EP3115501B1 - Ironing device - Google Patents

Description

field of invention

The present invention relates to an ironing device according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method for operating such an ironing device according to the preamble of claim 12 and a use of the ironing device according to claim 14.

Background of the Invention

Not so long ago, household linen was washed and ironed at high temperatures. In the course of the 1980s, however, there was a trend towards lower temperatures - between 30 °C and 60 °C. This situation persists to this day. According to the statistics, only 9% of laundry is washed at temperatures of 90 °C in Germany today. Correspondingly, 35% of domestic laundry is at 60 °C and approx. 53% of the total amount of laundry at 40 °C. There are two main aspects that are responsible for this change. On the one hand, general environmental awareness has led to household appliances that are operated in a particularly energy-efficient manner and, on the other hand, the proportion of fine and sensitive textiles or fabrics and fabrics has increased significantly. However, this situation has led to insufficient germ reduction or reduction of microorganisms, so that an additional after-treatment of the laundry or items of clothing is necessary in order to decontaminate them. For this purpose, chemical agents are usually used, which, however, can have an environmentally harmful effect. Laundry ironing, which is itself a downstream process in the treatment of household linen, can be considered as a possible alternative to decontamination of garments and household linen, given its characteristics, high temperature and/or steam. To date, the area is one antimicrobial or germicidal effect when ironing has not been taken into account.

A known ironing device is, for example, a steam iron. The steam iron is an electrically operated device for smoothing clothes. In contrast to conventional irons, steam irons are equipped with a water tank and differ in the more or less constant supply of steam during the ironing process. The steam is generated directly on the soleplate and flows through the soleplate openings from around 130°C. Steam ironing allows moisture to penetrate the fabric of the garment and causes the fibers to swell slightly, facilitating the smoothing process.

Finally, apparently document EP 0 645 488 A1 discloses a method and apparatus for ironing a fabric article with automatic control of the steam cycle.

Object on which the invention is based

An object of the present invention is to provide a device and a method that enable an effective reduction of microorganisms in the treatment of household linen, which is environmentally friendly and particularly energy-efficient.

Solution according to the invention

This object is achieved by means of an ironing device according to claim 1. The control device is set up to release the steam automatically at predetermined intermittent steam release intervals. With an intermittent steam delivery interval, the steam delivery is interrupted at time intervals. This prevents the soleplate from cooling down too much and saves a lot of energy compared to continuous steam release.

About 90% of the energy consumption of a steam iron can be attributed to the conversion of water into steam.

A further aspect of the invention relates to a method for operating the aforementioned ironing device according to claim 12. As a result, the desired temperature can be transferred to a textile or fabric/fabric and maintained therein in a particularly effective and energy-efficient manner. It is particularly useful that the temperature can be transferred particularly quickly to the textile to be ironed by means of the heated steam escaping under pressure and at the same time the steam can be maintained at the desired temperature for the duration of an ironing cycle. In the following, an ironing cycle is to be understood as the duration during which the soleplate of the ironing device acts on essentially the same surface of a textile.

Preliminary tests have shown that simply heating the soleplate during ironing can result in a loss of temperature of up to 40 °C when the temperature is transferred to the textile. In order to reach the required temperature on or in the textile, it would therefore be necessary for the soleplate of the ironing device to remain on the textile for a longer period of time. Furthermore, it has been shown that the required temperature can be reached in the textile even with the continuous use of steam, but this is not energy-efficient, since the steam from the soleplate of the ironing device extracts too much heat energy to then be able to evaporate from the textile.

Yet another aspect of the invention relates to the use of the above-mentioned method in an ironing device for sterilizing/disinfecting that is also described above of textiles or fabrics/fabrics. Heat can be used particularly advantageously as a reliable means for inactivating or eliminating microorganisms, with the user's requirement for hygiene of the textiles being able to be taken into account. The microorganisms begin to die off at a temperature of approx. 50 to 60 °C. At this temperature, a native protein structure of the microorganism cells begins to denature. Denaturation is the irreversible process that leads to a loss of biological activity in microorganism cells. Sanitizing/sanitizing is a physical inactivation process, ie a loss of biological activity, using heat to kill microorganisms.

