CN108699760B

CN108699760B - Ironing appliance comprising a cordless iron and a charging base

Info

Publication number: CN108699760B
Application number: CN201780012711.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 丹尼斯·芭枸; 盖·杜克汝艾特
Original assignee: SEB SA
Current assignee: SEB SA
Priority date: 2016-02-26
Filing date: 2017-02-13
Publication date: 2020-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 2037-02-13
Also published as: WO2017144798A1; FR3048249B1; EP3420130B1; CN108699760A; EP3420130A1; FR3048249A1

Abstract

Ironing device comprising a cordless iron (1) and a charging base (2), said cordless iron (1) comprising a heating sole plate (3), said heating sole plate (3) being equipped with an ironing surface (30) intended to be in contact with a fabric, said iron (1) being arranged on said charging base (2) when in a non-operative phase of ironing, said device comprising an electrical connector comprising a first portion (7) and a second portion (8), said first portion (7) being integral with said charging base (2), said second portion (8) being integral with the iron (1), and magnetic attraction means (75, 85) generating a force tending to connect the first and second portions (7, 8) of said connector, characterized in that the force generated by said magnetic attraction means (75, 85) also ensures a stable balance of said iron (1) in a charging position, in the charging position, the iron (1) is electrically connected to the base (2) by means of a connector, and the soleplate (3) is only in contact with the ambient air, the charging position corresponding to a position of the iron (1) in which the iron (1) will be unstable without the magnetic attraction means.

Description

Ironing appliance comprising a cordless iron and a charging base

The present invention relates to an ironing apparatus comprising a cordless iron comprising a heated soleplate equipped with an ironing surface intended to come into contact with a fabric, and a charging base on which the iron is arranged when in a non-operative phase of ironing. More specifically, the invention relates to a device comprising an electrical connector comprising a first portion integral with a charging base and a second portion integral with an iron, and magnetic attraction means generating a force that helps to connect the first and second connection portions when they are brought close to each other.

From patent application FR 2967173 filed by the applicant, an ironing apparatus is known comprising a cordless iron and a charging base on which the cordless iron is placed to allow heating of the soleplate when in the inactive phase of ironing. In this document, the device comprises an electrical connector comprising a first part integral with a charging base and a second part integral with the iron, the base comprising a stopper (butoir) equipped with a magnet cooperating with a metallic element carried by the iron to generate a force tending to connect the two parts of the connector.

Such a solution allows to ensure that the iron is well connected to the base when the iron is brought near its charging position. However, in this document, the soleplate of the iron is still in contact with the base when the iron is in the charging position, so that the base can withstand a significant degree of warming thereof if the iron is in this position for a long time.

In addition, in this document, the stop of the base comprises a guiding side wall extending in a direction into the ramp to guide the iron in a predetermined direction during the phase of establishing the connection. However, such guiding side walls have the disadvantage of making the charging base relatively bulky and force the orientation of the iron when it is returned to the base, which is mandatory.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to propose an ironing apparatus that overcomes these drawbacks.

To this end, the object of the present invention is an ironing apparatus comprising a cordless iron and a charging base, said cordless iron comprising a heated soleplate equipped with an ironing surface intended to come into contact with a fabric, said iron being arranged on said charging base when in a non-operative phase of ironing to allow an exchange of energy between said charging base and said iron, said apparatus comprising an electrical connector comprising a first portion integral with the charging base and a second portion integral with the iron, as well as magnetic attraction means generating a force tending to connect the first and second portions of said connector, characterized in that the force generated by said magnetic attraction means also ensures a stable balance of the iron in a charging position in which, an iron is electrically connected to the base by a connector and the soleplate is only in contact with ambient air, the charging position corresponding to a position of the iron in which the iron would be unstable without the magnetic attraction means.

Preferably, the power of the magnetic attraction means (e.g. a magnet which may be provided) is selected in dependence on the weight of the iron to ensure that the balance of the iron in the charged position is maintained while allowing the user to easily disconnect the iron when the user applies a pushing force downwards at the front end of the handle, e.g. when the pushing force is performed with a force greater than 0.5N.

The device thus manufactured has the advantage of magnetic attraction means which both help to ensure that the iron is well connected to the base and to maintain it in the charging position in which the soleplate is not in contact with the base.

