JP7493229B2 - Stove - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a stove.

Conventionally, there is known a battery-powered gas stove with an operation panel on the front of the appliance (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The operation panel is provided with a timer display. The timer display is a 7-segment display that can display the set times of the stove timer and grill timer, and when an error is detected, it displays an error code corresponding to the detected error.

JP 2020-18136 A

In the stove described in Patent Document 1, an error code is displayed on the timer display when an error is detected, but if the battery voltage is low or the power is turned off, the error code displayed on the timer display may disappear. In such cases, the user may not be able to recognize the error, resulting in a delay in responding to the problem.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a stove that can continue to report an error even if the battery voltage drops or the power is turned off when an error is detected.

The stove of claim 1 is a battery-powered stove that is composed of electronic paper that can retain display content and can be electrically updated, and is equipped with a display unit capable of displaying various information, a display control unit that displays and updates the various information on the display unit, an error detection unit that detects errors , and a voltage measurement unit that measures the output voltage of the battery , and the display control unit is characterized in that it is equipped with a battery remaining capacity display unit that displays the remaining battery capacity on the display unit based on the output voltage measured by the voltage measurement unit, and an error information display unit that, when the error detection unit detects the error, erases the remaining battery capacity displayed on the display unit by the battery remaining capacity display unit and displays error information corresponding to the error .

The error information for the stove of claim 2 may include emergency contact information.

The error information of the stove of claim 3 may include error content information indicating the content of the error.

According to the stove of claim 1, the display unit is made of electronic paper, so once information is displayed on the display unit, it can continue to display the information without consuming power. When the stove detects an error, it displays the error information on the display unit, and can continue to display the error information on the display unit without consuming power. This prevents the stove from losing the displayed error information due to a drop in battery voltage. Therefore, the stove can reliably notify the user of the error information.

According to the stove of claim 2, if an error is detected, emergency contact information is also displayed, and the emergency contact information can be continued to be displayed on the display unit without consuming power. The emergency contact information is, for example, contact information for the stove manufacturer, and is preferably information such as a telephone number, fax number, and email address. When an error occurs in the stove, the user knows the emergency contact information, and can quickly deal with the detected error.

According to the stove of claim 3, the user can check the error content information displayed on the display unit to understand the content of the error, so that the detected error can be dealt with promptly.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the stove 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of an error table 341. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing two modes (A) and (B) in which a battery icon 80 is displayed on a display unit 62. 1A to 1E are diagrams showing display forms (A) to (E) of a battery icon 80 according to five levels of remaining battery charge. FIG. 1 shows three modes (A) to (C) in which an error code is displayed. 13 is a flowchart of a display control process. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stove 100 (modified example).

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention. The external configuration, electrical configuration, and control processing of the device described below are not intended to be limiting, but are merely illustrative examples, unless otherwise specified. The drawings are used to explain the technical features that may be adopted by the present invention.

The structure of the stove 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The stove 1 is a built-in stove. The stove 1 comprises a housing 2 and a top plate 3. The housing 2 is open at the top, and the top plate 3 is installed in the opening. On the top surface of the top plate 3, a right burner 4 (hereinafter referred to as the right burner 4) is provided at the front right, a left burner 5 (hereinafter referred to as the left burner 5) is provided at the front left, and a back burner 6 (hereinafter referred to as the back burner 6) is provided at the back center. A number of flame holes are provided on the side of each of the right burner 4, left burner 5, and back burner 6. An ignition electrode and a thermocouple 53 (see FIG. 2) of an igniter 51 are provided near each of the right burner 4, left burner 5, and back burner 6 so as to face the flame hole. When the igniter 51 is driven, a spark discharge is generated at the ignition electrode, igniting the gas ejected from the flame hole. Thermocouple 53 is heated by the flame formed in the burner hole and generates a thermoelectromotive force. Stove 1 can detect the flame going out in right burner 4, left burner 5, and back burner 6 based on the thermoelectromotive force generated in thermocouple 53.

