JP2004081388A - Steam generator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steam iron as one of steam generators having long continuous operating time by using water generated from a fuel cell used for a power source without specifying a working place. <P>SOLUTION: The steam iron 10 has the built-in fuel cell 40. The fuel cell 40 has a fuel tank 12, a battery cell 32, and an air storage 34 in this order from the upside. Methanol water of fuel is stored in the fuel tank 12, and water generated when power generation is performed while consuming methanol in the battery cell 32 is discharged to the air storage 34. Electricity generated by the fuel cell 40 is fed to a vaporizer 22 and a heater 30 through wiring 21 and is used for generating heat. The air storage 34 is provided with a drain hole 36, and water discharged from the battery cell 32 drops from the drain hole 36 to a water tank 16. The dropping water is stored in the water tank 16 and is used for generating steam. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a steam generator.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, there is a steam iron in which a water tank is provided in an electric iron, water is evaporated by the heat of the iron to form steam, and the iron is ejected from a steam hole provided on a hanging surface. In particular, in recent years, cordless type steam irons that omit the power cord and are easy to use have increased.
[0003]
As shown in FIG. 5, the steam iron 100 drops and evaporates water from the water tank 104 to the vaporizer 110, and the generated steam is ejected from the ejection port 108 to perform the ironing operation.
[0004]
However, since the cordless type steam iron needs to provide the water tank 104 in the iron body 100 and the capacity of the water tank 104 is extremely small, the capacity of the water tank is the maximum that limits the time during which steam can be ejected, that is, the workable time. It is a factor. Also, by placing the iron body 100 on the iron base 102, the connecting portion 118 and the heater 106 are energized to store heat, the heater 106 is heated and the vaporizer 110 and the bottom heater 112 are heated. It is necessary to return the iron body 100 to the iron base 102 at a ratio, and if this is neglected, the temperature of the facing surface will be lowered and the work will be hindered. For this reason, it is extremely inconvenient when ironing large areas such as sheets.
[0005]
Further, even though the iron body 100 itself is cordless, the iron base is connected to the outlet 116 by the power cord 114, so that the work place is limited to the place where the outlet 116 is located.
[0006]
As a conventional example, there is a cordless iron provided with a rechargeable secondary battery (see, for example, Patent Document 1), but it is a power source for an electric pump and not for a heater, so that the problem is solved. Not in.
[0007]
Furthermore, the thing using the fuel cell as a power supply of notebook type PC is also released (for example, refer patent document 2). However, the water generated in the fuel cell is only discarded by a drain hose or a bottle and is not actively used.
[0008]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-131617 (first page, FIGS. 3 and 4)
[0009]
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-49440 (Page 4, FIGS. 1 and 2)
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In consideration of the above fact, the present invention provides a steam iron as one of steam generators having a long continuous use time by using water generated from a fuel cell used for a power source without specifying a work place. Let it be an issue.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The steam generator according to claim 1 is generated by a fuel cell, vaporization means for heating and vaporizing water to form steam, water supply means for sending water generated in the fuel cell to the vaporization means, and generation by the vaporization means And a jetting means for jetting the steam from a jet port provided in the main body.
[0012]
In the invention with the above configuration, by using the fuel cell as a power source, for example, ironing work can be performed even in a place without an AC power source, and water generated in the fuel cell is sent to a vaporizing means inside the iron to be vaporized. Since it is steam, there is no need to provide a drain tank inside the iron.
[0013]
Furthermore, the capacity of the water tank provided in the iron body can be reduced by the amount of water generated in the fuel cell.
[0014]
The steam generator according to claim 2 is characterized in that the fuel cell, the vaporization means, the water supply means, and the ejection means are provided in the main body.
[0015]
In the invention having the above-described configuration, the fuel cell serving as the power source is provided in the main body, so that, for example, a cordless steam iron can be obtained, and the degree of freedom of ironing work is further increased.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
1 and 2 show a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of the steam iron according to the first embodiment.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 1, the steam iron 10 includes a bottom plate 20, a grip portion 11, and a main body 13 made of a heat-resistant material.
[0018]
The main body 13 includes a fuel tank 12, a power switch 14, and a water tank 16.
The fuel tank 12 and the water tank 16 are detachable, and when attached to the main body 13, the fuel tank 12 and the water tank 16 are integrated with the main body 13 without unevenness. The power switch 14 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 13 where the finger cannot reach when the operator holds the grip portion 11 for safety.
[0019]
The grasping portion 11 is provided with an ejection button 18, and is projected at a position where a thumb can reach when an operator grasps the grasping portion 11.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 2, the steam iron 10 includes a fuel cell 40. The fuel cell 40 includes a fuel tank 12, a battery cell 32, and an air chamber 34 in order from the top. The fuel tank 12 is configured to store methanol water as fuel and discharge the water generated when power is generated while consuming methanol in the battery cell 32 to the air chamber 34.
[0021]
Electricity is generated by the fuel cell 40, and the generated electricity is sent to the vaporizer 22 and the heater 30 through the wiring 21 and used to generate heat.
[0022]
