Gas stove

Abstract

To provide a gas cooking stove that can accurately detect the output voltage of a battery, and is excellent in convenience.SOLUTION: A gas cooking stove has a battery 60, a burner 10L that burns supplied fuel gas to heat a cooking object, a flow rate regulating valve 23L that regulates the gas supply amount of the fuel gas supplied to the burner 10L, a stepping motor 24L that drives the flow rate regulating valve 23L, and an alarm 30 that outputs voice information. A control portion 50 direct-current drives the stepping motor 24L before igniting the burner 10L, and outputs voice information with frequency of a non-audible region from the alarm 30 to execute initial voltage checking for monitoring the output voltage of the battery 60.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a gas stove powered by a battery. In particular, the present invention relates to a gas stove that monitors the output voltage of a battery.

Background Art

[0002] Gas stoves powered by batteries have been provided due to the pulse driving and high performance of devices. For example, there is a gas stove that has a stepping motor as a pulse drive load and adjusts the opening degree of a flow control valve provided in a gas supply passage by the stepping motor. In this type of gas stove, after the flow control valve is opened by the stepping motor to start the combustion of the burner, if the driving of the stepping motor becomes impossible due to a decrease in the output voltage of the battery, the combustion amount of the burner cannot be adjusted by the flow control valve, resulting in cooking failure. Therefore, voltage detection means for detecting the output voltage of the battery is provided, and prior to the start of driving of the stepping motor, it is proposed to confirm whether or not the detection voltage of the voltage detection means when the output voltage of the battery is applied to any of the stator windings of the stepping motor by switching means becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined reference voltage, and if the detection voltage becomes equal to or lower than the reference voltage, prohibit the driving of the stepping motor (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] By the way, in addition to the stepping motor that drives the flow control valve, a gas stove is provided with various electrical devices (electrical loads of the power supply) as electrical devices powered by a battery. For example, an igniter that ignites the burner, a speaker that notifies the operating state by voice, etc. are provided, and some of these electrical devices may be driven in parallel with each other.

[0004] For example, when igniting the burner, the stepping motor may be driven to open the flow control valve in parallel with the driving of the igniter. Also, when an abnormality occurs during the combustion (temperature control) operation of the burner, a warning may be notified from the speaker in parallel with the closing of the flow control valve.

[0005] Since the internal resistance of a battery changes depending on the current value, when a plurality of electrical devices with large loads as described above are driven in parallel and the current value increases, the load on the power supply also increases, and the decrease in the output voltage of the battery becomes large. Also, the internal resistance of the battery varies due to the usage environment and aging deterioration. The lower the temperature and the less the remaining battery capacity, the higher the internal resistance, and the greater the decrease in the output voltage of the battery. Furthermore, the internal resistance of the battery also varies depending on the type of battery, and the resistance values of electrical devices vary due to individual differences. For this reason, a reference voltage with a certain margin is set by predicting the maximum value of the decrease in the output voltage of the battery when driving an electrical device.

[0006] However, when setting a reference voltage that allows each electrical device to be driven with a margin as in the prior art, there is a problem that even when it is actually possible to drive a plurality of electrical devices in parallel, the combustion of the burner is prohibited. Also, it is conceivable to drive a plurality of electrical devices before igniting the burner to check the output voltage of the battery. However, when the stepping motor is pulse-driven, the fluctuation of the output voltage of the battery becomes large. Therefore, when driving a speaker together with the stepping motor, there are problems that the output voltage of the battery cannot be accurately detected and unnecessary sound is output from the speaker.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] The present invention solves the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gas stove that can accurately detect the output voltage of a battery and is excellent in usability.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] According to the present invention, a battery, a burner that heats food by burning supplied fuel gas, a flow rate adjustment valve that adjusts the gas supply amount of the fuel gas supplied to the burner, a stepping motor that drives the flow rate adjustment valve, which is an electric load powered by the battery, and an alarm that outputs voice information, and a control unit that controls the driving of the electric load and monitors the output voltage of the battery when the electric load is driven. Before ignition of the burner, the control unit drives the stepping motor with direct current and outputs voice information of a frequency in the inaudible range from the alarm to perform an initial voltage check for monitoring the output voltage of the battery, and a gas stove is provided.