A thermistor 52 protruding upward is provided approximately in the center of each of the right burner 4, the left burner 5, and the back burner 6. The thermistor 52 is pressed down in contact with the bottom of a pot placed on the trivet to detect the temperature of the bottom of the pot. An exhaust port 7 for a grill device (not shown) installed in the housing 2 is provided at the rear of the top plate 3. A grill door 10 is provided approximately in the center of the front of the burner 1. The grill door 10 opens and closes the front opening of a grill chamber (not shown) installed in the grill device. A grill burner (not shown), an igniter 51, a thermocouple 53, etc. are provided in the grill chamber. The grill burner heats food to be cooked on a grill grate (not shown) placed in the grill chamber. The ignition electrode of the igniter 51 and the thermocouple 53 are provided so as to face the flame hole of the grill burner.

The right panel 8 is provided in the area to the right of the grill door 10. The right panel 8 includes an upper panel 81 and a lower panel 82. The upper panel 81 is provided with two operation knobs 11 and 12. The operation knobs 11 and 12 are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction and are operated to turn on, turn off, and adjust the flame power of the right burner 4 and the grill burner. When the lower panel 82 is pressed with a finger, the operation panel 23 (see FIG. 2) fixed to the back of the lower panel 82 is rotated forward from the lower part by a well-known push-push mechanism (not shown) and pulled out. Although not shown, the operation panel 23 is provided with an operation unit for setting various settings of the right burner 4, the left burner 5, the rear burner 6, and the grill device, a display unit for displaying the timer time, and the like. The display unit of the operation panel 23 is a 7-segment display or liquid crystal, but may be electronic paper, like the display unit 62 described below.

The left panel 9 is provided in the area to the left of the grill door 10. The left panel 9 includes an upper panel 91 and a lower panel 92. The upper panel 91 includes two operation knobs 13, 14 and a display unit 62. The operation knobs 13, 14 are arranged side by side horizontally and are operated to turn on, turn off, and adjust the flame of the rear burner 6 and the left burner 5. The display unit 62 is provided below the operation knobs 13, 14 and is formed in a horizontally elongated rectangular shape when viewed from the front. The display unit 62 is electronic paper. The display unit 62 displays the remaining battery level, which will be described later, and when an error is detected, error information, which will be described later, is displayed. It is preferable that the display unit 62 is capable of displaying and updating even if the voltage is less than the minimum voltage required for the operation of the burner 1. The lower panel 92 is detachably attached to the front of the left panel 9, and when the lower panel 92 is removed, a dry battery box (not shown) is exposed. The battery box stores dry batteries 17 (see Figure 2).

The electrical configuration of the stove 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The stove 1 includes a control circuit 30. The control circuit 30 includes a CPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, a flash memory 34, etc. The CPU 31 controls the overall operation of the stove 1. The ROM 32 stores various programs including a display control program. The display control program is a program for executing the display control process (see FIG. 7) described below. The RAM 33 temporarily stores various information. The flash memory 34 is non-volatile, and stores various data including an error table 341 (see FIG. 3) described below.

The control circuit 30 is connected to a power supply circuit 35, a switch input circuit 36, a panel control circuit 37, a display control circuit 61, an igniter circuit 41, a thermistor circuit 42, a misfire detection circuit 43, a safety valve circuit 44, a solenoid valve circuit 45, etc.

The board switch 21 and igniter switch 22 are connected to the switch input circuit 36. The board switch 21 is turned on and off in conjunction with the operation of the corresponding operation knobs 11 to 14. The switch input circuit 36 detects the state of the board switch 21 and inputs it to the power supply circuit 35 and the control circuit 30. The igniter switch 22 turns on after the board switch 21 turns on when the corresponding operation knob 11 to 14 is pressed in, and turns off before the board switch 21 turns off when the operation knob 11 to 14 is pressed back. The switch input circuit 36 detects the state of the igniter switch 22 and inputs it to the control circuit 30.

