FR3070405A1 - IRON CONTAINING AN HOUSING, A HEATING BODY AND A FUNCTIONAL PLATINUM INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE HEATING BODY AND THE HOUSING - Google Patents

Abstract

Iron comprising a housing, a heating body (4) and a plate (5) functional interposed between the heating body (4) and the housing, the heating body (4) comprising an electrical resistance (40) provided at each of its ends of a connection terminal (40A), characterized in that the two connection terminals constitute male plugs (40A) which are engaged in female connectors (7) carried by the plate (5), the female connectors (7). ) comprising an elastically deformable body comprising two contact blades extending longitudinally between a proximal end, at which the two blades are interconnected by a connecting arm, and a distal end where the two blades form between them an opening passage for the plug, the plug being pinched between the two contact blades of the female connector (7).

Description

IRON INCLUDING A BOX, A HEATING BODY AND A FUNCTIONAL PLATE INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE HEATING BODY AND THE BOX

The present invention relates to an iron comprising a housing, a heating body and a functional plate interposed between the heating body and the housing, the heating body comprising an electrical resistance provided at each of its ends with a connection terminal.

It is known from patent application FR2690173, an iron comprising a housing, a heating body and a functional plate interposed between the heating body and the housing. In this document, the heating body comprises an electrical resistance provided at each of its ends with a connection terminal which is connected by welding to the electrical supply circuit of the iron.

However, such a welding operation is expensive and complicates the assembly operation of the iron. In addition, the connection of the plate by welding also complicates after-sales service when it is necessary to disassemble the plate from the heating body to carry out a repair.

Also, the object of the present invention is to provide an iron overcoming these drawbacks and in particular to propose an iron offering greater flexibility of construction, simplified assembly and greater ease of repair.

To this end, the subject of the invention is an iron comprising a housing, a heating body and a functional plate interposed between the heating body and the housing, the heating body comprising an electrical resistance provided at each of its ends with a connection terminal, characterized in that the two connection terminals constitute male plugs which are engaged in female connectors carried by the plate during assembly of the functional plate on the heating body, the female connectors comprising an elastically deformable body comprising two contact blades extending longitudinally between a proximal end, at which the two blades are interconnected by a connecting arm, and a distal end where the two blades provide between them a passage opening for the male plug , the male plug being pinched between the two blades of the female connector.

Such an iron has a construction which allows the automatic connection of the heating resistor with the female connectors carried by the plate during the fixing of the plate on the heating body during the assembly of the iron. In particular, during this assembly of the plate on the heating body, the male plugs of the electrical resistance automatically engage in the female connectors carried by the plate by elastically spreading the two blades of the female connector. Thus, the two blades of the female connector form a clamp which clamps the male plug under the effect of the elastic return of the body of the female connector making it possible to guarantee a good electrical connection between the blades of the female connector and the male plug.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the two blades of the connector move away from each other by moving essentially in a transverse direction T during the insertion of the male plug between the two blades, the female connector being disposed in a housing for receiving the plate which has a shape adapted to allow a movement of the female connector over a stroke of at least one millimeter in the transverse direction T.

Such a characteristic makes it possible to obtain automatic centering of the female connector on the male plug during assembly of the functional plate on the heating body. This improves the reliability of the electrical contact between these two elements.

In addition, such a characteristic makes it possible to make up for any positioning differences between the male plug and the connector during assembly of the plate on the heating body, these positioning differences possibly being linked to dispersions in the manufacture of the various rooms.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the receiving housing has a shape allowing the female connector to pivot about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the plate.

Such a characteristic makes it possible to make up for any differences in positioning between the male plug and the connector linked to the presence of a bent male plug, for example following an impact.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the female connector comprises flat parts disposed respectively in the extension of the link arm and at the distal ends of the blades, the flat parts coming into contact with the plate and ensuring the immobilization of the female connector in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the plate.

Such a female connector has the advantage of being simple and economical to produce.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the two blades of the female connector have a contact zone which comes into contact with the male plug when the latter is engaged in the female connector, the contact zone having a width of less than 3 mm and advantageously a width of less than 2 mm.

