JPH10146276A - Electric water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stop heating even when an electric water heater falls down in the state of connecting a magnet plug by providing a heating means heating liquid housed in a container, a control means supplying power for the heating means and a falling down detecting means detecting the falling down of a main body. SOLUTION: The falling down detecting means 12 is fixed to a bottom within the main body 1 and opens or closes its switch contact point by the moving of a weight within the detecting means when the electric water heater tilts by more than a prescribed angle. When the water heater is normally installed, the means 12 outputs about 0V voltage to the control means 4 by closing the switch. When the water heater falls down on the other hand, the means 12 outputs about 5V signal to the control means 4 by opening the switch. When the output of the means 12 is lower than 2.5V, the means 4 supplies power for the means 3 to normally control. When the output of the means 12 is not lower than 2.5V, the means 4 stops energizing to the means 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric kettle for boiling hot water to keep it warm.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electric water heater, various safety measures have been taken in order to prevent an accident due to hot water flowing out due to falling.

Hereinafter, a conventional general electric water heater will be described with reference to FIG. 1 is a main body of an electric water heater, 2 is a container for containing a liquid to be heated, 3 is a heating means composed of a heater, 4 is a power supply to the heating means 3, and controls the power supply such as continuous power supply to boiling and on / off power supply during heat retention. Is a lid body that opens and closes when liquid is put into the container 2, 6 is a steam outlet, and 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d are steam passages. Reference numeral 8 denotes a vertically movable metal ball. Normally, steam generated in the vessel 2 at the time of boiling water passes through the steam passage 7d, and is discharged from the steam discharge port 6 to the outside air in the order of 7c, 7b, and 7a. 9 is a hot water outlet and 10
Is a tapping valve provided in the middle of tapping path 9, and 11 is a detachable magnet plug for supplying power to the electric water heater. When the electric water heater having the above-described configuration is overturned, the path in which the hot water in the container 2 spills out of the main body 1 is the path of the hot water path 9, the steam paths 7d, 7c, 7b, 7a, and the steam outlet 6. However, the tapping path 9 is shut off by a tapping valve 10 so that it does not spill from here. On the steam passage side, the ball 8 moves and the steam passage 7
In order to close b, a slight amount of water is spilled from the slight gap. Further, since the magnet plug 11 is detached from the main body 1, the electric water heater does not easily fall down even if the power cord is hooked.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional configuration, when the electric water heater falls down, if the magnet plug does not come off from the main body 1, the ball 8 closes the steam passage 7b. Heating means 3
Since the heating was continued, the pressure in the container 2 was increased, and the lid body 5 was detached by the pressure, and there was a possibility that a large amount of hot water could be spilled.

An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-use electric water heater that can stop heating even if the electric water heater falls down in a state where a magnet plug is connected. I do.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a container for storing a liquid, a heating unit for heating the liquid contained in the container, and a control for supplying power to the heating unit. An electric water heater having means and a fall detecting means for detecting a fall of the electric water heater main body. Further, the control means is an electric water heater which controls so as to stop the power supply to the heating means in accordance with the output of the fall detecting means.

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
As an electric water heater having a container for storing the liquid, a heating unit for heating the liquid stored in the container, a control unit for supplying electric power to the heating unit, and a fall detection unit for detecting a fall of the electric water heater main body. Therefore, it is possible to easily detect the fall.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the control means controls the power supply to the heating means to be stopped by the output of the overturn detecting means, the state in which the magnet plug is connected is established. Thus, it is possible to provide an easy-to-use electric water heater that stops heating even if it falls down.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the signal output from the overturn detecting means continues for a predetermined time, the control means validates the output. Thus, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection due to vibration of opening and closing of the lid main body to the electric water heater and electric noise or the like, and to eliminate unnecessary heating stoppage.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operation continuation switch for instructing the control means to continue the operation, the electric water heater returns from the falling state to the normal state, and the falling detecting means outputs the output signal. Even if is stopped, if there is no input of the operation continuation switch, the control means controls so as not to supply the electric power to the heating means. Even if the heating is performed, the heating is not automatically performed, and the heating can be restarted only by the instruction of the user.

