FR2974821A1 - IRON CONTAINING A STEAM CONTROL BUTTON - Google Patents

Abstract

Iron (1) comprising a reservoir (13) of water and an ironing sole (2) in thermal contact with a heating body (3) comprising a vaporization chamber (32), said reservoir (13) communicating with the vaporization chamber (32) by means of a supply circuit comprising shutter means (6) controlled by a steam control button (60), said shutter means (6) being brought into an open position, allowing the passing water through the feed circuit, when said steam control knob (60) is actuated and automatically returned by return means (64) to a closed position, wherein said shutter means (6) ) interrupt the flow of water, when the user releases the steam control button (60), characterized in that said supply circuit comprises an anti-drip valve (7) controlled by a thermally deformable element (72). ) worn by the horn ps heating (3).

Description

The present invention relates to an iron comprising an ironing sole in thermal contact with a heating body provided with a vaporization chamber, and more particularly relates to an ironing iron. iron comprising a water tank in communication with the vaporization chamber through a supply circuit comprising shutter means controlled by a steam control button.

It is known from patent application GB 2 327 950, an iron comprising an ironing sole, a heating body provided with a vaporization chamber for the production of steam and a water tank communicating with the chamber. vaporization by means of a feed circuit comprising a shutter valve controlled by a steam trigger. Such an iron has the advantage of allowing to obtain an iron generating steam on command of the user and to allow storage of the iron without risk of water flow. However, such an iron has the disadvantage of being able to be subject to water flows through the steam outlet holes of the soleplate if the user presses on the steam trigger while the temperature of the soleplate is too low to allow the evaporation of the water sent through the shutter valve. In addition, such an iron has the disadvantage of not allowing a sudden and rapid impregnation of laundry steam or water when ironing areas particularly difficult to wrinkle. Also, an object of the present invention is to provide an iron overcoming these disadvantages and having in particular a very great ergonomics of use. To this end, the subject of the invention is an iron comprising a reservoir and an ironing sole in thermal contact with a heating body 1 comprising a vaporization chamber for the production of steam, the reservoir communicating with the vaporization chamber. by means of a supply circuit comprising shutter means controlled by a steam control button, the shutter means being brought into an open position, allowing the passage of water through the supply circuit, when the steam control button is actuated and being returned automatically by return means in a closed position, wherein said shutter means interrupt the flow of water, when the user releases the steam control button, characterized in that the supply circuit comprises an anti-drip valve controlled by a thermally deformable element carried by the heating body. According to another characteristic of the invention, the anti-drip valve is disposed upstream of the shutter means.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the supply circuit comprises a first portion, placed in the open air, extending between the anti-drip valve and the shutter means, the iron comprising at least one pump draw water from the first portion of the fuel system. According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the pump is connected to a secondary vaporization chamber for generating a surplus of steam to a small number of steam outlet holes in the sole. According to another characteristic of the invention, the pump is connected to a nozzle for spraying a spray at the front of the iron.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the feed circuit comprises a drip plug comprising a nozzle seal and a rod movable relative to the nozzle seal for adjusting the flow of water sent into the nozzle. vaporization chamber. According to another characteristic of the invention, the shutter means are constituted by a valve independent of the drip-shaped plug, the shut-off valve being arranged on the supply circuit between the anti-drip valve and the drip-plug valve. drop. According to another characteristic of the invention, the heating body comprises an electric resistance regulated by a thermostat associated with a setting knob of the temperature set point of the sole and the drip plug is movable between different positions corresponding to different steam flow rates, the iron having connecting means connecting the drip plug to the thermostat knob to index the position of the drip plug to the position of the thermostat knob. According to another characteristic of the invention, the supply circuit comprises a second portion extending between the shutter means and the drip plug, the second portion being airtight and watertight. Such a feature allows an immediate stop of the flow of water through the drip plug when the shutter means are in the closed position and therefore a stop of the steam production which is substantially simultaneous with the release of the button. steam control. According to another characteristic of the invention, the steam control knob is constituted by a trigger located under a gripping handle. According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the iron is a cordless iron to be placed on a charging base during inactive ironing phases to allow an exchange of energy between the charging base and the cordless iron. The invention also relates to an ironing apparatus comprising a cordless iron as previously described and a charging base on which the iron can be arranged during the inactive ironing phases. According to another characteristic of the invention, the heating body of the cordless iron is made of aluminum casting and has a mass greater than 550 g.