Such a female connector, with contact zones of reduced width, has the advantage of being able to be more easily connected with a male plug which is not disposed parallel to the closing plane of the clamp formed by the blades of the female connector.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the contact zones of the two blades are arranged opposite one another and have the shape of a boss which projects from the blade.

Such a boss has the advantage of further improving the ability of the female connector to correctly connect with a male plug when the latter has an inclination relative to the closing plane of the clamp formed by the blades of the female connector.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the boss has a width of the order of 1 mm.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the contact zones of the two blades are offset axially from one another.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the blades of the female connector are made of stainless steel, nickel-plated stainless steel, or nickel-plated brass or nickel-plated steel.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the plate forms a heat shield between the heating body and the housing.

Such a characteristic makes it possible to reduce the temperature of the housing.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the plate is made of plastic material, and advantageously of thermoplastic material of PBT type (polybutylene terephthalate).

Such a characteristic makes it possible to produce, at low cost, a plate which can have complex shapes.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the female connectors comprise a terminal intended to be connected to an electrical supply.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the female connectors are electrically connected to the electrical supply circuit of the iron.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the plate is fixed to the heating body.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the heating body comprises a fuse disposed on the supply circuit of the electrical resistance to cut the supply of the resistance in the event of the heating body overheating, the fuse being disposed in a housing formed on the stage.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the fuse rests on a base formed on the heating body.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the plate comprises holding elements taking place under the fuse to ensure the maintenance of the fuse in the housing when the plate is lifted from the heating body.

Such a characteristic makes it possible to use the plate as a fuse support part during the assembly operation of the iron.

The invention also relates to an ironing apparatus comprising a base connected by a conduit to an iron as previously described.

According to yet another advantageous characteristic of the invention, the base contains a tank for generating pressurized steam and the duct is a duct for conveying steam.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the base contains a water tank and the conduit is a water inlet conduit.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the iron comprises a fluidic connector connected to the conduit and the fluidic connector is supported by the plate.

Such an iron has a construction which also allows the fluid connection of the automatic duct of the heating resistor with the female connectors carried by the plate during the fixing of the plate to the heating body during the assembly of the iron. .

According to another characteristic of the invention, the fluid connector comprises a cavity open at its lower end in which is engaged a connection tube carried by the heating body,

According to another characteristic of the invention, the fluid connector comprises a seal which is fixed in the cavity and which is interposed between the internal surface of the cavity and the external surface of the connection tube.

The invention also relates to a method of assembling an iron as previously described in which the connection of the electrical resistance with the female connectors carried by the plate is carried out automatically during the assembly operation of the plate. on the heating body.

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

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ironing apparatus equipped with an iron according to a particular embodiment of the invention;

- Figure 2A is a perspective view of a heating body / functional plate sub-assembly fitted to the iron of Figure 1;

- Figure 2B is an enlarged detail view of one of the receptacles for receiving female connectors illustrated in Figure 2A;

- Figure 2C is a view similar to Figure 2B in which the functional plate is shown alone;

- Figure 3 is a perspective view of the female connector coupled to the male connector;

- Figure 4 is a perspective view of the female connector shown alone;

- Figure 5A is an exploded perspective view of the sub-assembly of Figure 2A;

- Figure 5B is an enlarged detail view of the fuse receiving housing illustrated in Figure 5A;

- Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fuse disposed in its housing when the functional plate is assembled on the heating body;

- Figure 7A is another exploded perspective view of the sub-assembly of Figure 2A;

- Figure 7B is an enlarged detail view of the fuse receiving housing illustrated in Figure 7A;

- Figure 7C is an enlarged detail view of the fluid connector of the vapor conduit illustrated in Figure 7A;

- Figure 8 is another perspective view of the fluid connector;

- Figure 9 is a detail view, in section, of the heating body / plate functional sub-assembly at the level of the fluid connector;

- Figure 10 is an exploded perspective view of the functional plate.

- Figure 11 is a detail view, in perspective, of the functional plate at the receptacle for receiving the fuse;

- Figures 12 and 13 are perspective views of alternative embodiments of female connectors that can equip the functional plate of the iron according to the invention.

Only the elements necessary for understanding the invention have been shown. To make the drawings easier to read, the same elements have the same references from one figure to another.