[0010] According to the above gas stove, before ignition of the burner, during operation of the gas stove, an initial voltage check is performed by driving the stepping motor and the alarm that may be driven in parallel to monitor the output voltage of the battery, so that a decrease in the actual output voltage of the battery when a plurality of electrical devices are driven can be detected. And according to the above gas stove, in the initial voltage check, the stepping motor is driven with direct current and voice information of a frequency in the inaudible range is output from the alarm, so that fluctuations in the output voltage of the battery can be reduced and output of unnecessary voice can be prevented. Thereby, according to the above gas stove, before the start of cooking, the output voltage of the battery in the actual use situation can be accurately detected without causing a sense of discomfort to the user by voice.

[0011] Preferably, in the above gas stove, it has an igniter that ignites the burner, which is an electric load powered by the battery, and in the initial voltage check, the control unit further drives the igniter.

[0012] According to the above gas stove, during the initial voltage check, since the igniter, which may be driven in parallel with the stepping motor and the alarm during the operation of the gas stove, is also driven, the output voltage of the battery in the actual usage situation can be detected more accurately.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] As described above, according to the present invention, before igniting the burner, the output voltage of the battery can be accurately detected, and a gas stove with excellent usability can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a gas stove according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the external shape of the gas stove 1 of the present embodiment. This gas stove 1 includes a stove body 2 and a top plate 3 that covers the upper surface of the stove body 2. Inside the stove body 2, left and right stove burners 10L and 10R are provided in a state of protruding from the top plate 3. On the top plate 3, a trivet 4L is placed so as to surround the left stove burner 10L, and a trivet 4R is placed so as to surround the right stove burner 10R. Then, with a cooking container such as a pot placed on the trivets 4L and 4R, the cooking container can be heated and cooked by heating it from below with the left and right stove burners 10L and 10R. Note that the gas stove 1 may have a grill inside.

[0016] On the front side of the stove body 2, operation knobs 6L and 6R that are operated by the user for point extinguishing and flame adjustment of the left and right stove burners 10L and 10R are mounted. Further, sound output holes 9h are formed at the left and right center positions on the front surface of the stove body 2, and it is possible to output voice information from a speaker (notification device) 30 (see FIG. 2) built into the stove body 2. Furthermore, a power switch 9 for the gas stove 1 is mounted at the upper right corner position on the front surface of the stove body 2. In this specification, when viewing the gas stove 1 from the front, the depth direction is referred to as the front-rear direction, the width direction is referred to as the left-right direction, and the height direction is referred to as the up-down direction.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal structure for controlling the operation of the gas stove 1. Fuel gas is supplied from a gas pipe 20, which is a gas supply path, to the left and right stove burners 10L and 10R. The gas pipe 20 is single on the upstream side and branches into a plurality of pipes on the downstream side of the main valve 21 and is connected to the left stove burner 10L and the right stove burner 10R. The main valve 21 is composed of an electric on-off valve and is connected to a control unit 50 described later.

[0018] In the middle of the gas pipe 20 connected to the left stove burner 10L, an electromagnetic safety valve 22L and a flow rate adjustment valve 23L are provided in order from the upstream side. Similarly, an electromagnetic safety valve 22R and a flow rate adjustment valve 23R are provided in the middle of the gas pipe 20 connected to the right stove burner 10R. The electromagnetic safety valves 22L and 22R are each composed of an energization-holding type electromagnetic valve, are held open by continuously energizing an electromagnet (not shown), and are closed by cutting off the energization. The electromagnetic safety valves 22L and 22R are connected to the control unit 50. Further, the flow rate adjustment valves 23L and 23R are each driven by stepping motors 24L and 24R, and the stepping motors 24L and 24R are connected to the control unit 50.

