JPH0428496Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an electric hot water storage container that heats the liquid contained therein with a heater to keep it warm, or boils and keeps the water warm.

(Prior art) In addition to being able to check the amount of liquid contained in this type of hot water storage container from the outside, it is also required to be able to display on the outside that the water level has fallen to the point where water supply is required to prevent empty cooking. has been done.

Conventionally, the simplest solution to this problem was to provide a transparent liquid volume display tube that was connected to the liquid content so as to maintain the same liquid level as the liquid level, and the liquid in this liquid volume display tube to accommodate the inner container. It is widely known that the liquid level can be visually checked from the outside through the liquid level display window on the container body.

(The problem that the invention aims to solve) However, the liquid content is often hot water used for making tea or coffee, and since the hot water is transparent, even if it can be seen from the outside, its presence is difficult to detect. The function to display is weak.

To compensate for this, a pattern plate is applied to the back of the liquid level display tube, and the liquid level position is made clear by the difference in appearance of the pattern between areas with and without hot water due to the lens effect of the hot water. It is being However, even with this, it is still difficult to see due to the viewing angle, lighting conditions, and dim lighting, making it still unsatisfactory.

Furthermore, there are also systems that use sensors to detect the internal volume and the level of water required to be supplied, and use electrical measures such as turning on indicator lamps.

However, the lamp display is a far cry from viewing the actual liquid level through the liquid level display window, so
It is difficult to notice that the content display is a warning that water needs to be added, and if you are not used to it, you may overlook it. Furthermore, if both the liquid level change and the water supply display are displayed using lamps, they can be related in terms of display format, but both the liquid level change and the water supply display are indirect displays, and there remains a concern that the actual liquid level cannot be seen.

On the other hand, JP-A-63-97119 and JP-A-63-97119
As known from Japanese Patent No. 150028, there has also been proposed a system in which a float is inserted into a liquid level display tube so that the float can be viewed through the liquid level display window.

This allows the liquid level position to be clearly displayed by the float position.

However, the liquid level indicator tube is simply connected to the side of the inner container, and there are cases where the liquid level is displayed by the float at a position that avoids the connector that connects the liquid level indicator tube and the inner container. Therefore, the lower limit at which the liquid level can be displayed depending on the position of the float is considerably above the lowest part of the inner container.

For this reason, if you try to display the lower limit position at which water supply is required, the display will appear quite early, and even though there are many cases where you would like to use up the liquid, you may not be able to use a large amount of remaining water due to the above display. There is the inconvenience of having to leave the food behind and discard it, and even if you continue to use it, you will be worried that it will run out of steam at any time.

Therefore, the present invention has been devised so that the liquid level can be displayed using a liquid level display tube and a float inside the tube to ensure that the required amount of water remains, which is set to prevent dry cooking. The objective is to provide a container.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a liquid volume display tube connected to the inner container so as to maintain the same liquid level as that of the inner container, and a liquid volume display tube that is inserted into the liquid volume display tube. In an electric hot water storage container, the electric hot water storage container has a float and a liquid volume display window provided in the container housing the inner container so as to allow the vertical movement of the float in the liquid volume display tube to be visually seen. After the lower end reaches at least the same height as the lowest part of the inner container, the content is opened into the inner container at a level higher than the lowest part by the height of the remaining amount to prevent dry cooking. The liquid volume display window is connected to the inner container, and is characterized in that the liquid volume display window is provided facing at least the height of the opening of the liquid volume display tube into the inner container.

(Function) According to the above structure of the present invention, the liquid in the inner container also flows into the liquid level display tube connected to it, maintains the same liquid level as the inner container, and controls the float in the liquid level display tube at any given time. The position of this float is visible through the liquid level display window on the container body, thereby clearly and realistically displaying the liquid level position, but the liquid level display tube is located at the lowest part of the inner container. It extends to almost the same height position and is connected to the inner container in such a way that it opens into the inner container at a level higher than this lowest point by the height of the remaining amount to ensure safety in preventing dry cooking. As the liquid decreases, the liquid level indicator tube is introduced to at least the same height position as the lowest part of the inner container to reach the opening height position where the remaining level is reached, and at least opposite to this position. The float facing the opening position can be seen through the liquid level display window provided so that the liquid level can be displayed realistically by the float and the liquid level display window to the necessary minimum to prevent dry cooking. This can be done at the remaining level above.