Note that in this document, the terms horizontal, vertical, lower, upper, front, rear used to describe the iron refer to this iron when it lies flat on its ironing plate.

FIG. 1 represents an ironing apparatus comprising a base 1, an iron 2 and a cord 3 connecting the base 1 and the iron 2, the cord 3 containing a duct 30 for conveying steam, visible in the figures 2A and 5A, and electrical wires belonging to an electrical supply circuit for the iron 2.

In accordance with FIG. 1, the iron 2 includes a plastic casing 6 which incorporates a grip handle 60 which extends, towards the rear of the iron 2, by two lateral branches 21 forming a heel on which the iron 2 can rest substantially vertically. The iron 2 also includes a flat ironing plate 22 surmounted by a heating body 4 and a functional plate 5, shown in isolation in FIG. 2A, on which the housing 6 is fixed.

The base 1 contains, in a manner known per se, a tank for generating pressurized steam, a water tank and a pump configured to supply the steam generator with water coming from the tank, the tank comprising a solenoid valve controlled by a trigger 60A disposed under the handle 60 of the iron 2 and connected to the conduit 30 for conveying steam.

The heating body 4 is advantageously constituted by an aluminum foundry in which is embedded an electrical resistance 40, shielded, with a power of the order of 800W, curved in the shape of a horseshoe, the power supply of the electrical resistance 40 being regulated by means of a thermostat constituted by a sensor 50, of the CTN type, carried by the functional plate 5, the sensor 50 coming into contact with a stud 41, visible in FIG. 5A, integrated into the heating body 4.

The heating body 4 has a flat lower face, having a pointed front end and a wide and rounded rear end, on which the ironing plate 22 is fixed. The heating body 4 has an upper face comprising a peripheral wall 42 projecting delimiting, in a manner known per se, a steam distribution circuit closed in its upper part by a closure plate 43 comprising a steam flow inlet 44 intended to be placed in fluid communication with the steam delivery conduit 30, the circuit distribution opening into steam outlet holes 22A formed in the ironing plate 22, visible in Figure 7A.

Preferably, the steam distribution circuit comprises a condensate retaining device, not shown in the figures, formed under a dome 43A which projects from the closure plate 43, the retaining device being configured to retain droplets of water entrained by the steam flow flowing in the steam distribution circuit and vaporize them, this retaining device being similar to that described in more detail in the patent application filed under the application number FR1656546 by the applicant.

The plate 5 extends above the heating body 4 and thus forms a heat shield between the heating body 4 and the housing 6, the plate 5 being advantageously made of a thermoplastic material of PBT type (butylene polyterephthalate) and being fixed on the heating body 4 by means of a flange 51 disposed at the front of the heating body 4 and two screws 52 engaging in tapped bores made at the rear of the heating body 4.

In accordance with FIG. 5A, the electrical resistance 40 of the heating body 4 comprises a connection terminal 40A at each of its longitudinal ends, this connection terminal 40A having the shape of a rigid nail, with a diameter of the order of 2 mm and with a length of the order of 12 mm, which opens obliquely to the upper face in the rear part of the heating body 4. These two connection terminals constitute 40A male plugs intended to be automatically connected to two female connectors 7 carried by the plate 5 during assembly of the plate 5 on the heating body 4, the two female connectors 7 being connected to the electrical supply circuit of the iron 2.

The two female connectors 7 advantageously have an identical construction, illustrated in FIG. 4, each female connector 7 comprising an elastically deformable body made of an electrically conductive material, the body of the female connector 7 being advantageously obtained by a cutting process and then folding of a sheet of stainless steel, possibly nickel-plated or of a sheet of nickel-plated brass or nickel-plated steel.

The body of the female connector 7 advantageously comprises two contact blades 70 extending opposite one another and substantially parallel to one another. The two blades 70 extend longitudinally along a vertical axis V between a proximal end, at which the two blades 70 are connected together by a connecting arm 71, and a distal end where the blades 70 form an opening between them 72, the distal end of the blades 70 advantageously extending through an intermediate portion 73 folded 45 ° outwards, then by a flat end portion 74 extending perpendicularly to the blades 70 towards the outside of the female connector 7 .