[0019] In the left and right stove burners 10L and 10R, temperature sensors 11L and 11R are provided at the central part respectively, and ignition plugs 12L and 12R and flame detection sensors 13L and 13R are provided around them. The temperature sensors 11L and 11R and the flame detection sensors 13L and 13R are connected to the control unit 50, and the ignition plugs 12L and 12R are connected to a shared igniter 33. The igniter 33 is an electrical device that generates a high voltage for generating a spark discharge at the ignition plugs 12L and 12R, and the igniter 33 is connected to the control unit 50. The operation knobs 6L and 6R and the speaker 30 provided on the front surface of the stove main body 2 are similarly connected to the control unit 50.

[0020] Inside the gas stove 1, a control unit 50, which is an electronic circuit unit for controlling the operation of the gas stove 1, is installed. The control unit 50 includes a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as a microcontroller) 51. The microcontroller 51 includes a CPU, a memory, a timer, etc., and can execute various processes according to the programs stored in the memory. In addition, the control unit 50 includes an operation switch circuit 41 that generates an operation signal of the operation knobs 6L and 6R and inputs it to the microcontroller 51, a valve drive circuit 42 that energizes and drives the main valve 21 according to a control command from the microcontroller 51, a solenoid valve drive circuit 43 that energizes and drives the electromagnetic safety valves 22L and 22R according to a control command from the microcontroller 51, a motor drive circuit 44 that drives the stepping motors 24L and 24R according to a control command from the microcontroller 51, an igniter drive circuit 45 that energizes and drives the igniter 33 that generates a spark discharge at the ignition plugs 12L and 12R according to a control command from the microcontroller 51, a speaker drive circuit 46 that applies an acoustic signal of a predetermined frequency to the speaker 30 and outputs voice information according to a control command from the microcontroller 51, a power supply circuit 47 that boosts or stabilizes the voltage from the battery 60, which is the power supply unit of the gas stove 1, and supplies power to the microcontroller 51, etc., and a battery voltage monitoring circuit 48 that monitors the output voltage of the battery 60. Note that the microcontroller 51 may be composed of a control microcontroller that executes combustion control and an operation microcontroller that detects the operation content of the operation knobs 6L and 6R and outputs an acoustic signal to the speaker 30.

[0021] When the user turns on the power switch 9, the power supply circuit 47 supplies power from the battery 60 to the microcomputer 51 and other driving circuits, enabling energization of the main valve 21, electromagnetic safety valves 22L and 22R, stepping motors 24L and 24R, speaker 30, and igniter 33 by the respective driving circuits. Further, the power supply circuit 47 applies a voltage corresponding to the voltage of the battery 60 to the battery voltage monitoring circuit 48. The battery voltage monitoring circuit 48 monitors the output voltage of the battery 60 based on the voltage supplied from the power supply circuit 47 and outputs a signal based on the output voltage to the microcomputer 51. When the output voltage of the battery 60 becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined reference voltage, the microcomputer 51 prohibits driving of the solenoid valve driving circuit 43 and the motor driving circuit 44 and drives the speaker driving circuit 46 to cause the speaker 30 to notify predetermined voice information. In the present embodiment, as the battery, one having a rated voltage of, for example, 3V in a new state is used.

[0022] Although not shown, the motor driving circuit 44 includes a power supply circuit capable of selectively generating direct current and pulses and a switching circuit. According to a control command from the microcomputer 51, it is selected whether direct current or pulses are applied to the stepping motors 24L and 24R. Specifically, when the power switch 9 is turned on and the microcomputer 51 is activated, in an initial voltage check described later, direct current is generated to directly drive the stepping motor 24L to monitor the output voltage of the battery 60. Thereafter, if the output voltage of the battery 60 is higher than a predetermined reference voltage, the stepping motors 24L and 24R are pulse-driven according to the operation of the user's operation knobs 6L and 6R. Note that the peak current values in direct current driving and pulse driving are set to be substantially the same.

[0023] The speaker driving circuit 46 applies a predetermined acoustic signal to the speaker 30 according to a control command from the microcomputer 51, causing the speaker 30 to output voice information in the audible frequency range (generally, 10 to 20 kHz) and the inaudible frequency range (generally, 20 kHz or higher).