Preferred developments of the invention

Advantageous training and developments, which can be used individually or in combination with one another, are the subject matter of the dependent claims. The advantages that apply below to embodiments of the ironing device apply equally to the method and the use of the method of the ironing device.

According to an advantageous embodiment, an automatic release of the water vapor in predetermined intermittent steam release intervals is of great benefit, above all with a predetermined steam pressure value of the steam generation system and a predetermined temperature value of the soleplate. Finally, an optimal balance between the temperature settling in the soleplate and the temperature in the item to be ironed can be controlled in a particularly energy-efficient manner. A user would not be able to manually control this himself.

In a preferred embodiment, the control device for the ironing device is set up to be operated at a maximum steam pressure that can be released in the steam generation system; ie that the specified steam pressure value corresponds to a maximum steam pressure of the water vapor that can be generated by the steam generation system. The high steam pressure of the heated steam, which escapes from the steam outlet holes in the soleplate of the ironing device, ensures that that a required temperature distribution can be set and maintained in the textile to be ironed/to be sterilized below the soleplate of the ironing device. Experiments have shown that without the use of steam, the average temperature difference between a textile surface in direct contact with the soleplate and a temperature of a textile surface facing away from it in the normal direction is approx. 60 °C - this applies to fabrics/fabrics of textiles of average thickness .

Particularly preferably, the steam pressure value of the water vapor that can be set by means of the control device of the ironing device can be selected from an interval greater than 1 bar and less than 7 bar or from an interval greater than 3 bar and less than 7 bar. The maximum steam pressure that can be delivered depends on a pressure build-up capability in the steam boiler of the ironing device or a pump capacity of the steam generation system.

The specified temperature value of the soleplate of the ironing device expediently corresponds to a temperature value from a range greater than 110°C and less than 190°C or a temperature value from a range greater than 150°C and less than 190°C or the temperature value 180 °C Accordingly, the ironing device can be tailored to the boundary conditions of a permissible ironing temperature of the textile. Various tests have shown that a soleplate temperature of approx. 180° C. with the simultaneous use of steam is particularly suitable for ironing almost all textiles.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a duty cycle of the predetermined intermittent vapor delivery interval corresponds to a duty cycle from an interval greater than 10% and less than 90%, or a duty cycle from an interval greater than 40% and less than 80%. In an embodiment according to the invention, the control device is set up to set a frequency value of a steam delivery cycle, the frequency value corresponding to an interval greater than 0.5 steam delivery intervals per second and less than 5 steam delivery intervals per second. The duty cycle indicates the ratio of a pulse duration to a period duration for a periodic sequence of vapor delivery pulses. Of the Duty cycle is specified as a dimensionless ratio with a value range of 0 to 1 or 0 to 100%. The steam delivery pulses can represent, for example, pulses that form a square wave.

Depending on the duty cycle of the steam release and/or the setting of the frequency value of a steam release cycle, an optimal temperature distribution and temperature maintenance in the textile can be guaranteed. This means that there is no need for a continuous release of water vapor, which on the one hand would draw a lot of energy from the soleplate of the ironing device and, on the other hand, would consume a lot of energy when the water vapor is made available by the steam generation system. Accordingly, a significant increase in energy efficiency and cost savings can be achieved by means of the embodiment described above.

Depending on the embodiment, the ironing device is set up to build up a steam pressure value that depends on a predetermined/set temperature value of the soleplate. So that the ironing device can be operated particularly energy-efficiently and at the same time the duration of the ironing cycle can be reduced, it is necessary to set the steam pressure and/or the steam temperature in such a way that the temperature required in the textile below the soleplate over the duration of the ironing Can be maintained throughout the cycle without water vapor condensing on the soleplate. For this reason, in a particularly advantageous embodiment, the control device is set up in such a way that the temperature of the soleplate is set at least as high as the temperature of the steam. This ensures that the water vapor does not condense on the soleplate and the weave/fabric of the textile does not remain damp when the ironing process is complete.