(Example) A first example of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 will be described. This embodiment shows the case of an air pump-type tabletop electric pot. As shown in FIG. ing. The mouth of the inner container 2 is connected to the upper end of the exterior body 3 by a shoulder member 5, and the outer lid 7 is opened and closed by engaging the shaft 6 of the outer lid 7 with the rear bearing portion 5b of the shoulder member 5. and is removably pivoted.
An inner lid 8 that closes the mouth of the inner container 2 is provided on the lower surface of the outer lid 7.
is attached and is opened and closed integrally with the outer lid 7.

A bellows pump 10 is provided inside the outer lid 7 and is pressed and operated by the upper pressing plate 9 of the outer lid 7.
Pressurized air is fed into the inner container 2 through an air supply passage 12 provided between the inner lid 8 and the bellows pump bottom plate 11 to pressurize the content liquid. The air supply passage 12 is provided with a check valve 21 and a steam vent passage 14 that exits to the upper surface of the outer cover 7 through the branch hole 13.

The branch hole 13 is switched and closed to the air supply port 23 of the bellows pump bottom plate 11 by a valve 22 that is moved down in conjunction with the pressing operation of the bellows pump 10, and the pressurized air is released into steam when the content liquid is pressurized. Extraction passage 13
This prevents steam from escaping to the bellows pump 10 or from entering the bellows pump 10 when the liquid is stored.

A lead-out path 17 for guiding the pressurized liquid to the outside of the inner container 2 is provided with its base end connected to the bottom of the inner container 2, and synthetic resin elbows 15 and 16 are provided at the upper and lower ends, respectively. is connected. This elbow 15 is a beak-like portion 5a of the shoulder member 5 that protrudes into a beak-like shape.
It is connected to an inverted U-shaped tube 18 fixed to the back side of the.
The inverted U-shaped pipe 18 has a built-in water stop valve 19 in the event of an overturning, and a slit 24 is formed at the downward discharge port 20 at the tip. Below the beak-shaped part 5a of the vessel body 4,
A pipe cover 25 is assembled and fitted onto the beak-shaped portion 5a and the exterior body 3 of the container body 4. A liquid injection guide tube 26 is detachably attached to the bottom of the pipe cover 25 from below.

The rising portion of the outlet path 17 is a liquid volume display portion made of a transparent tube 17b, which can be seen through a transparent window 28 provided in a resin panel 27 fitted to the front portion of the exterior body 3. At the lower part of the resin panel 27, as shown in FIG.
A boiling state indicator lamp 32a and a heat retention state indicator lamp 32b are also provided.
The parts where these are provided are covered flush with a transparent resin cover sheet, and the necessary indications are printed on the back side of the cover sheet. The cover sheet extends to the opening of the transparent window 28 of the panel 27 and covers it flush with the transparent window plate 3.
You can also substitute 3.

A float 35 is placed inside the transparent tube 17b. The float 35 flows into the outlet passage 17 and floats on the liquid level that maintains the same liquid level as the inside of the inner container 2, and moves up and down according to changes in the liquid level inside the inner container 2. The float 35 has fins 35a formed on the outer periphery so as to be inclined to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the transparent tube 17b, to prevent the float 35 from malfunctioning due to the surface tension of the liquid inside. Also, the fins 35a allow the transparent tube 17b to
A sufficient passage is secured in the tube between the float 35 and the float 35 so as not to impede the discharge of the contents.

The transparent window 28 for displaying the liquid amount is a float 35.
It is formed in an area where the vertical movement according to the liquid level can be seen through, including the position corresponding to the liquid level where water supply is required, and the lowest position of the float 35 is the water supply indication, and the lowest position of the transparent window 28 is provided with a display 29 of "water supply" meaning a water supply display.

