JP2017023651A - Steam iron - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steam iron capable of stably securing an optimum steam amount according to the temperature.SOLUTION: A steam iron includes: a base 2 heated by a heater 6; a vaporization chamber 7 formed at the base 2; a water tank 14 for storing water; and a steam pump 20 for forcibly feeding water in the water tank 14 to the vaporization chamber 7. Then, especially, the steam pump 20 uses a DC motor which combines a rotor 40 and a stator 41 as a driving source, and includes a temperature adjustment button 30 for setting the temperature of an ironing surface of the base 2, and a control part 29 for controlling the steam pump 20 so as to vary a liquid supply amount to the vaporization chamber 7, according to the preset temperature of the temperature adjustment button 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a steam iron provided with a steam mechanism used for clothing and the like.

  Conventionally, in this type of steam iron, water stored in a tank is sent out to a vaporizing chamber by a pump, and the vaporized steam is sprayed on clothes to stretch wrinkles.

  In this case, since the automatic pump provided in the steam iron supplies a certain amount of water to the vaporizing chamber, when the temperature of the vaporizing chamber is low, so-called hot water droplets in which the water that has not been vaporized drip, And there was a problem of getting wet around it.

  In order to solve this problem, one having a bimetal valve has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). In this case, when the vaporizing chamber is at a temperature sufficient for vaporizing water, the bimetal opens the space between the pump and the vaporizing chamber, and the water in the tank is fed to the vaporizing chamber by the pump to eject steam. On the other hand, until the vaporization chamber reaches a temperature sufficient for vaporization of water, the gap between the pump and the vaporization chamber is blocked by the bimetal to prevent dripping of water.

JP-A-2-280798

  In the above prior art, the structure is complicated because the steam iron must be provided with a bimetallic valve structure. Further, when the vaporizing chamber reaches a temperature sufficient for vaporizing water, the amount of steam to be ejected is constant regardless of the temperature of the vaporizing chamber, which is inconvenient.

  Then, in view of the said problem, this invention aims at providing the steam iron which can ensure the optimal amount of steam according to temperature stably.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a steam iron that can prevent the supply of excessive liquid by using only a pump without providing a structure for preventing a drop of water by a bimetal.

  The steam iron according to claim 1 comprises a base heated by a heating means, a vaporization chamber formed in the base, a tank for storing liquid, and a pump for supplying the liquid in the tank to the vaporization chamber. In the iron, the pump uses a DC motor as a drive source, and temperature adjusting means for setting the temperature, and the liquid supply amount to the vaporizing chamber is varied according to the set temperature of the temperature adjusting means. And control means for controlling.

  The steam iron according to claim 2, further comprising temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the base, wherein the control means varies the amount of liquid supplied to the vaporization chamber according to the temperature detected by the temperature detection means. The pump is configured to be controlled.

  The steam iron according to claim 3 is provided with steam amount switching means capable of switching and setting the liquid supply amount within a range of the maximum liquid supply amount according to the set temperature of the temperature adjusting means.

  In the steam iron according to the first aspect, the liquid supply amount to the vaporization chamber, which is the amount of steam ejected, is linked to the set temperature by the temperature adjusting means, and the liquid supply amount to the vaporization chamber can be changed by the set temperature. Further, the amount of steam can be stabilized by continuously feeding the liquid into the vaporizing chamber by a pump using a DC motor as a driving source. Therefore, it is possible to stably secure an optimal steam amount corresponding to the set temperature.

  The steam iron according to claim 2 can control the direct current motor as a pump drive source in accordance with the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means and change the amount of liquid supplied to the vaporizing chamber. There is no need to provide a structure, and supply of excess liquid can be prevented with a pump alone.

  In the steam iron according to claim 3, the liquid supply amount fed into the vaporizing chamber is varied in accordance with clothing by the steam amount switching means within the range of the maximum liquid supply amount according to the set temperature of the temperature adjusting means. Can do.