When the board switch 21 of any of the operation knobs 11 to 14 is on, the power supply circuit 35 supplies power from the dry battery 17 housed in the battery box to the various circuits. The power supply circuit 35 is turned on. When all of the board switches 21 of the operation knobs 11 to 14 are turned off, the power supply circuit 35 stops the power supply from the dry battery 17 to the various circuits. The power supply circuit 35 is turned off. The control circuit 30 operates when power is supplied from the power supply circuit 35, and stops operating when the power supply is cut off. A voltage measurement unit 351 is connected to the positive and negative poles of the dry battery 17. The voltage measurement unit 351 receives a control command from the control circuit 30, measures the output voltage of the dry battery 17, and inputs the measurement result to the control circuit 30 as a measurement signal.

The above-mentioned operation unit and display unit, etc., provided on the operation panel 23 are connected to the panel control circuit 37. The panel control circuit 37 detects the operation of the operation unit and inputs it to the control circuit 30. The panel control circuit 37 receives control commands from the control circuit 30 and displays the timer time, etc., on the display unit.

The igniter circuit 41 receives control commands from the control circuit 30 and drives the igniters 51 provided in the burners 4 to 6 and the grill device of the burner 1. The thermistor circuit 42 inputs detection signals from the thermistors 52 of the burners 4 to 6 to the control circuit 20.

The misfire detection circuit 43 detects misfires in the burners 4 to 6 and the grill device based on the thermoelectromotive force generated by the thermocouple 53, and inputs the signal to the control circuit 30. The safety valve circuit 44 receives a control command from the control circuit 30 and controls the flow of electricity to the safety valve 54. The safety valve 54 is provided in each of the four gas supply pipes (not shown) that supply gas to the burners 4 to 6 and the grill device. The safety valve 54 is a magnetic safety valve that is mechanically opened by pressing the operation knobs 11 to 14, and is in an open state. The safety valve circuit 44 receives a control command from the control circuit 30 and energizes the safety valve 54. The safety valve 54 maintains its open state. For example, when a burner misfires in the burners 4 to 6 and the grill device, the thermoelectromotive force generated in the thermocouple 53 is lost, and the misfire detection circuit 43 inputs a misfire signal to the control circuit 30. The safety valve circuit 44 receives a control command from the control circuit 30 and cuts off the current to the safety valve 54. This causes the safety valve 54 to close due to the biasing force of a spring (not shown).

The solenoid valve circuit 45 receives control commands from the control circuit 30 and opens and closes the solenoid valve 55 for adjusting the amount of gas. The solenoid valve 55 is a gas shutoff keep solenoid valve. The solenoid valve 55 is provided in a bypass pipe (not shown) that branches off from the gas supply pipe and rejoins the gas. By opening and closing the solenoid valve 55, the flow path of the bypass pipe is opened and closed, and the amount of gas supplied to each of the various burners 4 to 6 and the grill device increases or decreases. This allows the heat of the various burners 4 to 6 and the grill device to be adjusted to two levels: high heat and low heat.

The display control circuit 61 displays and updates the remaining battery charge on the display unit 62 based on control commands from the control circuit 30. As described above, the display unit 62 is a well-known electronic paper that can retain the displayed content and can be electrically updated.

The error table 341 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The error table 341 stores error information for various errors detected by various safety devices installed in the stove 1. The error information includes an error code, error content, location, and notification pattern. The error code is associated with various error content and is set as a two-digit number or two characters consisting of an alphabet and a number. As described below, a two-digit error code is set for errors that can be dealt with by the user, and a two-character error code consisting of the alphabet P and a number is set for errors that cannot be dealt with by the user.

The errors include, for example, a misfire error, flame-out safety device, forget-to-turn-off fire-extinguishing function, oil overheating prevention function, burn-proof function, circuit failure, and thermistor disconnection. A misfire error is detected when the burner does not ignite when ignited. The flame-out safety device is a function that automatically shuts off the gas if the flame goes out due to wind or boiling over. The forget-to-turn-off fire-extinguishing function is a function that automatically extinguishes the flame about 120 minutes after ignition in case of forgetting to turn off the flame. The oil overheating prevention function is a function that automatically extinguishes the flame before it ignites due to overheating of cooking oil. The burn-proof function is a function that automatically extinguishes the flame if the bottom of a pot starts to burn while cooking stews, etc. The flame-out safety device, forget-to-turn-off fire-extinguishing function, oil overheating prevention function, and burn-proof function recognize an error when the various devices or functions are activated. A location is set for each type of error. For example, for a misfire error, the stove and grill are set, and for the forgotten to turn off function, only the stove is set. Circuit faults and thermistor breaks are not related to the part, so the part is not set.