The air chamber 34 is provided with a drain hole 36, and the water discharged from the battery cell 32 drops from the drain hole 36 to the water tank 16. The dropped water is stored in the water tank 16 and used for generating steam. In this case, water is previously added to the water tank 16 to assist steam generation.
[0023]
A vaporizer 22 is provided in the main body 13. The vaporizer 22 is connected to the fuel cell 40, generates heat when energized, and evaporates the dropped water to generate steam.
[0024]
A heater 30 is provided below the vaporizer 22. The heater 30 is also connected to the fuel cell 40 and generates heat when energized. The bottom plate 20 made of a heat-resistant material is heated to raise the temperature of the bottom plate 20 to a temperature suitable for ironing.
[0025]
When the power switch 14 is turned on and the fuel cell 40, the carburetor 22, and the heater 30 are connected through a wiring (not shown), the fuel cell 40 starts generating power, and the generated electricity heats the carburetor 22 and the heater 30. When the ejection button 18 is pressed here, the pump 24 is activated, the pump 24 sucks water through the water suction pipe 28 provided in the water tank 16, and is dropped onto the vaporizer 22 through the water injection pipe 26.
[0026]
The water dripped onto the vaporizer 22 evaporates to become steam, and is ejected from the ejection port 38 provided in the bottom plate 20. At this time, since the bottom plate 20 is heated by the heater 30, the steam is ejected without cooling and condensation.
[0027]
FIG. 3 shows a conceptual diagram of the fuel cell according to this embodiment.
[0028]
A battery cell 32 of a methanol direct fuel cell (MDFC) used in this embodiment is composed of an anode (cathode) 42, a proton conductive film 44, and a cathode (anode) 46.
[0029]
At the anode 42, methanol contained in the methanol water of fuel is separated into hydrogen ions, electrons and carbon dioxide gas, and the hydrogen ions pass through the proton conductive film 44 and move to the cathode 46 side. Carbon dioxide is discharged as exhaust gas.
[0030]
On the other hand, the electrons pass through the resistor 48 and go to the cathode 46. This is taken out as electric energy, and work is performed by the resistor 48. In the present application, the process of heating the vaporizer 22 and the heater 30 corresponds to this.
[0031]
At the cathode 46, hydrogen ions that have passed through the proton conductive film 44, electrons that have passed through the resistor 48, and oxygen in the air are combined to form water, which is discharged as waste water.
[0032]
As described above, when power is generated by the fuel cell, water and carbon dioxide are discharged. In this application, this water is effectively used as a steam source without being discharged. Also, due to this effective use, no drainage tank is required in the present application.
[0033]
FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the steam iron according to the second embodiment.
[0034]
As shown in FIG. 4, the steam iron 15 includes a main body 17, a water tank 16, and a connection cord 19.
[0035]
The main body 17 includes an ejection button 18 on the outside and a vaporizer 22 and a heater 30 on the inside. The ejection button 18 is an electric switch that operates the pump 24 inside the water tank 16 through a signal line (not shown).
[0036]
The heater 30 heats the bottom plate 20 and raises the temperature to a temperature suitable for ironing work. The vaporizer 22 evaporates the water dripped from the water injection pipe 26 and generates steam.
[0037]
The water tank 16 includes a fuel cell 40 and a pump 24. The fuel cell 40 generates power using the methanol water in the fuel tank 12 as fuel, and discharges the generated water into the water tank 16. The electricity obtained by the power generation heats the vaporizer 22 and the heater 30 of the main body 17 through the power cable 50 and operates the pump 24 inside the water tank 16.
[0038]
When the ejection button 18 of the main body 17 is pressed, the switch is activated, and the pump 24 is activated through a signal line (not shown). The water in the water tank 16 is sucked up by the activated pump 24 and sent to the main body 17 through the water injection pipe 26 of the connection cord 19. The water sent to the main body 17 is dropped into the vaporizer 22 and evaporated by heat to become steam. The generated steam is ejected through an ejection port 38 provided in the bottom plate 20.
[0039]
In this embodiment, since the main body 17 and the water tank 16 are connected by the connection cord 19 without using the cordless iron, the main body 17 has an advantage that the main body 17 can be reduced in size and weight because the water tank 16 and the fuel cell 40 are not built in the main body 17. . Moreover, since the capacity of the water tank 16 is not limited, the working time can be lengthened.
[0040]
Alternatively, if the main body 17 is structured to be separable and can be replaced with a steam cleaner or the like, the application range is further widened.
[0041]
Moreover, although the structure of this application is a steam iron, it is possible to apply the structure of this application to appliances that generate steam by electricity, such as a humidifier as well as a steam iron.
[0042]
【The invention's effect】
Since the present invention is configured as described above, a steam generator having a long continuous use time can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a steam iron according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the steam iron according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of a fuel cell according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a steam iron according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional steam iron.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Steam iron 12 Fuel tank 14 Power switch 16 Water tank 18 Injection button 20 Bottom plate 22 Vaporizer 24 Pump 26 Water injection pipe 28 Water absorption pipe 30 Heater 38 Spout 40 Fuel cell

Claims (2)

A fuel cell;
Vaporizing means for heating and vaporizing water to form vapor;
Water supply means for sending water generated in the fuel cell to the vaporization means;
Jetting means for jetting steam generated by the vaporizing means from a jet port provided in the main body;
A steam generator characterized by comprising: The steam generator according to claim 1, wherein the power supply unit, the vaporization unit, the water supply unit, and the ejection unit are provided in a main body.

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