It is sectional drawing of the steam iron in 1st Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing of a steam pump same as the above. It is a block diagram which shows an electrical structure same as the above. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the amount of steam and a hung surface temperature as above. It is a schematic explanatory drawing of the steam iron in 2nd Example of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a steam iron according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 4 show a steam iron according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes an iron body. The iron body 1 is formed on the upper surface of a base 2 formed of, for example, aluminum die casting from the base 2. A heat shield plate 3 for blocking the heat is provided, the upper surface of the heat shield plate 3 is covered with a cover 4, and a handle 5 is attached on the cover 4.

  A heater 6 as a heating means is cast into the base 2, and a vaporization chamber 7 is formed on the upper surface, and the inside of the vaporization chamber 7 is formed through a steam hole 8 provided on a hanging surface which is the lower surface of the base 2. , It communicates with the lower side.

  On the upper surface of the heat shield plate 3, a water passage 9 that is a liquid conduit is provided, and an opening 10 is formed on the upper surface of one end of the water passage 9. An inflow portion 11 and an outflow portion 12 communicating with the opening 10 are formed inside the water passage joint 9.

  Between the heat shield plate 3 and the water passage joint 9, there is disposed a water passage packing 13 that communicates the outflow portion 12 and the vaporization chamber 7 and is sealed so that the water in the water passage joint 9 does not leak to the outside. ing.

  A water tank 14 is disposed between the cover 4 and the handle 5 as a tank for storing liquid, and an outlet 15 is formed at the bottom of the water tank 14. The outflow port 15 is liquid-tightly connected to the opening 10 of the water passage joint 9, and the water, which is the liquid stored in the water tank 14, passes through the opening 10 from the outflow port 15 and the inflow portion 11 of the water passage joint 9. It comes to flow in.

  A water inlet 16 is formed in the upper part of the front surface of the water tank 14, and a water inlet lid 17 is provided in the water inlet 16. The water inlet lid 17 is opened and water is appropriately injected into the water tank 14 from the water inlet 16. Is something that can be done.

  A support rib 18 and a support plate 19 are integrally formed on the upper surface on the other end side of the water passage joint 9, and a direct current motor serving as a liquid feeding device on the water passage joint 9 through the support rib 18 and the support plate 19. A drive-type steam pump 20 is mounted in a vertically long state standing almost vertically.

  The upper and lower surfaces of the steam pump 20 are held by a U-shaped holder 21, and the side surface of the holder 21 is engaged with the side surface of the support plate 19. In this state, the holder 21 is fastened to the support plate 19 with screws 22. It is fixed. Further, the lower surface of the holder 21 is supported by a support rib 18.

  The steam pump 20 has a water inlet 23 at the lower portion of the side surface on the lower end side and a drain outlet 24 at the upper end surface, and an inverted U-shaped water supply pipe 25 is connected to the drain outlet 24.

  The water inlet 23 is inserted into the water passage joint 9, the tip of the water supply pipe 25 is inserted into the outflow portion 12, and the water in the inflow portion 11 is sucked from the water inlet 23 by the operation of the steam pump 20. This water is supplied from the drain port 24 to the outflow part 12 through the water supply pipe 25.

  A thermistor 26 serving as a temperature sensor is provided on the upper surface of the base 2, and a substrate 27 is provided inside the handle 5, and the posture of the iron body 1, that is, the iron body 1 is substantially horizontal or substantially vertical on the substrate 27. A posture sensor 28 is provided to detect the above and is connected to the substrate 27. The thermistor 26 here corresponds to temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the base 2 and thus the vaporizing chamber 7.