In yet another embodiment, the control device is appropriately set up in such a way as to adjust the steam pressure value and/or the steam temperature value of the water vapor and/or the temperature value of the soleplate as a function of a material and/or fiber composition of the textile. This is particularly important in order to take account of the heat sensitivity of the different textiles, laundry items and items of clothing.

In an advantageous embodiment, the control device is set up to Adjust and adjust the frequency value of the steam delivery cycle and/or the steam pressure value and/or the steam temperature value of the water vapor and/or the temperature value of the soleplate depending on a thickness of the textile and/or depending on a resistance of microorganisms optimize. In this way, it can be ensured that there is an optimal and uniform temperature distribution within the textile below the soleplate of the ironing device, and at the same time a desired germicidal effect is achieved in the textile.

In an advantageous embodiment of the ironing device, the steam generation system and/or the control device and/or the soleplate are designed to be manufactured as integrated components of a unit of an ironing device or as separate units of an ironing device that can be coupled to one another. In the case of an ironing device designed in one unit, a compact embodiment of the ironing device can be realized, which takes up little space. In an embodiment with separate units, in which the soleplate is integrated into a steam iron, for example, and the steam generation system that can be coupled to it together with the control device in a separate unit, steam generation systems for retrofitting or such steam generation systems can be produced that do not depend on the boundary conditions of the soleplate that can be coupled to it or the steam iron are restricted. In addition, with separate steam generation systems, much higher steam pressures can be realized compared to those that are integrated in a compact steam iron. Additionally, separate vapor generation systems can provide generated vapor pressure over a longer vapor delivery period.

In an advantageous embodiment of the method, the control device sets a frequency value of a steam delivery cycle and/or a steam pressure value and/or a steam temperature value of the water vapor and/or a temperature value of the soleplate depending on the resistance of microorganisms. Depending on the type of microorganisms, a specified temperature is necessary, which leads to the inactivation or killing of the microorganisms. This can range from 50 °C to over 150 °C.

In an advantageous embodiment of using the method, the temperature value and/or vapor pressure value of the water vapor depending on the resistance of the microorganisms. So that a reliable temperature distribution within a textile can be guaranteed, it must be ensured that the temperature and/or the vapor pressure of the water vapor is sufficient to reliably inactivate or kill the microorganisms underneath the soleplate of the ironing device. In a further particularly advantageous embodiment, the duration of the ironing cycle is set using the method in the control device for the ironing device as a function of the resistance of the microorganisms. Thus, a time of exposure to temperature specifically required for inactivation or killing of predetermined microorganisms can be taken into account.

By means of the ironing device described, it is possible to disinfect the microorganisms contained therein at the same time as energy-efficient ironing or smoothing of the textile.

Brief description of the drawings

Further advantageous configurations of the present invention are explained in more detail below with reference to a single figure. The 1 a sketch of an ironing device according to an advantageous embodiment.

Based on the sketchy representation of an ironing device 1 in 1 , in this case a steam iron 13 with a steam generation system 3 coupled thereto, the functional principle of an embodiment of an ironing device 1 with a control device 10 according to an advantageous embodiment will be explained. The ironing device 1 is to be understood not only as a steam iron 13 in the narrower sense, but also as a steam generation system 3 that can be operated/connected thereto, ie a so-called ironing station.