In addition, the force generated by the magnetic means also assumes the role of guiding means, which attract the iron to the charging position when the iron is brought in the vicinity of the charging base. Therefore, a charging base having a bulky guide wall is not required.

Thus, a compact device is obtained which can bring about a good ergonomic use experience.

According to another feature of the invention, the ironing surface is flat.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the charging base is intended to rest on a work plane, such as an ironing board, the ironing surface being inclined with respect to the work plane by an angle comprised between 0 ° and 45 °, preferably between 9 ° and 20 °, when in the charging position.

Such a feature allows to have an optimized ergonomic use experience, a small inclination of the iron in the charging position allowing to avoid a large torsion of the user's wrist during the connection and/or disconnection operation of the iron.

According to another feature of the invention, the magnetic attraction means are integrated into the first and second parts of the connector.

Such a feature allows for the generation of a magnetic force directly between the first and second parts of the connector.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the first and second portions of the connector comprise at least one permanent magnet of annular shape.

Preferably, each magnet has a power of at least 0.6T.

According to another feature of the invention, the electrical connector allows electrical connection between the first and second portions of the connector in at least several angular positions.

Such a feature allows recharging the iron when it occupies several angular positions with respect to the charging base, thus providing a better ergonomic use experience. In particular, different connection positions are advantageously provided to allow connecting the iron to the charging base in at least one central position, in which the iron is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the base, and at least two offset positions, in which the iron is offset to the right or to the left with respect to the longitudinal axis of the base.

According to another feature of the invention, the electrical connector allows electrical connection between the first and second portions of the connector within a given angular range, preferably greater than 60 °.

Such a feature allows an infinite number of charging positions to be obtained within a given angular sector.

According to another feature of the invention, the first part of the connector comprises a convex upper surface with a rotary form which engages in a cavity of complementary shape provided on the lower surface of the second part of the connector.

The advantage of such a feature is to ensure mechanical centering of the two parts of the connector, while allowing free rotation of the first part of the connector on the second part of the connector.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the first or second part of the connector comprises at least one contact made up of an electrically conductive track, said track being in the shape of a circular arc or circle.

Such a construction has the advantage of being simple and economical to implement.

According to another feature of the invention, the connector includes a presence sensor that detects the presence of the second portion of the connector relative to the first portion of the connector.

According to another feature of the invention, the presence sensor controls the supply of power to the first part of the connector only when the first and second parts of the connector are coupled to each other.

Such a feature allows avoiding the risk of short-circuiting and/or electrocution due to contact with the first part of the connector when the iron is disconnected from the charging base.

According to another feature of the invention, the detection system comprises an interrupter carried by the first part of the connector, the interrupter comprising a finger movable between a rest position and an insertion position, the finger being brought towards the rest position by a return spring and in the rest position protruding on a surface of the first part of the connector and being pushed back into the insertion position by the second part of the connector when the second part is applied on the first part of the connector.

Such a detection system configuration has the advantage of being reliable, simple and economical to implement.

According to another feature of the invention, the iron comprises a case arranged above the soleplate and comprising a rear portion cantilevered at the rear of the soleplate, the second portion of the connector being carried by the rear portion of the iron.

Such a configuration allows having the second part of the connector arranged in a portion relatively far from the backplane, thus avoiding overheating thereof.

According to a further feature of the present invention, the second portion of the connector is carried by a lower surface of the cantilevered rear portion.

Such a configuration allows having the second part of the connector covered when the iron is resting on its soleplate, thus ensuring a better protection against foreign bodies and also providing a better aesthetic appearance of the iron.

According to another feature of the invention, the base comprises a lower surface intended to rest on the work plane, and the first portion of the connector is arranged at the highest of an entry ramp, which descends in the direction of the lower surface, which allows to transfer the iron of the work plane onto the base by sliding it along the entry ramp.

Such a feature allows to optimize the ergonomic use experience when the iron is connected to and/or disconnected from the base.

According to another optional feature of the invention, the entry ramp has a peripheral lower edge in the shape of a circular arc, preferably extending over an angle greater than 60 °, advantageously between 60 ° and 180 °.

Such a feature allows the iron to be docked on the base in a plurality of angular orientations.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the base has fixing means allowing to fix the base on the work plane.

According to a further feature of the present invention, the base has an electric cable equipped with a plug allowing the electric cable to be electrically connected to a household electric network.