In accordance with FIGS. 3 and 4, the intermediate parts 73 of the female connector 7 form guide walls which converge towards the passage opening 72 and facilitate the insertion of the male plug 40A of the electrical resistance 40 between the two blades 70 of the connector along the vertical axis V when the female connector 7 is brought vertically above the male plug 40A, the two blades 70 then moving apart in a transverse direction T while enclosing the male plug 40A under the effect of the elastic deformation of the connector body.

Preferably, the body of the female connector 7 also includes a flat side part 75 supporting a terminal 75A connected to an electric wire of the iron 2 supply circuit, not shown in the figures, the flat side part 75 being connected by a cross member 76 to the link arm 71 and comprising two longitudinal ends which project laterally from the cross member 76.

As can be seen in FIGS. 2B, 2C and 7B, the plate 5 comprises, for each of the female connectors 7, a receiving housing 55 which has a shape substantially complementary to that of the female connector 7, the flat end portions 74 of the female connector 7 coming to take place in cavities 53 formed on the lower face of the plate 5 by bearing on the bottom of these cavities 53, while the flat side portion 75 comes to bear on a surface 54 of the upper face of the plate 5 arranged on the edge of the reception housing 55.

In accordance with FIG. 2B, the surface 54 has two stops 54A which cooperate with the ends of the flat side part 75 to immobilize the female connector 7 along the longitudinal axis of the plate 5. A space 54B is provided between the two stops 54A for the passage of the cross-member 76, this space 54B being much greater than the width of the cross-member 76 and the dimensions of the cavities 53 being much greater than the flat end portions 74 of the female connector 7 to allow a displacement in translation of the female connector 7 in its receiving housing 55, in the transverse direction T, over several millimeters but also a rotational movement over a few degrees of the female connector 7 around the vertical axis V, perpendicular to the plane of the plate 5.

Preferably, the blades 70 of the female connector 7 have a contact area 70A which has the shape of a boss projecting over substantially the entire height of the blade 70, this boss 70A making it possible to increase the capacity of the female connector 7 to receive a male plug 40A which is not perfectly aligned with the longitudinal axis L of the female connector 7.

For example, the contact blades 70 have a width of the order of 5 mm and a height of the order of 1 cm, the boss 70A having the shape of a grain of rice which protrudes over a height of the order of 1 mm and having a width of the order of 1 mm. At rest, the space between the two blades 70 of the female connector 7 is advantageously less than 0.7 mm in order to ensure a tightening under stress of the male plug 40A.

In accordance with FIGS. 7A and 7B, the plate 5 also supports a fuse 8 which is intended to cut the supply circuit of the iron 2, and in particular the supply of the electrical resistance 40, when the temperature of the heating body 4 s raises above a predetermined temperature corresponding to the temperature of fuse 8.

Preferably, the fuse 8 is a cartridge type fuse having a U-shaped body and having the same technical characteristics as that sold under the reference SF 184 by the company Nec Shott., This fuse 8 being disposed in a housing 56 formed in the rear part of the plate 5.

The housing 56 has the shape of a through opening, visible in FIG. 10, and comprises two holding tabs 56A extending at the level of the lower face of the plate 5 on which the longitudinal ends of the fuse 8 come to rest when the fuse 8 is introduced into the housing 56 by the upper face of the plate 5.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the fuse 8 is held in the housing 56 by means of a fixing flange 57, made of folded sheet metal, which is attached to the upper face of the plate 5 and which is fixed to a fixing well 46 of the heating body 4, visible in FIG. 5A, by means of a screw 57A. The fixing flange 57 is advantageously surmounted by a plastic cover 58 which serves as a piece for holding and guiding various electrical wires necessary for the operation of the device.

Preferably, the fixing flange 57 has an elastically deformable tongue 57B which comes to bear on the top of the fuse 8 when the latter is disposed in the housing 56 and comprises two lateral arms 57C which come to grip the lateral branches of the fuse 8 in U-shaped so as to keep the latter facing upwards.