[0024] Next, the operation of the gas stove 1 of the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, in consideration of the consumption of the battery 60, during the operation of the gas stove 1, the plurality of stepping motors 24L and 24R are set not to be driven in parallel. For this reason, in the initial voltage check that is executed with none of the burner ignited, the igniter 33 that may be driven in parallel, one of the stepping motors 24L, and the speaker 30 are driven so as to be in a state close to the load during the operation of the gas stove 1. If there are other electrical loads, they may also be driven in parallel. For example, when the gas stove 1 is provided with a communication device for communicating with an external device (for example, a smartphone, a wireless router, a range hood) by radio waves, infrared rays, etc., these electrical devices may also be driven in parallel in the initial voltage check. Further, since the electromagnetic safety valves 22L and 22R may be driven in parallel with the stepping motors 24L and 24R, they may also be driven in the initial voltage check. However, the electromagnetic safety valves 22L and 22R are electrical devices with a small load, the current value required to keep the electromagnetic safety valves 22L and 22R open is small, and the decrease in the output voltage of the battery 60 when the electromagnetic safety valves 22L and 22R are driven is slight. Therefore, if the output voltage of the battery 60 is higher than the reference voltage in the initial voltage check in which the electromagnetic safety valves 22L and 22R are not driven and the electrical devices with a large load are driven, the electromagnetic safety valves 22L and 22R can also be stably driven.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, when the user turns on the power switch 9, the power supply circuit 47 supplies power to the microcomputer 51 and each drive circuit to start them. Then, the power supply circuit 47 applies a voltage corresponding to the voltage of the battery 60 to the battery voltage monitoring circuit 48. When the output voltage Vx of the battery 60 is higher than a predetermined appropriate voltage Vc (for example, 2.68V), that is, when the remaining amount of the battery 60 is sufficient, the battery voltage monitoring circuit 48 outputs a signal indicating that fact to the microcomputer 51.

[0026] If the output voltage Vx of the battery 60 is higher than the appropriate voltage Vc, as shown in FIG. 3, the stepping motor 24L is driven directly by a control command from the microcomputer 51, voice information of a frequency in the inaudible range is output from the speaker 30, and further, the igniter 33 is energized and driven to apply a high voltage to the spark plugs 12L and 12R, and an initial voltage check is executed to determine whether the output voltage Vx of the battery 60 applied from the battery 60 monitored by the battery voltage monitoring circuit 48 drops below a predetermined reference voltage Vs (2.0V).

[0027] Although not shown, if the output voltage Vx of the battery 60 is below the reference voltage Vs in the initial voltage check, during the combustion of either the left burner 10L or the right burner 10R, the driving of the stepping motors 24L and 24R may become impossible and the opening degrees of the flow rate adjustment valves 23L and 23R may not be adjustable. For this reason, the microcomputer 51 prohibits the driving of the electromagnetic safety valves 22L and 22R and the stepping motors 24L and 24R, and causes the speaker 30 to notify voice information of a frequency in the audible range to make the user recognize the necessity of battery replacement.

[0028] On the other hand, if the output voltage Vx of the battery 60 is higher than the reference voltage Vs in the initial voltage check, the energization to the motor drive circuit 44, the igniter drive circuit 45, and the speaker drive circuit 46 is cut off, and the operation of the operation knobs 6L and 6R is waited for. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, when the user operates the operation knob 6L to perform an ignition operation of the left burner 10L, the main valve 21 and the electromagnetic safety valve 22L are opened by a control command from the microcomputer 51, and the stepping motor 24L is pulse-driven to open the flow rate adjustment valve 23L to a predetermined opening degree. Next, the igniter 33 is energized and driven by a control command from the microcomputer 51 to apply a high voltage to the spark plugs 12L and 12R, and an ignition process is executed. At this time, for example, if the combustion flame is not detected by the flame detection sensor 13L and an ignition failure occurs, voice information of a frequency in the audible range is output from the speaker 30 by a control command from the microcomputer 51 to make the user recognize the ignition failure.

