FR2878264A1 - IRON WITH AN IMPROVED THERMAL SCREEN - Google Patents

Abstract

Iron comprising a housing (1), an ironing sole (2) provided with a heating element (3) and a heat shield (10) interposed between the sole (2) and the housing (1), characterized in that that said heat shield (10) has a body enclosing at least one hollow volume (14).

Description

B.07081

  IRON WITH AN IMPROVED THERMAL SCREEN

  The present invention relates to irons comprising a housing, an ironing sole provided with a heating element and a heat shield interposed between the sole and the housing.

  It is known from the document FR 2,770,856 filed by the applicant, a steam iron comprising a housing, an ironing sole comprising a heating resistor, and a plastic heat shield interposed between the housing and the sole to limit the heat transfer from the sole to the housing.

  It is also known, from the patent application FR 2 852 028, to use the plastic heat shield to delimit at least a portion of the vaporization chamber, so as to reduce the number of parts and facilitate assembly of the iron.

  However, to meet all these applications, the heat shield needs to provide excellent thermal insulation. However, the thermal insulation capacity is directly related to the thermal conduction properties of the material used. In addition, the plastic heat shield generally incorporates a skirt defining the visible portion of the body of the iron located just above the heating sole, the appearance of which can be altered, in particular by the yellowing of the plastic, when the temperature at the level of the skirt becomes too important.

  Thus, the object of the present invention is to overcome these disadvantages by providing an iron with a heat shield having improved thermal insulation properties.

  The object of the invention is achieved by an iron comprising a housing, an ironing sole provided with a heating element and a heat shield interposed between the sole and the housing, characterized in that said heat shield has a body enclosing at least one hollow volume.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, the heat shield is made of thermosetting plastic material.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, the plastic material is loaded with fibers.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, the heat shield is obtained by molding.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, the hollow volume is obtained by a method of injecting gas or water during molding.

  Such a characteristic makes it possible to produce one or more hollow volumes of complex shape at a lower cost.

  According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the hollow volume is in the form of a tube.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, the hollow volume forms a closed enclosure.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, the closed chamber is filled with air.

  According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the hollow volume or volumes represent at least 30% of the volume of the heat shield.

  According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the heat shield constitutes the bottom of a tank.

  The aims, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the description given below of particular embodiments of the invention presented by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings in which: Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an iron with a heat shield according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the heat shield of the iron of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a top view of the heat shield of the iron of Figure 1; Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the heat shield along the line IV-IV of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of an iron provided with a heat shield according to a second particular embodiment of the invention; FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the heat shield of the iron of FIG. 5.

  Only the elements necessary for the understanding of the invention have been represented. To facilitate the reading of the drawings the same elements bear the same references from one figure to another.

  The iron, diagrammatically shown in FIG. 1, comprises a housing 1 made of plastic material incorporating a handle, the housing 1 being disposed above a soleplate 2 in thermal connection with a heating body 3.

  The heating body 3 conventionally comprises a main vaporization chamber 4 closed by a plate 5 and is provided with a heating element 6 regulated by a thermostat 7.

  A heat shield 10 is interposed between the upper face of the heating body 3 and the housing 1, the heat shield 10 being fixed on the heating body 3 and the housing 1 being fixed on the heat shield 10.

  Advantageously, the heat shield 10 incorporates a lateral skirt 11 extending from the outer wall of the casing 1, the skirt 11 extending towards the sole 2 and having a lower edge matching the outer shape of the soleplate 2.

  The housing 1 encloses a water tank 8 consisting of an upper part 8a and a lower part which are assembled one on the other, the heat shield 10 defining the lower part of the water tank 8 The heat shield 10 comprises for this purpose a first channel 12 and a second annular channel 13 receiving, with the interposition of a sealing bead, the walls of the upper part 8a. The tank 8 is provided with a filling orifice 8b opening on the front face of the iron.

  In the usual manner, the iron comprises a device 9 which drips a passage of water from the tank 8 to the vaporization chamber 4, this device typically having an orifice whose section can be reduced by a needle.

  More particularly according to the invention, the heat shield 10, shown in greater detail in FIGS. 2 to 4, incorporates a hollow volume 14 extending at the heart of the thickness of the heat shield, over a height of a few millimeters and on most of the surface of the heat shield overhanging the main vaporization chamber 4.