The one in the 1 The ironing device 1 shown comprises a steam iron 13 with a heatable soleplate 2 and a steam generation system 3 that can be coupled thereto. The steam generation system 3 comprises a steam boiler 4 for generating steam 5, which is guided via a steam pressure valve 6 by means of steam lines 7 to steam outlet holes 8 in the heatable soleplate 2 of the steam iron 13. The pressurized hot water vapor 5 passes through the steam outlet holes 8 onto or into an item to be ironed or a textile to be smoothed. The ironing device 1 has a control device 10 which is provided with regulators for an ironing program 11 and/or a hygiene program 12 . At the in the 1 In the embodiment shown, the control device 10 is connected to the steam generation system 3 via a connection 9 . In a further embodiment not shown here, the control device 10 is integrated in the steam iron 13 or is directly connected to it.

The control device 10 is set up in such a way that, given a predetermined steam pressure value of the steam generation system 3 and a predetermined temperature value of the soleplate 2, the steam 5 is automatically released at predetermined intermittent steam release intervals. In the case of an intermittent steam delivery interval, the delivery of the water vapor 5 from the steam generation system 3 is interrupted at time intervals. In this way, a predetermined temperature value of the water vapor 5 escaping from the ironing device 1 into the textile to be ironed can easily be maintained in the textile. In the present embodiment, the water vapor 5 is generated in the steam boiler 4 by means of a water boiler 14 . A pressure valve 6 ensures that the water vapor is only fed continuously or intermittently to the soleplate 2 of the steam iron 13 by means of steam lines 7 at a predetermined desired pressure. The pressurized steam 5 is transferred to the textile through the steam outlet holes 8 in the soleplate 2 .

The steam generation system 3 off 1 also has a water tank 15 separate from the water heater 14 . The water 15 is conveyed to the steam boiler 4 by means of a pump 16 . It can thereby be ensured that water 15 does not have to be constantly refilled, so that uninterrupted ironing of the item to be ironed or the textile can be guaranteed. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the steam generation system 3 also has an extra pump--not shown here--in order to be able to raise the water vapor 5 to a desired vapor pressure value. The higher the vapor pressure value, the better water vapor 5 can flow through a textile. By means of the heated and pressurized Standing water vapor 5 can ensure that a uniform temperature of the item to be ironed under the soleplate 2 is reached. This makes it possible to ensure that energy-efficient smoothing of the textile of a different material composition and/or fabric structure can be achieved, and that a specific strength or thickness of the textile can be taken into account.

The one in the 1 The ironing device 1 shown represents a steam ironing station. Steam ironing stations are an extended form of the steam iron 13. They also work with steam 5, but the tank for the water 15 required for this is not integrated directly into the steam iron 13. A hose - steam lines 7 - serves as a means of transporting the water vapor 5 from the tank with water 15 via the pump 16 to the steam boiler 4 and further via the pressure valve 6 to the soleplate 2. A steam ironing station is particularly advantageous because the steam pressure itself is far higher than can be set with a simple steam iron 13. Due to the highly adjustable steam pressure value of up to 7 bar, the water vapor 5 escaping from the soleplate 2 can penetrate through several layers of textile. However, depending on the fabric and material composition of the item to be ironed, a considerably lower vapor pressure value may be sufficient; For example, a vapor pressure value from an interval greater than 1 bar and less than 6 bar.

In a further embodiment of the ironing device 1 - not shown here - the entire steam generation system 3 can be accommodated in a compact steam iron 13 . Such an ironing device 1 thus requires relatively little space, but is only suitable for a medium-sized ironing volume, since otherwise water has to be constantly topped up.

That in the 1 The exemplary embodiment illustrated also shows a control device 10 which is coupled to the steam generation system 3 via a connection 9 . The control device 10 has a controller 11 for setting different ironing programs. Based on the different settings * -** - *** of controller 11, cf. 1 , the ironing device 1 can be optimally adjusted to the physical boundary conditions of the textile or item to be ironed. In addition, the control device 10 has a regulator 12 which switches or initiates a hygiene program for the ironing device 1 . The hygiene program according to A preferred embodiment enables water vapor 5 to be released at a maximum adjustable steam pressure value of the ironing device 1 and at a preset temperature of the water vapor 5 or the soleplate 2.