The objects, features and advantages of the invention will be better understood from the description of a particular embodiment thereof, given below by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 shows a perspective view of an ironing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;

figure 2 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the device of figure 1;

figures 3 and 4 show a detailed view in longitudinal section of the connecting means assembling the device of figure 1, when said iron is disconnected from and connected to its base, respectively.

Only the elements necessary for an understanding of the present invention are shown. To facilitate reading of the figures, like elements are designated by like reference numerals throughout the various figures.

It is noted that in this context, the terms "horizontal", "vertical", "lower", "upper", "high" and "low" used to describe the iron refer to the iron when it is in use when the ironing base plate is placed on a horizontal plane.

Figures 1 and 2 show an ironing apparatus comprising a cordless iron 1 and a charging base 2, the iron being intended to rest on the charging base 2 to allow an exchange of energy between the base 2 and the iron 1 during a non-ironing operating phase.

The iron 1 conventionally comprises a soleplate 3 equipped with a flat ironing surface 30, above which soleplate 3 is placed a tank comprising a water reservoir 11, said tank being equipped with a gripping handle 10.

The soleplate 3 is in contact with a heating body 4, the heating body 4 being visible only in fig. 2, equipped with an electric resistance 40 having a power of at least 1400W, preferably about 2000W, the heating body 4 integrating a vaporization chamber 41 to generate a maximum steam flow of about 35 g/min, the vaporization chamber 41 being supplied by a water reservoir 11 through the drip-irrigation pipe stub 5.

The assembly of the heating body 4, the drip-irrigation short tube 5 and the water reservoir 11 fitted with the iron 1 is realised according to a construction known to a person skilled in the art and which is described in detail, for example, in patent application FR 2974822 filed by the applicant and therefore does not require a description at large.

The base 2 comprises a lower surface 20 intended to rest on a work plane, such as an ironing table, and an entry ramp 21, the entry ramp 21 comprising a peripheral lower edge 22 flush with the work plane, the base 2 advantageously comprising ballast and/or a fixed platen 29 to ensure the fixing of the base 2 on the work plane.

Advantageously, said peripheral lower edge 22 is shaped as a circular arc extending over an angle greater than 90 °, preferably about 120 °, to allow docking of said iron 1 on the base 2 in a plurality of angular orientations.

The base 2 also comprises an electric cable 6, said electric cable 6 being only shown in fig. 1, equipped with a plug 60 to allow the base 2 to be connected to a household electric network, and the base 2 comprises, at the highest point of entry into the ramp, a first portion 7 of an electric connector, the first portion 7 of said electric connector being intended to be connected to a second portion 8 of a connector carried by the iron 1.

According to fig. 1 and 2, the housing of the iron 1 advantageously has a rear portion 12, said rear portion 12 being cantilevered behind the soleplate 3 and having a circular side wall of semi-cylindrical shape defining a rear end of the housing of the iron 1.

Preferably, the second part 8 of the connector is integrated into the overhanging rear portion 12 of the housing of the iron 1, the second part 8 of the connector comprising a downwardly directed lower surface 80.

The base 2 comprises a stopper 23, the stopper 23 cooperating with the rear portion 12 of the iron to bring the lower surface 80 of the second part 8 of the connector back opposite the first part 7 of the connector when the rear portion 12 of the iron 1 is brought back over the entry ramp 21.

According to fig. 3 and 4, the first part 7 of the connector comprises three contacts 71, 72, 73, said three contacts 71, 72, 73 being electrically connected to a circuit board 9 integrated in the base 1, said three contacts 71, 72, 73 allowing the supply of electric current of the domestic electric network to the iron.

The first part 7 of the connector has a convex upper surface 70 at which the three contacts 71, 72, 73 are arranged, this upper surface 70 advantageously having a shape of rotation about a vertical axis X and engaging in a cavity 80A having a complementary shape, the cavity 80A being arranged on a lower surface 80 of the second part 8 of the connector.

In the particular embodiment shown in the figures, the upper surface 70 of the first part 7 of the connector is shaped as a truncated cone and the three contacts of the first part of the connector are shaped as a central contact 71 and two contacts 72, 73 in the shape of a circular track or a partial ring arranged concentrically with the central contact 71.

