the left-right direction avoiding the front part with the protrusion 37 as shown in FIG. 3 and the rear part with the power connection port 65 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the exhaust air flow 54 does not reach the user or the power connection port 65.

  In addition, the blow-out port 64 has a concave shape that rises from the stationary surface 55 in the bottom 51 of the container 1, so that a hand is put between the bottom 51 of the stationary body 1 on the stationary surface 55 and the stationary surface 55. Create a gap. Therefore, the container 1 can be lifted from the stationary surface 55 by putting a hand in the gap, or can be used as a handle for carrying it as it is.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fan 14 is an axial fan having twisted blades 14a around the vertical axis and has a flat shape, as shown in FIG. 1 (a) and FIG. In addition, the drive motor 14b and the bottom 50 of the inner container 3 can be installed vertically lower and are accommodated in a rectangular case 72 to which the drive motor 14b is attached. The container 1 is installed from below on the cover 62a formed integrally with the ceiling opening 73 of the projection 62 provided on the bottom 51 of the outer case 5 and the ceiling opening 73 of the projection 62 from below. An exhaust port 63 is formed in the bottom lid 74 so as to be sandwiched and held between the bottom lid 74 and the bottom lid 74 that can be attached and detached. As shown in FIG. 1A, the bottom lid 74 is formed by fitting a plurality of engaging claws 74a formed on the outer peripheral portion into an engaging hole 62b formed on the peripheral wall of the convex portion 62 from one direction. The screw 75 is screwed to the ceiling portion of the convex portion 62, and the engagement claw 74a is attached by being prevented from coming off from the engagement hole 62b. The bottom cover 74 can be removed from the engagement hole 62b. As a result, the fan 14 is attached at the same time without any other structure or work as the fan 14 is attached to the bottom lid 74 with one screw 75.

  Further, an aluminum layer 71 is provided on the outer surface of the inner container 3, particularly on the outer surface of the lower half portion where contact with the suctioned external air 53 is achieved, as shown in FIGS. The aluminum layer 71 may be an aluminum sheet, tape, foil, or a plated layer. As a result, according to experiments by the present inventors, the cooling time to about 60 ° C. was shortened by about 10 minutes or more compared with the case where the aluminum layer 71 was not provided. However, since the ambient temperature around the inner container 3 is kept relatively high under the influence of the content liquid temperature and the heat from the heater 11 in the absence of the suction outside air 53, the heat retention efficiency is not particularly lowered.

  The present invention can be put into practical use in an electric pot, and the content liquid after boiling can be quickly lowered to a low temperature keeping temperature corresponding to the application.

It is the whole sectional view and block diagram of a control circuit which show one example of an electric pot concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is the perspective view seen in the cross section which shows the exterior case and its bottom part structure of the electric pot of FIG. It is an external appearance perspective view of the exterior case of the electric pot of FIG. It is the external appearance perspective view which looked at the bottom part of the exterior case of the electric pot of FIG. 1 upward. It is the perspective view seen from the cross section which shows the inner container and its bottom part of the electric pot of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the example of control from the boiling in the electric pot of FIG. 1 to various heat retention states including low temperature heat retention. FIG. 7 is a partial flowchart showing a modification of the control in FIG. 6. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the example of control which performed the remaining time display in the cooling operation to the low temperature heat retention temperature after the boiling in the electric pot of FIG. 1 corresponding to the difference in the liquid amount. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control example in which a remaining time is displayed in response to a change in the liquid amount and the liquid temperature when the remaining time processing toward the low temperature keeping temperature in the electric pot of FIG. 1 is performed. 2 is a flowchart showing a control example in which a remaining time is displayed in response to the temperature drop curve not being constant due to the difference in liquid amount in the cooling operation to the low temperature holding temperature after boiling in the electric pot of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the modification of the example of control of FIG. The difference between the actual temperature drop of the content liquid during the cooling operation toward the low temperature holding temperature in the electric pot of FIG. 1 and the detected temperature changes with time, and the degree of this change changes with the difference in the liquid amount. It is a flowchart which shows the example of control which performs temperature display correspondingly.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container 3 Inner container 5 Exterior case 11 Heater 14 Fan 17 Lid 36 Temperature sensor 38 Operation panel 40 Control board 46 Microcomputer 60 Inlet 63 Outlet 64 Outlet

Claims (3)

The content liquid in the inner container housed in the container is heated by a heating source to boil and keep warm, used for cooling, and the content liquid is cooled using a fan when shifting to heat insulation after boiling the content liquid. In an electric kettle that accelerates the temperature drop,
It is equipped with a low temperature heat retention mode that maintains the low temperature heat retention temperature corresponding to the application and a selection means for selecting the low temperature heat retention mode, and when the low temperature heat retention mode is selected, the fan is driven after boiling the liquid content , and is lower than the low temperature heat retention temperature. An electric kettle that stops driving the fan when the temperature is reached . The content liquid in the inner container housed in the container is heated by a heating source to boil and keep warm, used for cooling, and the content liquid is cooled using a fan when shifting to heat insulation after boiling the content liquid. In an electric kettle that accelerates the temperature drop,
It is equipped with a low temperature heat retention mode that maintains the low temperature heat retention temperature corresponding to the application, and a selection means for selecting the low temperature heat retention mode.When the low temperature heat retention mode is selected, the fan is driven after boiling the content liquid , An electric pot characterized in that the driving of the fan is reduced or stopped when a predetermined temperature or time is reached . The content liquid in the inner container housed in the container is heated by a heating source to boil and keep warm, used for cooling, and the content liquid is cooled using a fan when shifting to heat insulation after boiling the content liquid. In an electric kettle that accelerates the temperature drop,
It is equipped with a low temperature heat retention mode that maintains the low temperature heat retention temperature corresponding to the application and a selection means for selecting the low temperature heat retention mode. When the low temperature heat retention mode is selected, the fan is driven after boiling the liquid content, and the addition during the low temperature heat retention mode is performed An electric pot that drives a fan after boiling in the boiling mode but does not drive the fan after re-boiling in the re-boiling mode.

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