  In addition to the control unit 29 which is a control means incorporating a microcomputer on the substrate 27, a temperature for setting the temperature of the lower surface of the base 2 serving as the ironing surface as an operation unit operable by the iron user. A temperature control button 30 as an adjusting means, a steam button 31 that enables the use setting of the iron to be switched to either the steam mode or the dry mode, and within the range of the maximum steam ejection amount based on the set temperature of the temperature control button 30 Steam amount switching buttons 32 serving as steam amount switching means capable of switching and setting the amount of water supplied from the pump 20, that is, the amount of steam ejected from the steam holes 8, are arranged, respectively, and as a display unit for displaying the setting status and the like. A plurality of LEDs 33 are provided. These temperature setting button 30, steam button 31, steam amount adjustment button 32, and LED 33 are arranged so as to be exposed on the upper surface of the handle 5.

  In this case, as shown in the graph of FIG. 4 and Table 1, the temperature adjustment button 30 can set the temperature of the hooking surface in, for example, three stages of 100 ° C., 150 ° C., and 200 ° C., and the maximum steam based on this set temperature. The amount (steam ejection amount) is set so that, for example, 1 ml at 100 ° C., 20 ml at 150 ° C., and 40 ml at 200 ° C. can be secured.

  Further, the steam amount switching button 32 of the present embodiment switches and sets the steam amount in five stages corresponding to a to e in FIG. 4 within the range of the maximum steam amount according to each temperature set by the temperature setting button 30. For example, when the setting temperature of the hanging surface is 100 ° C., the steam amount is 0.2 ml in the first stage, 0.4 ml in the second stage, 0.6 ml in the third stage, and 0 in the fourth stage. .8ml, 5th stage, 1.0ml, which corresponds to the maximum steam volume. When the set surface temperature is 150 ° C, the steam volume is 4.0ml at the 1st stage, 8.0ml at the 2nd stage, 3rd stage. 12.0 ml at the 4th stage, 16.0 ml at the 4th stage, and 20.0 ml at the 5th stage, which corresponds to the maximum steam amount. When the set surface temperature is 200 ° C., the steam amount is 8.0 ml at the 1st stage, 2 16.0 ml at the 3rd stage, 24.0 ml at the 3rd stage, 32.0 m at the 4th stage It is controlled to be 40.0ml matching the maximum amount of steam in the fifth stage. That is, here, the value obtained by multiplying the value obtained by dividing the maximum steam amount at each set temperature by the number of stages (for example, 5-stage setting) that can be switched by the steam amount switching button 32 is multiplied by the number of stages. Steam amount.

  Next, an electrical configuration will be described with reference to FIG. The control unit 29 is configured to perform a series of operations in accordance with a program control sequence stored in a built-in microcomputer storage device (not shown).

  The thermistor 26, the attitude sensor 28, the temperature adjustment button 30, the steam button 31, and the steam amount switching button 32 are connected to the input side of the control unit 29. The heater 6, the steam pump 20, and the LED 33 are connected to the output side. Are connected to each other.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the steam pump 20 is disposed in close contact with a cylindrical pump main body 34 serving as a cylinder and a passage inside the pump main body 34 so as to be reciprocally movable in the axial direction of the pump main body 34. And a plunger 35 serving as a piston.

  The pump body 34 has a water suction port 23 on the side surface on the lower end side and a drain port 24 on the end surface on the upper end side, and between the upper end side of the plunger 35 and the upper end side inner wall portion of the pump body 34, A spring 36 is interposed as an elastic body that biases the plunger 35 downward. The upper end of the spring 36 is fixed to the pump body 34, and the lower end of the spring 36 is fixed to the plunger 35. A rod-shaped shaft 38 is fixed to the lower end wall portion of the pump main body 34 via a packing 37 in the axial direction of the pump main body 34, and the lower end side of the plunger 35 is screwed to the shaft 38 via a screw portion 39. Has been.

  Further, for example, a permanent magnet rotor 40 constituting a DC motor such as a brushless motor or a step motor is integrally incorporated in the lower surface portion of the plunger 35, and an electromagnet stator 41 is disposed on the outer periphery of the pump body 34. The stator 41 is provided with a hall element (not shown) as position detecting means for detecting the rotational position of the rotor 40.