According to the invention of claim 5 of the present invention, the electric water heater is provided with a turning-down notifying means for notifying that the electric water heater has fallen, and the control means is controlled so as to be notified by the turning-off notifying means by the output of the turning-over detecting means. So
You can quickly notice that you have fallen.

According to the invention of claim 6 of the present invention, a second power supply is provided for backing up for a predetermined time when a power supply voltage for supplying power to the electric water heater is interrupted, and the second power supply is provided. Since the control means controls the fall notifying means to operate according to the signal of the fall detecting means, when the electric water heater falls, even if the magnet plug is detached, it is possible to provide a notice for notifying the fall.

Further, according to the invention of claim 7 of the present invention, since the fall detecting means uses a piezoelectric element and also serves as a fall informing means, it is possible to provide an electric water heater having a simple structure.

[0014]

【Example】

(Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, FIG.
The same reference numerals are given to the same components as those described in connection with the conventional example, and description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 12 denotes a fall detecting means, which is attached to the bottom inside the main body 1. In the first embodiment, the fall detecting means 12 has a structure in which the switch contact is opened and closed by the movement of the weight in the detecting means when the electric water heater is tilted beyond a predetermined angle. When the electric water heater is normally installed, the overturn detecting means 12 outputs a voltage of about 0 V to the control means 4 by closing the switch. Also,
When the electric water heater falls, the fall detecting means 12 outputs a signal of about 5 V to the control means 4 by opening the switch.

In the first embodiment, when the output of the overturn detecting means 12 is less than 2.5 V, the control means 4 supplies electric power to the heating means 3 to perform normal water heating and heat control. When the output of the overturn detecting means 12 is 2.5 V or more, the control means 4 stops the energization of the heating means 3.

Further, in the first embodiment, the heating means 3 is activated by external electric noise or vibration when the lid body 5 is strongly closed after the user supplies water to the electric water heater or when a pot or the like hits the main body. In order to prevent unnecessary stopping, the control means 4 is enabled when the output signal of the fall detecting means 12 is continued for a predetermined time. In the first embodiment, the input is made about every 10 ms, and the output is valid when the same output signal continues 16 times or more.

(Embodiment 2) Hereinafter, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 2, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the feature of the second embodiment is that the operation continuation switch 1 is added to the configuration of the first embodiment.
3 is added. The operation continuation switch 13 is provided so as to be freely input.

If the electric water heater falls over during the energization by the control means 4, a signal of about 5 V is output by opening the switch contact of the overturn detection means 12, and the control means 4 stops the energization to the heating means 3. Then, when the electric water heater is turned over, the output of the fall detecting means 12 returns to about 0 V by closing the switch contact. However, since the control means 4 stores information indicating that the electric water heater has fallen once, the power supply to the heating means 3 is turned off. It does not automatically restart. In the case of using after the fall, the user operates the operation continuation switch 13 to start the normal control by the control means 4. in this way,
Since the power is not automatically supplied after returning from the fall, it is possible to restart the power supply after confirming safety such as whether or not the hot water leaked by the user has entered the charging section or the like.

(Embodiment 3) Hereinafter, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 3, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, the feature of the third embodiment lies in that a fall informing means 14 is added to the configuration of the first embodiment.

If the electric water heater falls over during the energization by the control means 4, a signal of about 5 V is output by opening the switch contact of the overturn detection means 12, and the control means 4 stops the energization to the heating means 3 and at the same time informs of the overturn. Means 14 is notified that the vehicle has fallen. In the third embodiment, the notification is stopped when the vehicle returns from the fall.

(Embodiment 4) Hereinafter, Embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 4, the same parts as those in FIG. 3 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 15 denotes a commercial AC power supply, which is a power supply of 100 Hz at 50 Hz or 100 V at 60 Hz. Reference numeral 16 denotes a DC power supply, which includes a rectifier circuit, a transformer, and a constant voltage IC, and is a power supply that inputs AC 100 V and outputs DC 5 V. The control means 4, the fall detection means 12, and the fall notification means 14 operate using the DC power supply 16 as a power supply. Reference numeral 17 denotes a second power supply, which is a backup circuit composed of an electric double layer capacitor, and is configured to always charge the output of the DC power supply. Commercial AC power supply 1
Reference numeral 5 is connected to the DC power supply 16, the second power supply 17, and the heating means 3 via the magnet plug 11.