Such a characteristic makes it possible to guarantee a good autonomy of the iron with an average flow rate of steam on fabric of the order of 30 g / min. According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the charging base comprises a base on which the soleplate of the cordless iron comes to rest during the inactive ironing phases and a stopper at one end of the base comprising an electrical connector, the base being bordered by an access ramp extending over the entire periphery of the base not occupied by the stopper. The aims, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following description of a particular embodiment of the invention, presented by way of nonlimiting example, with reference to the appended drawings. in which: - Figure 1 is a side view of an ironing apparatus according to a particular embodiment of the invention; - Figure 2 is a perspective view of the ironing apparatus of Figure 1 with the iron disconnected from the charging base; - Figure 3 is a perspective view of the iron of Figure 1 showing, through the transparent housing, the thermostat, the drip plug and the shutter valve associated with the trigger; FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views of the connection device connecting the drip plug and the thermostat control knob when the thermostat adjustment knob is respectively in a low temperature and a high temperature position; - Figure 5 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of the iron of Figure 1; - Figures 6 and 7 are longitudinal sectional views of the iron in the position of Figure 1 when the trigger is respectively released and pressed; - Figures 8 and 9 are cross-sectional views of the iron according to line VIII-VIII of Figure 5 when the anti-drip valve is respectively in a closed position and in an open position. 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. FIGS. 1 and 2 show an ironing apparatus comprising a cordless iron 1 equipped with an ironing sole 2 surmounted by a casing 10 equipped with a gripping handle 11, the iron 1 being associated with a charging base 100 having a lower surface for resting on a work table, such as an ironing board, and comprising a power cord 101, shown only in Figure 2, for its electrical connection to a home network. The charging base 100 comprises a base 102 of elongated shape on which the sole 2 of the iron comes to rest during the inactive ironing phases and a stopper 103 equipped with an electrical connector 104 coming to mate with an electrical plug form complementary, not visible in the figures, carried by a rounded rear end of the iron 1 when the iron 1 rests on the base 102.

Advantageously, the charging base 100 comprises a fixing flange 105 allowing it to be immobilized on a support and the base 102 is bordered by access ramps extending over the entire periphery of the base which is not occupied by the stopper 103. base 102 comprising a convex upper surface receiving a boss 106 disposed at the front of the base and two rollers 107 disposed near the stopper 103, the boss 106 and the two rollers 107 constituting three points of support on which the sole 2 comes rest when the iron 1 is brought to the base 102 for reloading. According to Figures 3 and 5, the sole 2 of the iron is contiguous to a heating body 3 comprising an aluminum alloy foundry surmounted by a closure cap 30 of metal, the heating body 3 enclosing an electrical resistance 31 d a power of at least 1400 W, and preferably of the order of 2000 W, consisting of a tubular heating element.

The heating body 3 of the iron advantageously has an aluminum mass of greater than 550 g, and preferably of the order 600 g, for a total weight of the iron of the order of 1500 g, in order to offer a high capacity of energy storage. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the heating body 3 is surmounted by a thermostat 4 which is associated with a rotary adjustment knob 40 accessible on the housing 10 of the iron, this adjustment knob 40 being disposed under the handle of FIG. 11 and allowing the user to choose a set temperature for the sole 2. The adjustment knob 40 of the thermostat is advantageously connected by a connecting arm 41 to a drip-shaped plug 5 passing through an orifice of the cover. closing to open into a vaporization chamber 32 for the production of steam integrated in the heating body 3, visible in particular in Figures 5 and 6, the drip valve 5 conventionally comprising a rod 50 which can move axially inside a guide sleeve 12 integrated in the housing 10 and comprising a lower end provided with a groove 51 providing a flow of water that can pass through the calibrated dropper 5 as a function of the degree of depression of the rod 50 in a nozzle seal 52 mounted on the opening of the closure lid 30. In accordance with FIGS. 4A and 4B, the linkage arm 41 comprises a pivotally mounted L-shaped body on a frame 42 integral with the housing 10, the linkage arm 41 having a first end connected to the rod 50 of the plug drop by two branches extending on either side of the rod 50, each branch comprising an oblong hole 41A in which is engaged the end of a connecting pin 53 carried by the rod 50 so that the pivoting of the connecting arm 41 on the frame 42 causes the displacement of the rod 50 axially to the nozzle joint 52.