Either pattern 1 or 2 is set as the notification pattern. Pattern 1 notifies the user how to deal with the error. Pattern 2 notifies the user how to deal with the error, and also encourages the user to have a professional inspect and repair the device. Therefore, pattern 1 is set for errors that can be dealt with by the user, such as a misfire error or a flameout safety device, and pattern 2 is set for errors that cannot be dealt with by the user, such as a circuit fault or a broken thermistor.

With reference to Figures 4 and 5, the manner in which the remaining battery level is displayed on the display unit 62 will be described. The display unit 62 normally displays the remaining battery level of the stove 1. As shown in Figure 4 (A), a battery icon 80 is displayed on the display unit 62. The battery icon 80 includes a data bar 85, and the length of the data bar 85 indicates the remaining battery level of the dry batteries 17 in five stages (see Figures 5 (A) to (E)). The data bar 85 extends in the left-right direction and is divided into four blocks. The contents of the four blocks that make up the data bar 85 are displayed in black according to the remaining battery level, so that the remaining battery level can be displayed as the length of the data bar 85.

The battery icon 80 shown in FIG. 5(A) indicates that the battery level is 80% or more, and "FULL" is displayed on the right side. The battery icon 80 shown in FIG. 5(B) indicates that the battery level is between 75% and 80%, and the numerical value "75%" is displayed on the right side. The battery icon 80 shown in FIG. 5(B) indicates that the battery level is between 75% and 80%, and the numerical value "75%" is displayed on the right side.

The battery icon 80 shown in FIG. 5(C) indicates that the battery level is between 50% and 75%, and the number "50%" is displayed on the right. The battery icon 80 shown in FIG. 5(D) indicates that the battery level is between 25% and 50%, and the number "25%" is displayed on the right. The battery icon 80 shown in FIG. 5(E) indicates that the battery level is less than 25%, and the number "LOW" is displayed on the right.

As shown in FIG. 4(B), when the remaining battery charge is less than 25% and is "LOW", the dry batteries 17 in the battery box need to be replaced. To prompt the user to replace the batteries in the battery box, the stove 1 displays a battery warning mark 87 to the right of the battery icon 80 on the display unit 62. This prompts the user to replace the batteries in the battery box (replace the dry batteries 17).

With reference to FIG. 6, the display mode of the error information on the display unit 62 will be described. As described above, the display unit 62 normally displays the remaining battery level, but when an error is detected, the display of the remaining battery level is erased and error information corresponding to the detected error is displayed. FIG. 6(A) shows error information displayed on the display unit 62 when a misfire error occurs on the right burner 4. The left side of the display unit 62 displays the error code "11", and "Right Burner" is displayed below it. The user can identify the content of the error code displayed on the display unit 62 by referring to the list of error codes described in the instruction manual, etc., and can grasp what kind of error has occurred. Furthermore, to the right of the error code, "Please take action according to the handling method in the instruction manual." is displayed. In the instruction manual, for example, "Please push back the operating knob to turn off the fire. Then, please re-ignite the fire" is described in association with the identified error code "11." The user can appropriately deal with the misfire error by operating according to the handling method described in the instruction manual.

Figure 6 (B) shows the error information displayed on the display unit 62 when the flame-out safety device is activated in the grill. The left side of the display unit 62 displays the error code "12," with "Grill" displayed below it. In addition, to the right of the error code, as in the case of a misfire error, it displays "Please follow the troubleshooting instructions in the instruction manual." In the instruction manual, associated with the identified error code "12," it states, for example, "Immediately press the control knob to extinguish the flame. It will take some time for the gas to stop after the flame goes out. When re-igniting, wait until there is no gas around." The user can appropriately deal with the flame going out by following the troubleshooting instructions in the instruction manual.