In accordance with FIGS. 5B and 6, the heating body 4 comprises a base 45 for receiving the fuse 8 having the shape of a half cylinder, open at its upper end, carried by a stud 45A obtained directly with the aluminum foundry of the heating body 4, this pad 45 protruding from the rear of the peripheral wall 42 delimiting the steam distribution circuit.

Thus, when the plate 5 is fixed to the heating body 4, the fuse 8 carried by the plate 5 comes to be positioned automatically on the base 45 formed on the heating body 4, the length of the tongue 57B of the fixing flange 57 being dimensioned to deform elastically by forcing the fuse 8 against the base 45 when the screw 57A is tightened so as to optimize the heat transfer between the fuse 8 and the heating body 4 despite the manufacturing dispersions.

Preferably, the plate 5 also supports a fluid connector 9 making it possible to form a sealed connection between the duct 30 for conveying steam, coming from the base 1, and the steam flow inlet 44 formed on the plate closure 43 of the heating body 4.

As can be seen in FIGS. 5A and 7C to 10, the vapor flow inlet 44 is disposed at the top of a frustoconical connection tube 44A projecting from the closure plate 43 and the fluid connector 9 comprises a body comprising a cavity 90 open at its lower end in which is engaged the connection tube 44A, the cavity 90 comprising a frustoconical upper part 90A communicating with a connection tube 91 on which is fitted the conduit 30 for conveying steam.

The cavity 90 comprises, under the frustoconical upper part 90A, a cylindrical part 90B receiving an annular seal 94, with lips, and comprising an open lower end through which the connection tube 44A engages. The cavity 90 has, at the junction between the frusto-conical upper part 90A and the cylindrical part 90B, a shoulder against which the seal 94 is applied, the seal 94 being immobilized against this shoulder by means of a ring 95, of the circlip type, which is fixed in the cavity 90 under the seal 94, the ring 95 advantageously having a chamfered lower edge which converges towards the inside of the cavity 90.

Preferably, the ring 95 is fixed in the cavity 90 by means of two lugs 95A carried by the ring 95, these lugs 95A engaging in two openings formed symmetrically in the cavity 90, these openings opening into grooves 96 made on the periphery of the body of the fluid connector 9.

In accordance with FIGS. 8 and 10, the external part of the body of the fluid connector 9 comprises, in the vicinity of the top of the cylindrical part 90B of the cavity 90, a flange 92 intended to come to rest at the edge of a circular opening 59 formed in the plate 5 and includes two locking ears 97 extending radially at the base of the fluid connector 9, intended to engage in two notches 59A formed at the edge of the opening 59, then to slide under the plate 5 by rotation of the connector fluidic 9 on a quarter turn to make a bayonet type connection.

Preferably, the fastening system of the fluidic connector 9 is dimensioned to allow a radial clearance of the fluidic connector 9 of at least one millimeter in the plane of the plate 5 in order to allow self-centering of the connector on the connection tube. 44A during assembly of the plate 5 on the heating body 4.

To this end, the external part of the fluid connector 9, engaged in the circular opening 59, has a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the circular opening 59. For example, the circular opening 59 may have a diameter greater than 2 mm in relation to the diameter of the fluid connector 9.

The iron 2 thus produced has the advantage of being equipped with a functional plate 5 forming a sub-assembly which supports the electrical supply circuit of the electrical resistance 40 of the heating body 4, the safety fuse 8 against the overheating associated with this supply circuit and the fluidic connector 9 making it possible to connect the duct 30 for conveying steam to the steam distribution circuit formed in the heating body 4.

In particular, this plate 5 has the advantage of being able to be assembled simply on the heating body 4 by bringing the latter vertically above the heating body 4, for example in an automated manner by means of a robot, then by bringing the plate 5 closer to the heating body 4 so as to bring the male plugs 40A of the electrical resistance 40 opposite the female connectors 7 carried by the plate 5, the fluidic connector 9 facing the connection tube 44A and the fuse 8 facing the receiving base 45 .

During this assembly, docking of the plate 5 on the heating body 4 can be carried out without precise positioning of the parts 7, 8, 9 on the plate 5 being necessary.