The connecting arm 41 also comprises a second end comprising an actuating finger 43 resting on a helical track 44 carried by a piece 45 integral in rotation with the adjusting knob 40 by a gear train, the shape of the helical track 44 being adapted so that the rotation of the adjusting knob, and therefore of the piece 45, causes the pivoting of the connecting arm 41 and the axial displacement of the rod 50 of the drip-shaped plug 5. By way of example, FIG. 4A shows the adjustment knob 40 of the thermostat 6 for a set point temperature of the soleplate 2 of the order of 105.degree. C., the drip plug stem then occupying a low position, also illustrated in FIG. 6, to obtain a flow rate of water passing through the drip plug 5 of the order of 5 g / min. FIG. 4B represents, for its part, the thermostat adjustment knob 40 for a set point temperature of the soleplate 2 of the order of 250.degree. C., the drip plug rod 50 then occupying a high position, also illustrated in Figure 7, to obtain a maximum water flow rate, iron in the air, of the order of 35 g / min.

Of course, the adjustment knob 40 of the thermostat can also occupy intermediate positions between these two extreme positions, the position of the rod 50 of the drip plug then automatically adapting to provide a flow of water of the order of 15 g / min when the temperature set point of the soleplate 2 is of the order of 140 ° C and a flow rate of water of the order of 25 g / min when the temperature set point of the soleplate 2 is the order of 200 ° C. According to FIGS. 5 to 7, the vapor produced by the vaporization chamber 32 is diffused, in a manner known per se, by a steam distribution circuit opening onto steam outlet holes 20 formed in the soleplate 2 and the housing 10 the iron has a tank 13 of water communicating with the vaporization chamber 32 through a feed circuit, the tank 13 being equipped with a filling orifice closed by a rotatable flap 14 disposed on the front face iron. The supply circuit of the vaporization chamber 32 comprises the drip plug 5 at one of its ends and comprises, upstream of the drip plug 5, a shutter valve 6 controlled by a trigger 60 which is automatically returned to a rest position by a return spring 61, the trigger 60 being advantageously located under the handle 11 of the iron so as to be easily actuated by means of the index finger of the hand.

The shut-off valve 6 comprises an actuating rod 62 comprising a lower end equipped with a seal 63 which is brought back by a return spring 64 in a closed position, illustrated in FIG. 6, in which a lip of the seal sealing member 63 bears on a seat 15 bordering a passage opening 15A of the supply circuit so that the flow of water through the feed circuit of the vaporization chamber 32 is interrupted.

The actuating rod 62 of the shutter valve 6 has an upper end connected by an axis 65 to one end of the trigger 60, the latter comprising a body pivotally mounted about an axis 16 carried by the handle 11 so as to the actuation of the trigger 60 causes the actuating rod 62 to move downwards against its return spring 64 and the shutter valve 6 to move to an open position, as shown in FIG. 7, in which the seal 63 is spaced from the seat 15 bordering the passage opening thus allowing the flow of water from the reservoir 13 through the passage opening 15A, the relaxation of the trigger 60 accompanied by the automatic return of the trigger 60 in the rest position and the closure of the shutter valve 6. The supply circuit also comprises an anti-drip valve 7, visible in Figure 8, disposed in FIG. the bottom of the reservoir 13 at the start of the supply circuit, the anti-drip valve 7 being returned by a return spring 70 in a closed position, illustrated in FIG. 8, in which the upper end of the anti-drip valve 7 closes a through hole 13A and prevents the flow of water from the tank 13 to a first portion 13B of the supply circuit extending between the tank 13 and the shutter valve 6.