Figure 6 (C) shows error information displayed on the display unit 62 when a circuit failure occurs. On the left side of the display unit 62, an error code "P1" is displayed. Furthermore, to the right of the error code, "Stop use, close the gas valve, and then contact the contact below for inspection and repair." is displayed, and below that, the name of the emergency contact company and telephone number are displayed. If a circuit failure occurs in the stove 1, the user cannot deal with it on their own. The user can deal with the circuit failure correctly by responding according to the error information displayed on the display unit 62. The emergency contact information is, for example, the emergency contact information of the stove manufacturer, a repair company, etc., and in addition to telephone numbers, information such as a fax number, email address, homepage address, and QR code (registered trademark) may be displayed.

The display control process will be described with reference to FIG. 7. This process is a control of the display of the display unit 62. For example, when a user presses the operation knob 11 to cook with the right burner 4, the board switch 21 and the igniter switch 22 are turned on in that order. When the board switch 21 is turned on, the power supply circuit 35 supplies power to various circuits based on a signal from the switch input circuit 36, and the power supply of the burner 1 is turned on. This triggers the CPU 31 of the control circuit 30 to read the display control program from the ROM 32 and execute this process. When the igniter switch 22 is turned on, the CPU 31 activates the igniter 51 based on the input signal from the switch input circuit 36, and the right burner 4 is ignited by the ignition electrode. The right burner 4 enters a burning state.

The CPU 31 determines whether an error has been detected in the burner 1 (S11). For example, if a misfire error is detected when the right burner 4 is turned on (S11: YES), the CPU 31 displays error information about the misfire error (see FIG. 6(A)) on the display unit 62 (S19) and ends this process. The user can deal with the misfire error appropriately by taking action in accordance with the error information displayed on the display unit 62.

On the other hand, if no error is detected (S11: NO), the CPU 31 measures the voltage of the dry battery 17 using the voltage measurement unit 351 (S12). The CPU 31 calculates the remaining battery charge of the dry battery 17 based on the measured voltage (S13), and displays or updates the battery icon 80 based on the calculated remaining battery charge (S14).

For example, if the remaining battery level of the stove's dry cell 17 is 52%, the CPU 31 displays the battery icon 80 shown in FIG. 5(C). This allows the stove 1 to inform the user that the remaining battery level is at least 50%. The battery icon 80 indicates the remaining battery level with the length of the data bar 85, allowing the user to intuitively recognize the remaining battery level. Furthermore, the number "50%" is displayed to the right of the data bar 85, making it easy to recognize the remaining battery level. Also, because the display unit 62 is electronic paper, the display of the battery icon 80 can be maintained without consuming power.

The CPU 31 determines whether the right burner 4 that is burning has been extinguished (S15). If it has not been extinguished (S15: NO), the CPU 31 determines whether an error has been detected (S16). If an error has not been detected (S16: NO), the CPU 31 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the voltage of the dry battery 17 was measured in S12 (S18). If the predetermined time has not elapsed (S18: NO), the CPU 31 returns to S15 and monitors the extinguishing of the right burner 4. If a predetermined time has elapsed since the voltage was measured (S18: YES), the CPU 31 returns to S12, measures the voltage of the dry battery 17 again, and repeats the above process to periodically update the display of the battery icon 80 according to changes in the remaining battery level. Then, if the right burner 4 is extinguished (S15: YES), the CPU 31 ends this process. After the right burner 4 is turned off, the power to the burner 1 is turned off, but the display unit 62 can retain the last updated display content of the battery icon 80, so the user can continue to be informed of the remaining battery power even if the power to the burner 1 is turned off.

If the flame goes out during combustion on the right burner 4, for example due to wind or boiling over, the flame-out safety device will be activated. The CPU 31 detects the activation of the flame-out safety device as an error (S16: YES), and displays error information about the flame-out safety device (see FIG. 6(B)) on the display unit 62 (S17), and ends this process. The user can deal with the flame going out appropriately by taking action in accordance with the error information displayed on the display unit 62.

As mentioned above, since the display unit 62 is electronic paper, even if the voltage of the dry cell 17 drops, once the error information has been displayed, it can continue to be displayed without consuming any power. This prevents the displayed error information from being lost due to a drop in battery voltage.