[0029] Also, for example, when the user operates the operation knob 6R to perform an ignition operation on the right burner 10R while the left burner 10L is burning, in the same manner as above, based on the control command from the microcomputer 51, the electromagnetic safety valve 22R is opened, the flow rate adjustment valve 23R is opened, and a high voltage is applied to the ignition plugs 12L and 12R, and the ignition process is executed. At this time, for example, when a predetermined notification is made from the speaker 30 regarding the cooking state of the left burner 10L, voice information of a frequency in the audible range is output from the speaker 30 based on the control command from the microcomputer 51. Therefore, in the gas stove 1 of the present embodiment, it becomes the maximum load state in which power is supplied to all the electrical devices driven in parallel in the above state.

[0030] As can be seen from the change in the output voltage of the battery 60 in the ignition process of the left and right burners 10L and 10R in FIG. 3, when the stepping motors 24L and 24R are pulse-driven, the output voltage of the battery 60 has a sawtooth-shaped voltage waveform that repeatedly decreases and recovers due to the ON-OFF of the output. On the other hand, in the initial voltage check of the present embodiment, since the stepping motor 24L is driven by direct current, the power consumed by the motor drive circuit 44 and the stepping motor 24L is substantially constant, and the fluctuation of the output voltage of the battery 60 is small. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, in the initial voltage check, when the stepping motor 24L is driven by direct current and the igniter 33 is also driven in parallel, the current value increases, so the decrease in the output voltage of the battery 60 becomes large. Also, even when voice information of a frequency in the inaudible range is output from the speaker 30, the fluctuation of the output voltage of the battery 60 is small. Thereby, even when the stepping motor 24L and the speaker 30 are driven in parallel, the output voltage of the battery 60 can be accurately detected.

[0031] As described in detail above, according to the present embodiment, before ignition of the left and right stove burners 10L and 10R, during operation of the gas stove 1, either one of the stepping motors 24L and 24R, the speaker 30, and the igniter 33 that are driven in parallel is driven to perform an initial voltage check for monitoring the output voltage of the battery 60. Therefore, it is possible to detect a decrease in the output voltage of the battery 60 when a plurality of electrical devices are actually driven in parallel. Accordingly, it is possible to detect the output voltage of the battery 60 corresponding to the usage status of the gas stove 1. As a result, it is not necessary to set a reference voltage with a margin for predicting the maximum value of the decrease in the output voltage of the battery 60 when driving an electrical device. The reference voltage can be set accurately, and the battery 60 can be used effectively.

[0032] Also, according to the present embodiment, in the initial voltage check, the stepping motor 24L is driven directly, and voice information of a frequency in the inaudible range is output from the speaker 30. Therefore, fluctuations in the output voltage of the battery 60 can be reduced, and output of unnecessary voice can be prevented before ignition of the left and right stove burners 10L and 10R. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the igniter 33, which causes a large decrease in the output voltage of the battery 60, is also driven in parallel with the stepping motor 24L and the speaker 30, it is possible to more accurately detect the output voltage of the battery 60 in an actual usage situation while suppressing fluctuations in the output voltage of the battery 60.

Explanation of Signs

[0033] 1 Gas stove 10L,10R Stove burner 23L,23R Flow rate adjustment valve 24L,24R Stepping motor 30 Speaker 33 Igniter 50 Control unit 60 Battery

Claims

1. A battery, A burner that heats a cooking item by burning supplied fuel gas, A flow rate adjustment valve that adjusts the gas supply amount of the fuel gas supplied to the burner, A stepping motor that drives the flow rate adjustment valve, which is an electrical load powered by the battery, and a notifier that outputs voice information, A control unit that controls the driving of the electrical load and monitors the output voltage of the battery when the electrical load is driven, The control unit is a gas stove that, before igniting the burner, drives the stepping motor with direct current and outputs voice information with a frequency in the inaudible range from the notifier to perform an initial voltage check for monitoring the output voltage of the battery.

2. In the gas stove according to Claim 1, It has an igniter that ignites the burner, which is an electrical load powered by the battery, The control unit is a gas stove that further drives the igniter in the initial voltage check.

Images