According to FIG. 9, the anti-drip valve 7 can be moved to an open position by a pin 71 placed under the anti-drip valve 7, the pin 71 being slidably mounted through a heat shield 17 separating the heating body 3 of the reservoir 13 and itself being displaced by a thermally deformable element consisting of a bimetallic strip 72 carried by the heating body 3, the bimetallic strip 72 being dimensioned to deform and ensure the opening of the anti-drip valve 7 when the temperature of the vaporization chamber 32 is sufficient to produce steam, i.e. is greater than 100 ° C. Preferably, the first portion 13B of the feed circuit comprises a bifurcation 13C in which is drawn a first manual pump 8 for generating a surplus of steam, the first portion 13B of the feed circuit being set to air through a vent to facilitate pumping, the vent being advantageously constituted by the different existing games at the bodies ensuring the translational guidance of the actuating rod 62 in the housing 10. The first pump 8 can be actuated at means of a first button 80 disposed on the upper front portion of the handle 11 and allows to send water in a pipe 81, visible in part in Figures 5 and 6, which opens into a vaporization chamber secondary 33 integrated in the heating body 3 in the immediate vicinity of the electrical resistance 31, the secondary vaporization chamber 33 communicating, in known manner in itself, with a small number of steam outlet holes disposed in front of the sole. The iron also comprises a second manual pump 9 having an intake duct 91, visible in Figure 9, opening directly into the tank 13, the second pump 9 can be actuated by means of a second button 90 arranged next the first button 80 and being connected by a pipe, not visible in the figures, to a spray nozzle 92, visible in Figures 5 and 6, disposed on the front face of the iron 1. The operation of the apparatus of ironing thus achieved will now be described. When the user wishes to perform an ironing session, he fills the reservoir 13 with water and connects the power cord 101 of the charging base 100 to the domestic electrical network, leaving the iron 1 connected to the base of the The resistor 31 of the heating body 3 is then electrically powered by the electrical connector of the charging base 100 and the heating body 3 rises rapidly in temperature due to the high power of the electrical resistance 31. When the temperature 9 of the soleplate 2 reaches the set temperature selected by means of the adjustment knob 40, the thermostat 4 opens and an indicator light on the iron 1 to indicate to the user that the soleplate 2 is at the temperature of set and that the iron 1 is ready for use.

If the user wishes to iron with steam, it is sufficient to press the trigger 60 so as to move the shutter valve 6 to the open position, illustrated in Figure 7, so that the water from the tank 13 in the first portion 13B of the supply circuit can flow into a second portion 13D of the supply circuit extending between the shutter valve 6 and the drip plug 5, the water of the second portion 13D flowing in the vaporization chamber 32 with a flow rate defined by the position of the drip plug 5, that is to say determined automatically by the position of the adjustment knob 40 of the thermostat 4 so to be in adequacy with the temperature set point of the sole 2. When the user releases the trigger 60, for example to reposition the laundry or when the iron 1 is disposed on its charging base 100, the trigger 60 and the flap o 6 shutter automatically return to the closed position under the combined effect of the return springs 61, 64 of the trigger 60 and the actuating rod 62 so that water can no longer flow through the orifice of passage 15A, the second portion 13D of the supply circuit is then no longer supplied with water by the reservoir 13. It follows an interruption of the production of steam by the vaporization chamber 32, the latter being no longer fed in water through the supply circuit.

In order to obtain an interruption of the steam that is substantially simultaneous with the release of the trigger 60, the second portion 13D of the supply circuit of the vaporization chamber 32 is preferably made airtight by having a seal of sealing 54 between the rod 50 of the drip plug 5 and the guide sleeve 12 so that the flow of water stored in the second portion 13D of the feed circuit is interrupted immediately upon closure shutter valve 6.

If the user wishes to obtain a momentary surplus of steam, for example to carry out difficult work, it suffices to actuate the first pump 8 by pressing the button 80 so that a predetermined amount of water, of the order of a few milliliters, is sent to the secondary vaporization chamber 33 to obtain an additional vapor emission, this vapor diffusing through a small number of steam outlet holes 20 located at the front the sole 2. A spray of water is also available to the user to moisten the laundry, this spray can be obtained at any time through the nozzle 92 by manually operating the second pump 9 by pressing the button 90. When the user performs a relatively long ironing session, greater than one minute, with a high flow of steam without resting the iron 1 on its charging base 100, the temperature of the body In this case, the temperature of the vaporization chamber 32 will no longer allow the production of steam. In this case, shortly before reaching this limit temperature no longer allowing vaporization, the bimetallic strip 72 will deform and cause the closing of the anti-drip valve 7, as is illustrated in FIG. 8, so that that only the small amount of water present in the first portion 13B and second portion 13D of the feed circuit may flow into the vaporization chamber 32 thus preventing water drops from flowing through the holes 20 of out of the sole. In addition, the closing of the anti-drip valve 7 also prevents a large quantity of water is sent to the secondary vaporization chamber 33 for the production of a steamer if the user actuates the button 80 several times since only the small amount of water possibly present in the first portion 13B of the feed circuit can be pumped. Of course, the iron may also include, in addition to the mechanical solutions described above, visual indicators or sound, such as a flashing light, which will be activated to alert the user to the need to rest the iron 1 on its charging base 100 when the temperature of the heating body 3 becomes insufficient to effectively perform the ironing work. The ironing apparatus thus produced has the advantage of having a cordless steam iron which can produce a high steam flow, greater than 30 g / min, while maintaining a good autonomy of use between the charging phases. on the base thanks to the presence of the trigger that increases the autonomy and the presence of a large mass of aluminum embedded in the iron that can store a large amount of energy during inactive phases of ironing during which the iron is placed on the base of the charging base. In addition, the fact that the iron has a rounded rear end on which it can not stand vertically has the advantage of encouraging the user to rest the iron on its charging base during inactive ironing phases. Finally, the ironing apparatus thus produced has the advantage of having good ergonomics of use limiting fatigue during ironing sessions, despite the significant weight of the iron, thanks to the ability to engage and release the iron on the base without having to lift the iron but simply by sliding it from the ironing board to any of the access ramps of the base by a simple pulling force on the handle, the presence of ramps access in different directions to provide great freedom of movement when docking the iron on the charging base and offering a wide choice in the orientation of the charging base on the ironing board. Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment described and illustrated which has 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 an alternative embodiment of the invention, the iron may be provided with an electrical cord for its connection to an electrical network 30 to allow its use without charging base.