Indeed, the shape of the female connector 7 and its fixing allow lateral movement of the female connector 7 relative to the longitudinal axis of the plate 5 which will allow self-centering of the female connector 7 on the male plug 40A even if this the latter is offset by a little more than a millimeter from the ideally required position. In particular, due to the manufacturing tolerances of the heating bodies 4, the position of the plug 40A of the electrical resistances can vary by more or less 1 mm in all directions but also angularly.

Thus, the presence of the bosses on the contact areas and the ability of the female connector 7 to pivot slightly on itself in its receiving housing 55, around the vertical axis V, will make it possible to guarantee a reliable connection of the female connectors 7 on the male plugs 40A even if the latter are not arranged perfectly parallel to the longitudinal axis of the heating body 4.

Likewise, the device for holding the fuse 8 on the plate 5 also makes it possible to simplify the assembly of the iron 2, the good heat exchange between the fuse 8 and the heating body 4 being guaranteed by putting the fuse under stress. 8 by the fixing flange 57, a possible misalignment of the fuse 8 relative to the base 45 being compensated by an elastic deformation of the fixing flange 57, and in particular of the two lateral arms 57C of the latter, which contributes to further increase the stressing of the fuse 8 on the base 45 and therefore to optimize the heat transfer.

Finally, the system for fixing the fluid connector 9 on the plate 5 has the advantage of allowing lateral movement of the fluid connector 9 over several millimeters which will allow self-centering of the fluid connector 9 on the connection tube 44A in the event misalignment when the plate 5 comes into contact with the heating body.

In particular, the chamfered shape of the ring 95 and the frustoconical shape of the connection tube 44A will cooperate with each other to achieve automatic centering of the fluid connector 9 on the connection tube so that the seal 94 ensures perfect sealing of the connection.

The seal thus produced, by means of a lip seal interposed between the internal surface of the cavity 90 and the external surface of the connection tube 44A, has the advantage of guaranteeing the seal of the connection without it being necessary to have a significant compression of the seal 94. It is thus not necessary to apply the functional plate 5 against the heating body 4 with a high compression stress at the level of the fluidic connector 9. In addition, the tightness thus carried out has the advantage of being reliable and of being little subject to a loss of tightness in the case of high vapor pressure.

The iron 2 thus produced therefore makes it possible to optimize the assembly time thanks to the simultaneous establishment of the electrical connection and the fluid connection of the heating body 4 during the positioning of the functional plate 5 on the body. heating 4, the functional plate 5 also having the advantage of constituting a thermal screen which limits the rise in temperature of the housing 6 surmounting the heating body 4.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate alternative embodiments of the female connectors 7 which can be fitted to the iron 2 of FIGS. 1 to 11.

FIG. 12 illustrates a first variant in which the female connector 7 differs from that illustrated in FIG. 4 only in that the body of the female connector 7 comprises a connection tab 77 having a width of 4.8 mm for a thickness of 0.5 mm allowing the connection of an electric wire fitted with a female terminal coming to engage on the connection tab. Such an alternative embodiment allows a connection of an electric wire to the female connector 7 by means of a standard lug when the latter is made of a non-weldable material, such as for example nickel-plated brass.

FIG. 13 illustrates a second alternative embodiment in which the body of the female connector 7 comprises a first contact blade 701 and a second contact blade 702 arranged opposite and connected together by a link arm 71, the first contact blade 701 comprising a tab

701 A, of a width of the order of 3 mm, having a flat face defining a contact zone and the second contact blade 702 comprising two parallel tabs 702A, 702B, each having a width of the order of 3 mm , providing between them a space in which the tab 701A of the first contact blade 701 is inserted. In this alternative embodiment, the body of the female connector 7 is folded so that the tab 701A of the first contact blade 701 is engaged between the two tabs 702A, 702B of the second contact blade 702 when the female connector 7 is at rest, that is to say that it is not engaged on the male plug. Such an alternative embodiment makes it possible to increase the clamping forces of the contact blades 701,