  When the stator 41 is energized by the action of a direct current motor, an electromagnetic force from the stator 41 causes a rotational movement of the rotor 40 inside the pump main body 34, and the rotor 40 and the plunger 35 rotate integrally, and the plunger 35 Is a screw rotational movement by the threaded portion 39 of the shaft 38 and rises while compressing the spring 36. Further, when the energization to the stator 41 is stopped and the power is cut off, the plunger 35 is pressed downward by the restoring force of the spring 36 inside the pump body 34, and the plunger 35 is rotated by the screw portion 39 of the shaft 38. Descend. In this case, the plunger 35 may be rotated in the reverse direction and lowered according to the principle of a DC motor.

  In this way, by repeatedly turning on and off the DC motor stator 41, the plunger 35 integrated with the rotor 40 reciprocates up and down while rotating forward and backward inside the pump body 34, and the water inlet 14 from the water tank 14. The water absorbed through the pump main body 34 is fed to the vaporizing chamber 7 through the drain port 24. The amount of water supplied from the steam pump 20 can be arbitrarily increased or decreased by changing the timing of power interruption to the stator 41.

  Reference numeral 42 denotes a cord reel unit incorporated in the rear part of the iron body 1. The cord reel unit 42 includes a drum-like rotatable winding body 43, a flexible power cord 44 wound around the winding body 43, and a power plug 45 provided at the tip of the power cord 44. The power cord 44 is appropriately pulled out from the wound body 43 and the power plug 45 is inserted into a commercial power outlet (not shown) so that desired power is supplied to each part of the iron body 1. It has become.

  Next, the operation of the steam iron having the above configuration will be described. When the steam iron of this embodiment is used, first, in a state where power is supplied to each part of the iron body 1, the temperature adjustment button 30 provided on the upper surface of the handle 5 is operated to change the temperature of the hooking surface of the base 2. Set up. In response to this operation, the heater 6 is energized and the temperature of the base 2 rises.

  At this time, the temperature of the base 2 is sequentially detected by the thermistor 26, and based on this detection signal, the control unit 29 controls the power interruption of the heater 6, and the temperature of the base 2 serving as the hooking surface becomes the set temperature of the temperature adjustment button 30. Kept.

  In this state, when the steam button 31 is pressed to switch from the dry mode that shuts off the water supply from the water tank 14 to the vaporization chamber 7 to the steam mode that enables the water supply, The steam pump 20 is actuated by the drive signal so that the water in the water tank 14 is supplied into the vaporizing chamber 7 of the base 2, and the vaporized vapor is sequentially ejected from the steam hole 8 to the lower surface side of the base 2.

  In the present embodiment, a control unit 29 that variably controls the maximum amount of water supplied to the vaporizing chamber 7 by the steam pump 20 in accordance with the temperature set by the temperature adjustment button 30 is provided. Therefore, the maximum supply amount of water to the vaporizing chamber 7, that is, the maximum steam amount ejected from the steam hole 8 can be optimally changed according to the set temperature of the temperature control button 30. In addition, since the steam pump 20 is a direct current motor drive type, the rotation control of the rotor 40 is easier than the alternating current motor drive type, the amount of steam can be finely controlled, and water is continuously fed into the vaporization chamber 7, The amount of steam can be stabilized.

  Further, the controller 29 detects the surface temperature of the base 2 that changes one by one with the thermistor 26 and supplies the steam amount according to the detected temperature of the thermistor 26 as shown in the graph of FIG. Control the behavior. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide a hot water droplet prevention structure by bimetal, and the relationship between the surface temperature of the base 2 and the steam amount can be finely secured only by the steam pump 20, and supply of excessive liquid can be prevented.

  Note that when the temperature detected by the thermistor 26 of the base 2 is 100 ° C. or less, the control unit 29 does not operate the steam pump 20 even if the steam button 31 is pressed, and water is not supplied to the vaporizing chamber 7. To control. As a result, even if a bimetal type water droplet prevention structure is not provided, since water exceeding the vaporization capacity is not supplied to the vaporization chamber 7, there is no fear that the water that has not vaporized will drip with steam and wet clothes. .