Claims (14)

CLAIMS1) Iron (1) comprising a reservoir (13) of water and an ironing sole (2) in thermal contact with a heating body (3) comprising a vaporization chamber (32), said reservoir (13) communicating with the vaporization chamber (32) by means of a supply circuit comprising shutter means (6) controlled by a steam control button (60), said shutter means (6) being brought into an open position, allowing the passage of water through the supply circuit, when said steam control button (60) is actuated and being automatically returned by return means (64) in a closed position, wherein said shutter means (6) interrupt the flow of water, when the user releases the steam control button (60), characterized in that said supply circuit comprises an anti-drip valve (7) controlled by a thermally deformable element (72) carried by the heating body (3). 2) Iron (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the anti-drip valve (7) is disposed upstream of the shutter means (6). 3) Iron (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the supply circuit comprises a first portion (13B), vented, extending between the anti-drip valve (7) and the shutter means (6) and in that the iron (1) comprises at least one pump (8, 9) for drawing water in the first portion (13B) of the supply circuit. 4) Iron (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that said pump (8) is connected to a secondary vaporization chamber (33) for generating a surplus of steam to a small number of holes (20). ) of steam outlet in the sole (2). 5) Iron (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that said pump (9) is connected to a nozzle (92) for spraying a spray at the front of the iron (1). 6) Iron (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the supply circuit comprises a drip plug (5) comprising a nozzle seal (52) and a rod (50) movable relative to the nozzle joint (52) for adjusting the flow of water into the vaporization chamber (32). 7) iron (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that said shutter means (6) are constituted by a valve independent of the drip plug (5), said shutter valve (6) being arranged on the supply circuit between the anti-drip valve (7) and the drip plug (5). 8) Iron (1) according to any one of claims 6 to 7, characterized in that the heating body (3) comprises an electric resistance (31) regulated by a thermostat (4) associated with a knob ( 40) of the set temperature of the soleplate (2) and in that the drip plug (5) is movable between different positions corresponding to different flow rates of steam, the iron (1) comprising means for link (41) connecting the drip plug (5) to the thermostat knob (40) to index the position of the drip plug (5) at the position of the dial (40) ) of the thermostat. 9) Iron (1) according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that said supply circuit comprises a second portion (13D) extending between the closure means (6) and the bushel drip droplet (5), said second portion (13D) being airtight and watertight. 10) iron (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the steam control button (60) is constituted by a trigger located under a handle (11). 11) Iron (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that said iron (1) is a cordless iron to be arranged on a charging base (100) when Inactive ironing phases to allow energy exchange between the charging base and the cordless iron. 12) An ironing apparatus comprising a cordless iron (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that it comprises a charging base (100) on which said iron (1) can be arranged during inactive phases ironing. 13) An ironing appliance according to claim 12, characterized in that said heating body (3) is made of aluminum casting and has a mass greater than 550 g. 14) An ironing appliance according to any one of claims 12 to 13, characterized in that said charging base (100) comprises a base (102) on which the sole (2) of the iron (1) wirelessly comes resting during the inactive ironing phases and a buffer (103) at one end of the base (102) comprising an electrical connector (104), the base (102) being bordered by an access ramp extending over the entire periphery of the base (102) not occupied by the buffer (103).