In an advantageous embodiment, the setting of the hygiene program 12 of the control device 10 provides that the pressure of the water vapor is 6 bar or 7 bar. The soleplate 2 particularly preferably has a temperature value of around 190° C., particularly preferably 180° C. This ensures that not only can most of the textiles to be ironed be ironed, but that any microorganisms that are in the fabric or the fibers of the textile can also be killed.

In a further particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the control head of the hygiene program 12 can be switched on in combination with the control head 11 of the ironing programs * - ** - ***, with the steam pressure of the water vapor 5 generated in the steam generation system 3 and the temperature of the soleplate 2 of the steam iron 13 of the ironing device 1 can be adjusted to the special physical boundary conditions of the textile properties that can be selected under the ironing program 11 . Linking the two programs: regulator ironing program 11 with the regulator hygiene program 12 thus enables an optimal adjustment to the ironing material to be ironed. In the hygiene program 12 , essentially the maximum steam pressure value of the steam generation system 3 is set by the control device 10 . At a predetermined temperature value of the soleplate 2 of the ironing device 1, the temperature value is selected from an interval greater than 110°C and less than 190°C, or particularly preferably from an interval greater than 150°C and less than 190°C. It has been shown that a particularly preferred value corresponds to the temperature value of 180° C., which is suitable for ironing almost any fabric or fiber of the textile with a maximum steam pressure value of the steam 5 that can be set.

Since a continuous delivery of the steam 5 requires a very high expenditure of energy, the control device 10 enables the steam 5 to be delivered to the item to be ironed at intermittent intervals. This on the one hand prevents the water vapor 5 from condensing on the cooling soleplate 2 and at the same time ensures that the item to be ironed is maintained at the temperature value of the water vapor 5 can be. In a particularly preferred embodiment, a duty cycle of the predetermined intermittent vapor delivery interval is selected from an interval greater than 10% and less than 90% or a duty cycle from an interval greater than 40% and less than 80%.

In addition, in an even more preferred embodiment, the control device 10 can set a frequency value of a steam delivery cycle such that the frequency value from an interval greater than 0.5 steam delivery intervals per second and less than 5 steam delivery intervals per second or a frequency value from an interval greater 0.5 steam delivery intervals per second and less than 2 steam delivery intervals per second. In a particularly preferred embodiment, both the frequency value of the steam release cycle and the predetermined intermittent steam release interval can be optimally adjusted to the textile to be ironed using the two controllers 11 and 12 for the ironing program or the hygiene program. In addition, the steam release interval or the frequency value of the steam release cycle can also be set depending on the resistance of microorganisms. In this way it can be ensured that the microorganisms in the fiber or the fabric of the textile are also killed and the textile is thus sterilized.

Accordingly, the present ironing device 1 not only allows ironing of different types of fabrics and fabrics to be smoothed in an energy-efficient manner, but also to sterilize them effectively.

Reference List

1

ironing device

2

soleplate

3

steam generation system

4

steam boiler

5

Steam

6

steam pressure valve

7

steam lines

8th

steam exit holes

9

connection

10

control device

11

ironing program

12

hygiene program

13

steam iron

14

water heater

15

water

16

pump

Claims (14)