Stopper ribs 15a and 16a are formed on the inner surfaces of the elbows 15 and 16 to restrict the movement range of the float 35, and this restriction of the movement range prevents the float 35 from entering the bent portion of the lead-out path 17 and becoming immovable. prevent.

If the outer surface of the float 35 is painted in a conspicuous color, it will be more clear to directly display the actual liquid level and the corresponding position of the float 35 to display the changes in the liquid level and the water supply. The water supply display is displayed in a natural continuous manner as an extension of the display of liquid level changes, to avoid oversights or misunderstandings.

In particular, in this embodiment, the liquid level display section made of the transparent tube 17b extends to at least approximately the same height as the lowest part 2a formed on the outer periphery of the bottom of the inner container 2, and as the outlet path 17, The lower end side of the inner container 2 extends further from the liquid level display part and is connected to the inner container 2 so as to open higher than the lowest part 2a of the inner container 2 by the remaining amount height h to prevent dry cooking. . Reference numeral 17e indicates an opening into the inner container 2 on the lower end side of the outlet path 17.

The liquid volume display transparent window 28 is also provided so as to face the opening position height portion of the opening 17e of the liquid volume display transparent tube 17b, so that the float 35 reaches the remaining volume height position. This state is visible through the transparent tube 17b and the transparent window 28, and the liquid level corresponding to the remaining amount height for preventing dry cooking, which is set to the minimum required level, is clearly and realistically displayed to prompt water supply. I can do it.

Figure 3 shows the electrical circuit. This circuit includes circuit board 42 of FIG. The heater 1 is divided into a heat retention heater 1a and a hot water heater 1b, and the partial pressure state on the circuit of the heaters 1a and 1b changes depending on whether the relay contact 52a of the relay 52 is turned on or not, so that the relay contact 52a changes. When it is off, the lines of the heat retention heater 1a and the heat retention lamp 32b are activated, and the heat retention and display are performed.
When the relay contact 52a is turned on, the heat-retaining heater 1a alone, the kettle heater 1b and the boiling lamp 32a are respectively activated through the relay contact 52a, and the water is boiled and its display is performed.

Since the water supply display is clearly made as described above, the electrical water supply display is omitted and the electric circuit is extremely simple.

Is the relay 52 turning on the reboiling switch 30a?
When activated by the water boiling thermostat 50, which is turned on when the content liquid drops below a predetermined temperature, the relay contact 52a is turned on to bring the water to the boiling state, but the normally closed steam sensor 51 is turned on. It returns to the heat retention state by sensing the temperature of the steam in the boiling state and turning it off. Since the relay 52 works simultaneously with the reboiling switch 30a or the water boiling thermostat 50 to close the relay contact 52a even if it is turned on for a moment, the steam sensor 5
1 is kept in the on state until it is turned off, and the liquid inside can be heated to boiling point.

In the heat-retaining state, the heat-retaining heater 1a is not energized, but it has a capacity to heat the liquid content to an extent that compensates for the temperature drop per unit time, and can maintain the liquid content at approximately a predetermined temperature. Even if the temperature drops below that level, there is no problem because the temperature will be re-boiled and the temperature will be returned to the post-warm mode.

According to such an electric circuit, when water at about room temperature is stored, the water boiling thermostat 50 is turned on due to the low temperature, so that water is automatically heated. Therefore, after the content liquid is heated until it boils, the steam sensor 51 operates to switch to a heat-retaining state. Reference numeral 91 is a thermostat for preventing excessive temperature rise, and if water is not supplied at the water supply position and the temperature only rises excessively, it responds to this and cuts off the electricity to ensure safety.

The second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is as follows:
A transparent bypass pipe 61 is formed on the side of the riser pipe 17c of the outlet passage 17, and the upper and lower sides of the bypass pipe 61 are communicated with the outlet passage 17 via elbows 15 and 16. As a result, the content liquid also flows into the bypass pipe 61 and maintains the same liquid level as the inner container 2.
The float 35 is placed in the bypass pipe 61, and the movement of the float 35 in the bypass pipe 61 according to the liquid level can be seen from the outside through the transparent window 28, as in the first embodiment.

In the case of this embodiment, the float 35 is not located in the outlet path 17, and has a feature that it does not affect the outlet of the content liquid at all.