  Further, since the steam amount switching button 32 capable of setting the steam amount in a plurality of stages within the range of the maximum steam amount based on the temperature set by the temperature setting button 30 is provided, for example, as shown in the graph of FIG. In addition, the steam amount can be set in a plurality of stages within the range of the maximum steam amount, and the relationship between the contact surface temperature and the steam amount can be further ensured.

  For example, in this embodiment, when the steam amount is set to the fifth level with the steam amount switching button 32, the relationship between the application surface temperature and the steam amount follows the graph e, and when the steam amount is set to the fourth step, the application surface temperature and the steam amount. When the steam amount is set at the third level, the relationship between the amounts is according to the graph d, the relationship between the surface temperature and the steam amount is according to the graph c, and when the steam amount is set at the second level, the relationship between the surface temperature and the steam amount is When the steam amount is set to the first level according to the graph b, the relationship between the application surface temperature and the steam amount follows the graph a. Thus, the control unit 29 controls the operation of the steam pump 20 so that the amount of steam ejected from the steam hole 8 can be finely changed based on the temperature detected by the thermistor 26 at the base 2.

  Specifically, the maximum steam amount when the set temperature of the hooking surface is 150 ° C is larger than when the set temperature is 100 ° C and less than 20 ° C when the set temperature is 200 ° C. Below, when the steam amount is set to the third level by the steam amount switching button 32, 12 ml of steam is smaller than when the steam amount is set to the second level and smaller than when the steam amount is set to the fourth level. The amount is secured. For this reason, the amount of steam can be varied in accordance with the type of clothing and the like, and the effectiveness of the steam iron is improved.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the base 2 heated by the heater 6 as the heating means, the vaporization chamber 7 formed in the base 2, the water tank 14 as a tank for storing liquid water, In the steam iron provided with the steam pump 20 as a pump for supplying the water in the tank 14 to the vaporizing chamber 7 by pressure, the steam pump 20 uses a direct current motor in which the rotor 40 and the stator 41 are combined as a drive source, and the rotor As a temperature adjusting means for converting the forward / reverse rotational motion of 40 into the vertical reciprocating motion of the plunger 35 and repeatedly sucking and discharging water into the pump body 34 and further setting the temperature of the hanging surface of the base 2 The temperature adjustment button 30 and the steam supply amount to the vaporizing chamber 7 are varied according to the set temperature of the temperature adjustment button 30. A control unit 29 serving as a control means for controlling the pump 20, and a.

  In this case, the amount of liquid supplied to the vaporizing chamber 7 that is the amount of steam ejected can be linked to the temperature set by the temperature adjustment button 30, and the amount of liquid supplied to the vaporizing chamber 7 can be changed by the set temperature. Further, the steam amount can be stabilized by continuously feeding the liquid into the vaporizing chamber 7 by the steam pump 20 using a DC motor having the rotor 40 and the stator 41 as a drive source. Therefore, it is possible to stably secure an optimum steam amount corresponding to the temperature set by the temperature adjustment button 30 as the steam iron.

  The steam iron of this embodiment further includes a thermistor 26 as temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the base 2, and the control unit 29 controls the amount of liquid supplied to the vaporizing chamber 7 according to the temperature detected by the thermistor 26. The steam pump 20 is controlled to be variable.

  In this case, the amount of liquid supplied to the vaporizing chamber 7 can be changed by controlling the direct current motor serving as the driving source of the steam pump 20 in accordance with the temperature detected by the thermistor 26. There is no need, and only the steam pump 20 can prevent supply of excess liquid.

  Further, the steam iron of the present embodiment is provided with a steam amount switching button 32 as a steam amount switching means capable of variably setting the steam amount in a plurality of stages within the range of the maximum steam amount based on the set temperature of the temperature control button 30. ing.