Furthermore, in order to deal with an error that has occurred in the stove 1, the user will often follow the error information displayed on the display unit 62 and press the operating knob to turn off the flame. At this time, the power to the stove 1 is turned off, but the error information displayed on the display unit 62 is not lost and is retained in that state until the next update. This makes it possible to prevent the displayed error information from being lost when the power is turned off.

In this way, the stove 1 can reliably notify the user of error information, allowing the user to deal with the error appropriately. Furthermore, in the case of an error that the user cannot deal with, such as a circuit fault or a thermistor break, the error information displayed on the display unit 62 includes emergency contact information. This allows the user to check the emergency contact information displayed on the display unit 62 even when the stove 1 is turned off.

As described above, the stove 1 of this embodiment is battery-powered. The stove 1 is equipped with a display unit 62. The display unit 62 is made of electronic paper that can hold display content and can be electrically updated. The CPU 31 of the control circuit 30 of the stove 1 displays and updates various information on the display unit 62. If the CPU 31 detects an error in the stove 1, it can continue to display the error information on the display unit 62 without consuming power. This allows the stove 1 to prevent the displayed error information from being lost due to a drop in battery voltage or when the power is turned off. Therefore, the stove 1 can reliably notify the user of the error information.

In the above description, the CPU 31 that executes the process of S12 in FIG. 7 is an example of the "display control unit" of the present invention, and the CPU 31 that executes the processes of S11 and S18 is an example of the "error detection unit" of the present invention. The error code included in the error information is an example of the "error content information" of the present invention.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. The stove 1 is a built-in stove, but it may be a table stove. The stove 1 has a grill device inside the housing 2, but it may be a stove without a grill device.

In the above embodiment, an error code is displayed on the display unit 62, and the user can identify the type of error code from a list of error codes in the instruction manual and understand the content of the error, but the content of the error may also be displayed directly on the display unit 62.

In the above embodiment, the display unit 62 normally displays the remaining battery level, and when an error is detected, the previously displayed remaining battery level is erased and error information corresponding to the detected error is displayed, but the error information may be displayed in addition to the remaining battery level.

In the above embodiment, the display unit 62 is driven by power from the existing stove dry cell 17 supplied from the power supply circuit 35, but for example, a display module (not shown) that can use power supplied from a display dry cell in addition to the dry cell 17 may be provided. The display module normally uses power supplied from the display dry cell, but may be able to use power from the dry cell 17 if the battery voltage drops.

The position, shape, and size of the display unit 62 are not limited to those in the above embodiment. The display unit 62 may be provided, for example, on the front surface of the lower panel 92 of the left panel unit 9, on the front surface of the upper panel 81 of the right panel unit 8, on the front surface of the lower panel 82, etc. Also, as in the stove 100 shown in FIG. 8, a display unit 162 that is electronic paper may be provided in the center in the left-right direction on the front side of the top plate 3.

In the above embodiment, one display unit 62 is provided on the upper panel 91 of the left panel unit 9, but the number of display units may be multiple. For example, one display unit may be provided on the upper panel 91 of the left panel unit 9 (see display unit 62 shown in FIG. 1), and one display unit may be provided on the top surface of the tabletop 3 (see display unit 162 shown in FIG. 8).

1 Stove 17 Battery 31 CPU
62 Display unit

Claims (3)

A battery-powered stove,
A display unit that is configured of electronic paper that can hold and electrically update display content and can display various information;
A display control unit that displays and updates the various information on the display unit;
an error detection unit that detects an error ;
a voltage measuring unit for measuring an output voltage of the battery;
Equipped with
The display control unit is
a battery remaining capacity display unit that displays a remaining battery capacity on the display unit based on the output voltage measured by the voltage measurement unit;
an error information display unit that erases the remaining battery level displayed by the remaining battery level display unit on the display unit when the error detection unit detects the error, and displays error information corresponding to the error;
A stove comprising : The stove of claim 1 , wherein the error information includes emergency contact information. 3. The stove according to claim 1, wherein the error information includes error content information indicating the content of the error.

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