When the electric water heater falls down and the magnet plug 11 comes off, the power supply from the commercial AC power supply 15 stops. As a result, the output of the DC power supply 16 also disappears, but the power is continuously supplied by the charged second power supply 17, so that the control means 4, the fall detection means 12, and the fall notification means 14 can operate normally. In this case, the control of the heating means 3 by the control means 4 is not performed. In the fourth embodiment, the capacity of the electric double layer capacitor is 0.047F, and the backup can be performed for about 15 minutes after the magnet plug 11 comes off.

In the fourth embodiment, even when the magnet plug 11 is detached, for example, when a small child mischiefs and knocks down the electric water heater in a place where the guardian's eyes cannot reach, even if the magnet plug 11 is detached, Since the fall can be detected and notified by the fall notifying unit 14, the guardian can be notified immediately of the fall.

(Embodiment 5) Hereinafter, Embodiment 5 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 5, the same parts as those in FIG. 3 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 18 denotes a piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element 18 has a feature that a sound is generated when a rectangular voltage is applied, and a voltage is generated when a stress is applied. The fall detecting means 12 is configured to amplify the output of the piezoelectric element 18 by an operational amplifier 19 and smooth it by a capacitor 20, and input the output to the A / D of the control means 4. On the other hand, the fall informing means 14 is controlled by the
The notification is made by applying a rectangular voltage of z to the piezoelectric element 18. When the control means 4 is informing, A /
Since the D input is invalidated, a configuration that also serves as the fall detection unit 12 and the fall notification unit 14 can be realized.

[0030]

As is apparent from the above description, claim 1
According to the described invention, the fall of the electric water heater can be detected by including the fall detecting means.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the heating is stopped even if the electric water heater falls down in a state where the magnet plug is connected. Can be prevented, and a safer electric water heater can be provided.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the signal output from the overturn detecting means continues for a predetermined time, the output is made valid. False detection can be prevented.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, by providing the operation continuation switch, it is possible to provide an easy-to-use electric water heater which can prompt the user to confirm the safety at the time of use after falling.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, by providing the fall notifying means, the user can be quickly notified of the fall.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, even when the electric water heater is tilted and the commercial power supply is not supplied because the magnet plug is disconnected, the fall detecting means detects the fall with the second power source. Since the fall notifying means can notify the user, the user can be quickly notified of the fall.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the fall detection detecting means uses a piezoelectric element and is utilized as a fall notifying means, so that the two functions can be shared and cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electric water heater according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electric water heater according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an electric water heater in Embodiment 3;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an electric water heater according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an electric water heater in the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a conventional electric water heater.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Container 5 Lid main body 6 Steam discharge port 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d Steam passage 8 Ball 9 Hot water supply path 10 Hot water supply path valve 11 Magnet plug 12 Fall detection means 13 Operation continuation switch 14 Fall notification means 17 Second power supply 18 Piezoelectric element

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A container for storing a liquid, a heating unit for heating the liquid stored in the container, a control unit for supplying electric power to the heating unit, and a fall detection unit for detecting a fall of the electric water heater main body. An electric water heater having a. 2. The control means according to the output of the fall detection means,
2. A control method for stopping power supply to the heating means.
An electric kettle as described. 3. The electric water heater according to claim 1, wherein the control means makes the output valid when a signal output from the overturn detection means continues for a predetermined time. 4. An operation continuation switch for instructing the control means to continue the operation, wherein the electric water heater returns from a fall state to a normal state and the fall detection means stops an output signal.
The electric water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control means controls so as not to supply electric power to the heating means unless the operation continuation switch is input. 5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: a turning-down notifying unit for notifying that the electric water heater has fallen, and the control unit controls to output a notification by the turning-down notifying unit based on an output of the turning-down detecting unit. Electric water heater. 6. A second power supply for backing up a predetermined time when a power supply voltage for supplying electric power to the electric water heater is cut off, wherein the control means uses the second power supply to notify a fall by a signal from a fall detection means. 6. An electric water heater according to claim 5, wherein the means is controlled to operate. 7. The electric water heater according to claim 5, wherein the fall detecting means uses a piezoelectric element and also serves as a fall notifying means.