  In this case, within the range of the maximum liquid supply amount corresponding to the set temperature of the temperature adjustment button 30, the liquid supply amount sent into the vaporizing chamber 7 can be variously changed by the steam amount switching button 32 according to the clothing or the like. .

  Next, the steam iron of 2nd Example of this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same part as the said 1st Example, and description of the same location is abbreviate | omitted.

  Conventional cordless steam irons were designed to release steam continuously from the specified location of the heated base for the purpose of stretching wrinkles such as clothing, but when using the steam function continuously The temperature of the base is lowered with the lapse of time, and water is not sufficiently vaporized, resulting in inconvenience that the amount of steam discharged is reduced. In addition, the base temperature drop may cause undesired water remaining in the vaporizing chamber during ironing to leak from the steam discharge point and leak, which is also inconvenient in use.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, in the steam iron that ejects water from the water tank 14 as steam from the lower surface of the base 2, the internal pressure is reduced by sucking air in the vaporizing chamber 7. An intake device 51 such as a vacuum pump is provided inside the iron body 1. Further, here, the iron body 1 is detachably placed on an ironing board (not shown), and when the ironing body 1 is placed at a predetermined position on the ironing board, power is supplied to the ironing body 1 through the ironing board. It has the composition of.

  For example, when the base 2 is heated to a set temperature, the control unit 29 operates the intake device 51 for a predetermined time, sucks air in the vaporization chamber 7, and lowers the pressure in the vaporization chamber 7. And when it switches to the steam mode which turns on discharge | release of steam with the steam button 31, the water dripped at the vaporization chamber 7 from the water tank 14 is vaporized at a lower temperature. Thereby, the continuous use time of the steam spouted from the lower surface of the base 2 can be extended, and undesired water remaining in the vaporizing chamber 7 can be removed from the steam hole by vaporizing water at a temperature lower than usual. It is possible to prevent the liquid from dropping from 8 and leaking, improving usability.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the operation of opening and closing the path between the water tank 14 and the vaporization chamber 7 to supply the water to the vaporization chamber 7 and the water tank 14 that stores the liquid water. A steam iron having a steam button 31 as a unit is provided with an intake device 51 that lowers the pressure in the vaporizing chamber 7 below atmospheric pressure. Therefore, when the steam button 31 is operated to open the path between the water tank 14 and the vaporizing chamber 7, the temperature at which water dripped from the water tank 14 evaporates can be lowered, and the steam hole 8 It is possible to increase the continuous use time of steam while preventing dripping.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said each Example, A various deformation | transformation implementation is possible. For example, in the first embodiment, the number of steps of the set temperature by the temperature adjustment button 30, the range of the steam ejection amount by the steam amount switching button 32, and the number of switching steps can be selected as appropriate. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which enables these setting temperature and steam ejection amount to be switched continuously.

2 Base 6 Heater (heating means)
7 Vaporization chamber 8 Steam hole 14 Water tank (tank)
20 Steam pump (pump)
26 Thermistor (temperature detection means)
29 Control means (control unit)
30 Temperature control button (temperature control means)
32 Steam amount switching button (steam amount switching means)

Claims (3)

A base heated by a heating means;
A vaporization chamber formed in the base;
A tank for storing liquid,
In a steam iron provided with a pump for supplying the liquid in the tank to the vaporization chamber,
The pump uses a DC motor as a drive source,
Temperature adjusting means for setting the temperature;
A steam iron, comprising: control means for controlling the pump so as to vary a liquid supply amount to the vaporization chamber in accordance with a set temperature of the temperature adjusting means. A temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the base;
2. The steam iron according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control the pump so as to vary a liquid supply amount to the vaporization chamber in accordance with a temperature detected by the temperature detection unit. . 3. The steam iron according to claim 1, further comprising a steam amount adjusting means capable of setting a steam amount within a range of a maximum steam amount based on a set temperature of the temperature adjusting means.

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