The second part 8 of the connector also comprises three

contacts

81, 82, 83, these

contacts

81, 82, 83 advantageously being constituted by conductive fingers movably mounted in opposition to springs, said

conductive fingers

81, 82, 83 projecting from the lower surface 80 of the second part 8 of the connector and the

conductive fingers

81, 82, 83 coming into contact with the three contacts 71, 72, 73 of the first part 7 of the connector when the frustoconical upper surface 70 is engaged in the cavity 80A.

Preferably, the circular contacts 72, 73 of the first part of the connector extend over a sufficient angular range, and advantageously more than 120 °, to allow an electrical connection to be established between the different contacts of the two

parts

7, 8 of the connector, when the rear portion 12 of the iron 1 is brought back against the stop 23, regardless of the angular orientation of the iron 1 on the entry ramp 21.

In the preferred embodiment shown, the connector further comprises a presence sensor 74, which presence sensor 74 cuts off the electrical supply to the contacts 71, 72, 73 of the first part 7 of the connector when the first and

second parts

7, 8 of the connector are not applied to each other.

The presence sensor is constituted by an interrupter 74, said interrupter 74 being carried by the first portion 7 of the connector and being electrically connected to the circuit board 9. The interrupter 74 has an actuating finger 74A, the actuating finger 74A being movable between a rest position (shown in fig. 3), in which the circuit board 9 cuts off the supply of electricity to the first portion 7 of the connector, and an insertion position (shown in fig. 4), in which the circuit board 9 allows the supply of electricity to the first portion 7 of the connector. The finger 74A is automatically brought back to the rest position by a return spring (not shown in the figures) and, when the two

parts

7, 8 of the connector are connected to each other, the finger 74A is brought back to the insertion position by the pressure exerted on the finger 74A by the annular stiffening rib carried by the lower surface 80 of the second part 8 of the connector.

More specifically, according to the invention, the device comprises magnetic attraction means 75, 85, said magnetic attraction means 75, 85 generating a force which not only establishes a mechanical connection between the first and

second parts

7, 8 of the connector, but also ensures a stable balance of the iron 1 in the charging position, as shown in fig. 1 and 2.

In the charging position, the ironing surface 30 is raised with respect to the work plane and advantageously forms an angle of between 9 ° and 20 ° with respect to the work plane, and preferably about 15 °.

Preferably, said magnetic attraction means comprise two

magnets

75, 85, said two

magnets

75, 85 being annular and being integrated in the first and

second portions

7, 8 of said connector, the magnetic attraction force generated by said two

magnets

75, 85 attracting said first and

second portions

7, 8 with respect to each other.

The

magnets

75, 85 are dimensioned to generate a magnetic attraction force that ensures a balanced holding of the iron 1 in the charging position, which is a natural unstable position of the iron 1 on the base 2, so that the iron 1 is automatically turned forward without the

magnets

75, 85.

As an example, said

magnets

75, 85 are made of ferrite or neodymium and have a power of at least 0.6T, the power of said

magnets

75, 85 being selected according to the weight of the iron 1 to ensure a balanced holding of the iron 1 in the charging position, while allowing the user to easily disconnect the iron 1 when the user applies a pushing force downwards at the front end of the handle 10.

The operation of the ironing apparatus thus made will be described below.

When the user wishes to perform an ironing process, it fills the water reservoir 11 and connects the cable 6 of the charging base 2 to the domestic electric network, the charging base 2 being preferably fixed on an ironing board. It then brings the iron 1 back to the base 2 by bringing the cantilevered rear portion 12 back in the direction of the stop 23. The iron is then attracted towards the base 2 by the magnetic attraction created by the

magnets

75, 85 until the second part 8 of the connector is located opposite the first part 7 of the connector. In this position, the distance between the two

portions

7, 8 of the connector is sufficiently small that the force provided by the

magnets

75, 85 allows lifting the iron 1 by automatically coupling the two

portions

7, 8 of the connector and turning the iron 1 into the charging position, in which the ironing surface is at an angle of 15 ° with respect to the surface of the ironing board.

An advantage of inserting the truncated conical upper shape 70 of the first part 7 of the connector into the cavity 80A of the second part 8 of the connector during coupling is to ensure centering of the two

parts

7, 8 of the connector.