1. An ironing apparatus (1) comprising a heatable iron soleplate (2) and a steam generating system (3) coupleable thereto having a heatable steam boiler (4) for generating steam (5) which can be guided and discharged via a steam pressure valve (6) by means of steam lines (7) to steam outlet holes (8) in the heatable iron soleplate (2) of the ironing apparatus (1), and a controller (10) connected to the steam generating system via a coupling (9), characterized in that the controller (10) is adapted to automatically discharge the steam at predetermined intermittent steam discharging intervals of one cycle, wherein a duty cycle of the predetermined intermittent steam discharging interval corresponds to a duty cycle of an interval ranging from more than 10 % to less than 90 %, preferably to a duty cycle of an interval ranging from more than 40 % to less than 80 %, wherein the value of the frequency of an interval corresponds to more than 0.5 steam discharging intervals per second and less than 5 steam discharging intervals per second.
2. The ironing apparatus (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the controller (10) is adapted to discharge the steam (5) at a predetermined value of the steam pressure of the steam generation system (3) and a predetermined value of the temperature of the iron soleplate (2).
3. The ironing apparatus (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the predetermined value of the steam pressure corresponds to a maximum steam pressure of the steam (5) in the steam generation system (3) that can be generated by the steam generation system (3).
4. The ironing apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 2 or 3, characterized in that
   the predetermined value of the steam pressure of the steam (5) can be selected from an interval ranging from more than 1 bar to less than 7 bar or from an interval ranging from more than 3 bar to less than 7 bar.
5. The ironing apparatus (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the predetermined value of the temperature of the iron soleplate (2) of the ironing apparatus (1) corresponds to a temperature value of an interval ranging from more than 110 °C to less than 190 °C or a temperature value of an interval ranging from more than 150 °C to less than 190 °C or to the temperature value of 180 °C.
6. The ironing apparatus (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the controller (10) is adapted to set the value of the frequency of a steam discharging cycle, wherein the frequency value corresponds to an interval ranging from more than 0.8 steam discharging intervals per second to less than 2 steam discharging intervals per second.
7. The ironing apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that
   the controller (10) is adapted to set the value of the steam pressure and/or a value of the steam temperature as a function of the predetermined value of the temperature of the iron soleplate (2).
8. The ironing apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that
   the controller (10) is adapted to set the value of the temperature of the iron soleplate (2) at least as high as the value of the steam temperature.
9. The ironing apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that
   the controller (10) is adapted to set the value of the steam pressure and/or the value of the steam temperature of the steam (5) and/or the value of the frequency of the steam discharging cycle and/or the duty cycle of the predetermined intermittent steam discharging interval and/or the value of the temperature of the iron soleplate (2) as a function of a fabric and/or fiber composition of a fabric/textile to be ironed.
10. The ironing apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that
    the controller (10) is adapted to set the value of the frequency of the steam discharging cycle and/or the duty cycle of the predetermined intermittent steam discharging interval and/or the value of the steam pressure and/or the value of the steam temperature of the steam (5) and/or the value of the temperature of the iron soleplate (2) as a function of a thickness of the textile and/or as a function of a resistibility of microorganisms.
11. The ironing apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that
    the steam generating system (3) and/or the controller (10) and/or the iron soleplate (2) are configured as integrated components of a unit of the ironing apparatus (1) or as separate units of the ironing apparatus (1) that can be coupled to each other.
12. A method of operating an ironing apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims comprising an iron soleplate (2) and a steam generating system (3) coupleable thereto having a heatable steam boiler (4) for generating steam (5) which can be guided and discharged via a steam pressure valve (6) by means of steam lines (7) to steam outlet holes (8) in a heatable iron soleplate (2) of the ironing apparatus (1) and a controller (10), characterized in that
    the controller (10) automatically discharges the steam at predetermined intermittent steam discharging intervals of one cycle, wherein a duty cycle of the predetermined intermittent steam discharging interval corresponds to a duty cycle of an interval ranging from more than 10 % to less than 90 %, preferably to a duty cycle of an interval ranging from more than 40 % to less than 80 %, wherein the frequency value of an interval corresponds to more than 0.5 steam discharging intervals per second and less than 5 steam discharging intervals per second.
13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that
    the controller (10) sets the value of the frequency of the steam discharging cycle and/or the duty cycle of the predetermined intermittent steam discharging interval and/or a value of the steam pressure and/or a value of the steam temperature of the steam (5) and/or a value of the temperature of the iron soleplate (2) as a function of a resistibility of microorganisms.
14. Use of the method according to claim 12 and 13 in an ironing apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11 for sterilizing textiles.

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