In the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, in addition to the actual liquid level and the float 35 to display liquid level changes and water supply, a water supply indicator lamp 71 also displays water supply. Therefore, the water supply display is made even more powerful. The lamp 71 is turned on and off by a reed switch 72 which detects that the float 35 is at the water supply display position. The reed switch 72 is turned off when the magnet 73 provided in the float 35 approaches, performs the above detection, and lights the lamp 71.

The reed switch 72 is held on a substrate 74 as shown in FIG.
It is attached by screws 76 into a switch case 75 integrally formed with the switch 7b, and the switch case 75 is closed by a back plate 77. The back plate 77 is fixed to the case 75 with screws 78, and the lead wire 7 of the reed switch 72 is inserted through the gap formed between the recess 75a and the protrusion 77a between the case 75 and the back plate 77.
It is designed to pull out 2a.

Figure 9 shows the electrical circuit. While the reed switch 72 is on, the lamp 71 does not light up because the circuit is short-circuited, and when the reed switch 72 is turned off, the short circuit is removed and the lamp 71 lights up.

FIG. 10 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 11, in which a portion of a transparent tube 17b integrally formed with a switch case 75 is joined together as a separate tube 17d. As a result, switch case 75
can be easily formed into a tube. In this case tube 17b,1
Although the transparency of the seam 81 at 7d is likely to decrease or be lost, the water supply display can be made even clearer by interposing a seal packing 82 to make it appear as a water supply display boundary area. In this case Patsukin 8
It is advantageous to have float 2 of a different but noticeable color to float 35.

(Effect of the invention) According to the invention, the liquid in the inner container also flows into the liquid volume display tube connected to it, maintains the same liquid level as the inner container, and changes the float in the liquid volume display tube to the current liquid level. The position of this float is visually displayed through the liquid level display window of the container body to clearly and realistically display the liquid level position, but the liquid level display tube is at least at the lowest part of the inner container. After reaching almost the same height position, it is connected to the inner container so that it opens into the inner container at a level higher than this lowest part by the safe remaining amount height for dry cooking, and the float is As the liquid volume decreases, it is possible to introduce the liquid level display tube to at least the same height position as the lowest part of the inner container to reach the opening height position that is the remaining level for preventing dry cooking, and furthermore, at this position. Since the float facing the opening position can be seen through at least the liquid level display windows provided so as to face each other, the float and the liquid level display window can provide a realistic display of the liquid level when the liquid level is set to the minimum necessary level. Despite the fact that there are many cases where the remaining amount height to prevent dry cooking is too high and you want to use up the liquid content, the display shown above is too high. This eliminates the inconvenience of having to dispose of the product with a large amount left over, and the fear that it will run out of steam even if you continue to use it.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an overall vertical sectional view showing the first embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a front view, Fig. 3 is an electric circuit diagram, and Fig. 4 is a liquid level display showing the second embodiment of the invention. FIG. 5 is a front view of a portion of the unit, FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the liquid level display unit showing the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a partial front view, Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of the reed switch installation part, Figure 9 is an electric circuit diagram, and Figure 10 is a sectional view of the main part of the liquid level display part showing the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a partial front view. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Heater, 2... Inner container, 2a... Lowest part, 3... Exterior body, 4... Container body, 17... Lead-out part, 17b... Transparent tube, 17e... Opening, 28...
...Transparent window, 35...Float, 61...Transparent bypass pipe, h...Remaining height.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A liquid volume display tube connected to the inner container so as to maintain the same liquid level as that of the inner container, a float placed in the liquid volume display tube, and the inner container are accommodated. In an electric hot water storage container having a liquid volume display window provided in the container body so as to visually show the vertical movement of the float in the liquid volume display tube, the lower end side of the liquid volume display tube is at least approximately flush with the lowest part of the inner container. After reaching the height position of , it is connected to the inner container so as to open into the inner container at a level higher than this lowest part by the height of the remaining amount to prevent dry cooking, and the liquid level display window is at least An electric hot water storage container characterized in that the liquid volume display tube is provided opposite to the opening height portion into the inner container.