Thus, the presence sensor 74 is activated by the lower surface 80 of the second portion 8 of the connector and the electric resistance 40 of the heating body 4 is powered by the electric connector, the temperature of the heating body 4 rising rapidly due to the high power of the electric resistance 40. Such a temperature increase of the heating body 4 is accompanied by an increase of the temperature of the ironing surface 30, which does not entail a risk of damage to the base 2 and/or ironing board, given that the ironing surface 30 is no longer in contact with the base 2 and/or ironing board.

When the temperature of the heating body 4 reaches the set point temperature, a signal lamp 13 on the iron lights up to indicate to the user that the iron 1 is ready to be used.

The user can thus grasp the gripping handle 10 and apply a force downwardly at the front end of the handle 10 until the turning moment in response at the connector is sufficient to separate the second part 8 of the connector from the first part 7 of the connector. Thus, the iron 1 is turned along the entry ramp 21 away from the stopper 23 and it can be freely moved onto the ironing board for ironing work. Thus, the disconnection of the iron 1 from the base 2 is accompanied by an interruption of the power supply of the first portion 7 of the connector after returning to the rest position of the actuating finger 74A.

If the user performs an ironing process with a high steam flow for a relatively long time, more than one minute, without resting the iron 1 on its charging base, the temperature of the heating body 4 will gradually drop until the temperature of the vaporising chamber 41 no longer allows steam to be generated.

In order to avoid this inconvenience, the circuit board 9 of the iron monitors the temperature of the heating body 4 and, when the temperature of the heating body 4 is not sufficient to perform an ironing job effectively, activates a visual or audible indicator to warn the user that he needs to rest the iron on his base 2.

When the user wants to rest the iron 1 on the base 2, for example for performing an operation on the fabric to be ironed, or because the iron indicates to the user that it needs to be connected to the base 2, it is only necessary to slide the soleplate 3 along the entry ramp 21 while orienting the rear portion 12 of the iron towards the stop 23 until the overhanging rear portion 12 is above the first portion 7 of the connector. Thus, the forces generated by the

magnets

75, 85 being close to each other cause the iron 1 to automatically flip to the charging position and cause the coupling of the two

parts

7, 8 of the connector. The coupling of the iron 1 to the base 2 is accompanied by the exposure of the first portion 7 of the connector to pressure, so that the temperature of the heating body 4 rises rapidly again until the setpoint temperature is reached.

The ironing device thus made has the advantage of bringing about a very good ergonomic use experience by allowing the iron to be easily connected to and disconnected from the charging base. In particular, the advantage of said magnetic attraction means equipped with such a device is the generation of a large force which participates in the automatic overturning of the iron into the charging position in which the soleplate leaves the entry ramp. Thus, the user does not need to exert a large force for connecting the iron to the charging base, which operation can be substantially automated when the rear portion of the iron is brought back in the vicinity of the stopper.

Such magnetic attraction means are therefore particularly advantageous when used with cordless steam irons having a large aluminium mass (for example greater than 500g), allowing a high flow of steam to be produced whilst maintaining a good life time between charging phases on the base.

Such a device also allows to simplify the operations of connecting and disconnecting the iron to and from the base, thanks to the absence of guide walls, which normally limit the lateral displacements of the iron on the base, the lateral guidance of the iron being achieved only by magnetic forces. The absence of guide walls on the base also allows to obtain a compact charging base that provides a higher tolerance in the positioning of the iron when it is docked with the base.

In addition, the connector fitting such a device has the advantage of allowing connection over a wide range of angles, so that the iron can be brought to the base without the user having to worry about the exact orientation of the iron on the base.

The circular shape of the iron-mounting connector and the rear end of the iron also has the advantage of allowing the iron to rotate about the X-axis, so that the user can always change the orientation of the iron when it is connected to the base, thus resulting in a better ergonomic use experience.

Finally, the rounded rear end of the iron, on which the iron cannot stably rest vertically, has the advantage of encouraging the user to rest the iron on its base during non-ironing operations.

The invention is of course in no way limited to the described and illustrated embodiments given by way of example. Modifications are possible, in particular from the point of view of the construction of the various elements or by substitution of technical equivalents, without going beyond the scope of protection of the invention.

Thus, in a variant embodiment of the invention, not shown, the presence sensor of the connector can be realized by a hall effect sensor associated with the electronics and the relay.

Thus, in a variant embodiment of the invention, not shown, the device may comprise instead two annular magnets, advantageously less powerful magnets distributed in the base and in the iron, so as to obtain the same total attraction force. Such a variant embodiment allows to avoid the drawbacks associated with high power magnets attracting all ferromagnetic objects.