702 on the plug and therefore further improve the reliability of the electrical connection in the event of high temperature. In this alternative embodiment, the small width of the tabs 701 A, 702A, 702B makes it possible to obtain good contact with the male plug even if the latter is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the female connector 7. However, just as for the connector illustrated in Figure 4, the ability of the female connector 7 to receive a misaligned male plug can be further improved by adding a boss on the legs. Of course, the invention is in no way limited to the embodiments described and illustrated which have been given only by way of examples. Modifications remain possible, in particular from the point of view of the constitution of the various elements or by substitution of technical equivalents, without thereby departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

Thus in an alternative embodiment not shown, all of the steam diffused through the steam outlet holes of the ironing plate can be produced in a vaporization chamber formed in the heating body of the iron, the fluidic connector. carried by the functional plate then serving to hydraulically connect a water injection orifice in the vaporization chamber with a water inlet pipe coming from a tank carried by the housing or carried by a base separate from this latest.

Thus in a variant embodiment not shown, the functional plate can be made from a steel sheet cut and overmolded with plastic material, the use of a metal base making it possible to produce conductive strips to establish electrical connections. directly in the stage.

Claims (14)

1) Iron (2) comprising a housing (6), a heating body (4) and a functional plate (5) interposed between the heating body (4) and the housing (6), the heating body (4) comprising an electrical resistor (40) provided at each of its ends with a connection terminal (40A), characterized in that the two connection terminals constitute male plugs (40A) which are engaged in female connectors (7) carried by the plate (5), the female connectors (7) comprising an elastically deformable body comprising two contact blades (70; 701, 702) extending longitudinally between a proximal end, at which the two blades (70; 701, 702) are interconnected by a connecting arm (71), and a distal end where the two blades (70; 701, 702) provide between them a passage opening (72) for the male plug (40A), the plug male (40A) being pinched between the two blades (70; 701, 702) of contact d u female connector (7). 2) Iron (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the two blades (70; 701, 702) of the connector move away from each other by moving essentially in a transverse direction T during inserting the male plug (40A) between the two blades (70; 701, 702) and in that the female connector (7) is disposed in a receiving housing (55) of the plate (5) which has a shape adapted to allow movement of the female connector (7) over a stroke of at least one millimeter in the transverse direction T. 3) Iron (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the receiving housing (55) has a shape allowing a pivoting of the female connector (7) about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the plate (5). 4) Iron (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the female connector (7) comprises parts (74, 75) flat respectively disposed in the extension of the link arm (71) and at the distal ends of the blades (70; 701, 702), the flat parts (74, 75) coming into contact with the plate (5) and ensuring the immobilization of the female connector (7) in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the platinum (5). 5) Iron (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the two blades (70; 701, 702) of the female connector (7) have a contact area which comes into contact with the male plug (40A) when the latter is engaged in the female connector (7) and in that the contact zone has a width less than 3 mm and advantageously a width less than 2 mm. 6) Iron (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized the contact zones of the two blades (70) are arranged opposite one another and in that the contact zones have the shape of a boss (70A) which projects from the blade (70). 7) Iron (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the contact areas of the two blades (701, 702) are offset axially from one another. 8) Iron (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the plate (5) forms a heat shield between the heating body (4) and the housing (6). 9) Iron (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the plate (5) is made of plastic material, and advantageously of thermoplastic material of PBT type (butylene polyterephthalate). 10) Iron (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the heating body (4) comprises a fuse (8) disposed on the supply circuit of the electrical resistance (40) for cut the power supply to the resistor (40) in the event of the heating body (4) overheating, said fuse (8) being disposed in a housing (56) formed on the plate (5) and resting on a base (45) formed on the heating body (4), the plate (5) comprising holding elements (56A) taking place under the fuse (8) to maintain the fuse (8) in the housing (56) when the plate (5) is lifted from the heater (4). 11) Ironing appliance comprising a base (1) connected by a conduit (30) to an iron (2), characterized in that the iron (2) conforms to one of claims 1 to 10. 12) An ironing apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that the base (1) contains a tank for generating steam under pressure and in that the conduit (30) is a conduit for conveying steam. 5 13) An ironing device according to claim 12, characterized in that the base (1) contains a water tank and in that the conduit (30) is a water inlet conduit. 14) An ironing apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the iron (2) comprises a fluid connector (9) 10 connected to the conduit (30) and in that the fluid connector (9 ) is supported by the plate (5).