  Preferably, the heat shield 10 is made of thermosetting plastic material filled with glass fibers and the hollow volume 14 contained in the heat shield 10 is obtained by the gas or water injection technique. This technique, known per se, and described for example in the patent application WO 03/011557, consists of drawing the heat shield 10 and the mold for producing this screen so that the outer wall delimiting the hollow volume 14 solidifies more rapidly than the volume at the core of the heat shield 10 and injecting gas such as nitrogen, or water through one end of the heat shield, prior to solidification of the plastic material at the core of the heat shield 10, so as to evacuate the molten material from the other end of the heat shield, thus releasing a hollow volume in the center of the heat shield 10.

  In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, the gas or water is injected through an orifice 15 disposed on the front of the heat shield 10, this orifice opening perpendicularly to the heat shield 10, and the molten material is extracted by two other orifices 16 disposed on the rear part of the heat shield 10, these gas injection and ejection orifices 16 of material being visible in FIGS. 2 and 3.

  After ejection of the melt, the various orifices 15, 16 are hermetically closed by plugs so that the hollow volume constitutes a closed chamber filled with air.

  In an alternative embodiment of the invention not shown, the injection orifices 15 and ejection 16 will lead preferentially to the lower face of the heat shield 10, rather than on its upper face defining the bottom of the tank 8, so that it will not be necessary to plug the orifices 15,16 after the injection of gas or water, the air present under the heat shield then being able to flow freely in the hollow volume 14.

  Such a therrique screen, enclosing a volume of air, has the advantage of ensuring better thermal insulation of the casing with respect to the heating body, which makes it possible to reduce the temperature of the casing but also the water contained in the casing. tank. In addition, the presence of the volume of air in the heat shield locally reduces the thickness of material forming the heat shield, which reduces the flow of heat towards the skirt of the heat shield so that the phenomenon of yellowing of the skirt is reduced.

  Of course, in an alternative embodiment of the invention, the heat shield may be obtained by another manufacturing method. Thus the heat shield may for example be constituted by the bonding assembly of two parts on one another, the shape of the two parts being adapted so as to locally provide between them the hollow volume.

  Figures 5 and 6 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention in which the heat shield 10 of the first embodiment is replaced by a heat shield 20 having a hollow volume of different shape, the other elements constituting the iron being identical to those described in the first embodiment.

  According to these figures, the heat shield comprises a tube 24 which winds on the upper face of the heat shield 20 so that, preferably, more than 30% of the surface of the heat shield 20 overhanging the vaporization chamber 4 is covered by the tube 24.

  The heat shield is advantageously made of thermosetting plastic material loaded with iron fiber and the tube is obtained by the gas injection technique as previously described. For this purpose, the tube 24 has an end provided with a gas or water injection orifice, the other end of the tube being provided with an orifice through which the molten plastic material is ejected under pressure. gas or water, these openings opening on the upper face of the heat shield 20 defining the bottom of the tank, then being plugged to close the tube 24 sealingly.

  In an alternative embodiment not shown, the gas or water injection orifices and ejection of material preferentially lead to the lower face of the heat shield 20, rather than on its upper face defining the bottom of the tank 8 , and will not be plugged so that the air present under the heat shield can then flow freely in the hollow volume 24.

  The presence of the tube on the heat shield has the advantage of limiting the heat exchange between the heat shield and the water tank which reduces the temperature of the tank and the housing. The thermal screen thus produced therefore has an improved thermal insulation capacity.

  Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and illustrated which have been given by way of example. Modifications are possible, particularly from the point of view of the constitution of the various elements or by substitution of technical equivalents, without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

  Thus, in alternative embodiments of the invention, the hollow volume may contain other types of gas than air.

  Thus in an embodiment variant not shown, the heat shield 20 may comprise a honeycomb body.

Claims (10)

B.0708R1 Claims   1) Iron comprising a housing (1), an ironing sole (2) provided with a heating element (3) and a heat shield (10, 20) interposed between the sole (2) and the housing (1) , characterized in that said heat shield (10, 20) has a body enclosing at least one hollow volume (14, 24).   2) Iron according to claim 1, characterized in that said heat shield (10, 20) is made of thermosetting plastic material.   3) Iron according to claim 2, characterized in that said plastic material is loaded with fibers.   4) Iron according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the heat shield (10, 20) is obtained by molding.   5) Iron according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said hollow volume (14, 24) is obtained by a method of injecting gas or water during molding.   6) iron according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said hollow volume (14, 24) is tube-shaped.   7) Iron according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said hollow volume (14, 24) forms a closed chamber.   8) Iron according to claim 7, characterized in that said closed chamber is filled with air.   9) Iron according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the said hollow volume or volumes represent at least 30% of the volume of the heat shield (10, 20).   10) Iron according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the heat shield is the bottom of a tank (8).