In a variant embodiment, the force generated by the magnet may be smaller and dimensioned to ensure only that the iron is guided and held in position in the charging position, which is manually ensured by the user, but does not cause the iron to turn over in the charging position when the two parts of the connector are adjacent to each other.

In a variant embodiment, not shown, the presence detection system, which cuts off the power supply to the contacts of the first part of the connector when the first and second parts of the connector are not applied to each other, may be coupled to or replaced by a magnetic field variation detection system when the iron is on the base.

In a variant embodiment, not shown, the connector for an ironing device may be similar to the connectors described in patent applications FR 2982710 or FR 2991111, for example.

Claims

1. Ironing apparatus comprising a cordless iron (1) and a charging base (2), said iron (1) comprising a heating sole plate (3), said heating sole plate (3) being equipped with an ironing surface (30) intended to be in contact with a fabric, said iron (1) being arranged on said charging base (2) when in a non-operative phase of ironing, said apparatus comprising an electrical connector comprising a first portion (7) and a second portion (8), said first portion (7) being integral with said charging base (2), said second portion (8) being integral with the iron (1), and magnetic attraction means (75, 85) generating a force tending to connect said first portion (7) and said second portion (8) of said electrical connector, characterized in that said magnetic attraction means (75, 85) the generated force also ensures a stable balance of the iron (1) in a charging position, in which the iron (1) is electrically connected to the charging base (2) by means of an electrical connector and the heating soleplate (3) is only in contact with ambient air, said charging position corresponding to a position of the iron (1) in which the iron (1) would be unstable without said magnetic attraction means.

2. Ironing device according to claim 1, characterized in that said charging base (2) is intended to rest on a work plane and in that said ironing surface is inclined with respect to said work plane by an angle α comprised between 0 ° and 45 ° when in the charging position.

3. The ironing device according to claim 2, characterized in that said ironing surface is inclined with respect to said work plane by an angle α comprised between 9 ° and 20 °.

4. Ironing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that said work plane is an ironing board.

5. Ironing device according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said magnetic attraction means (75, 85) are integrated to the first part (7) and to the second part (8) of said electrical connector.

6. Ironing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that said first portion (7) and second portion (8) of the electrical connector comprise at least one permanent magnet of annular shape.

7. Ironing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said electrical connector allows electrical connection between the first portion (7) and the second portion (8) of the electrical connector in at least several angular positions.

8. Ironing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the first part (7) or the second part (8) of the electrical connector comprises at least one contact point (72, 73) constituted by a conductive track, said conductive track being in the shape of a circular arc or a circle.

9. Ironing device according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the electrical connector comprises a presence sensor (74), the presence sensor (74) detecting the presence of the second part (8) of the electrical connector with respect to the first part (7) of the electrical connector, and the presence sensor (74) controlling the power supply to the first part (7) of the electrical connector only when the first (7) and second (8) parts of the electrical connector are coupled to each other.

10. Ironing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the iron (1) comprises a cabinet arranged above the heating soleplate (3) and comprising a rear portion (12) overhanging behind the heating soleplate (3), and in that the second part (8) of the electrical connector is carried by the rear portion (12) of the iron (1).

11. Ironing apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that said second portion (8) of the electrical connector is carried by a lower surface (80) of the overhanging rear portion (12).

12. Ironing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that said charging base (2) comprises a lower surface (20), said lower surface (20) being intended to rest on said work plane, and in that said first portion (7) of the electrical connector is arranged at the highest of an entry ramp (21), said entry ramp (21) descending in the direction of the lower surface (20), said entry ramp (21) allowing the transfer of the iron of said work plane onto said charging base by sliding it along said entry ramp (21).

13. Ironing apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that said entry ramp (21) has a peripheral lower edge (22) in the shape of a circular arc, said peripheral lower edge (22) in the shape of a circular arc extending over an angle greater than 60 °.

14. Ironing apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that said peripheral lower edge (22) in the shape of a circular arc extends for an angle between 60 ° and 180 °.

15. Ironing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that said charging base (2) has fixing means (29) allowing to fix said charging base (2) on said work plane.

16. Ironing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said charging base (2) has a cable (6), said cable (6) being equipped with a plug (60), said plug (60) allowing to electrically connect said cable to a household electric network.