JP3292142B2 - Steam iron - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steam iron used to smooth wrinkles of clothes and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of steam iron has been configured as shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the configuration will be described.

As shown in the figure, a heater 1 heats a base 2, and a water tank 3 is arranged above the base 2. The vaporization chamber 4 vaporizes the water in the water tank 3 to generate steam. The pump device 5 supplies the water in the water tank 3 to the vaporization chamber 4, and the discharge port 6 of the pump device 5 is closed by a check valve 7.

The lid 8 sandwiches the check valve 7 with the bottom of the discharge port 6 of the pump device 5 to form a water passage 9 below the water tank 3, and an inlet of a water guide 10 forming a water guide passage. An opening 13 is provided which is water-tightly connected with a connection packing 12 made of a flexible material such as rubber. Thermal responsive on-off valve device 1
4 controls the supply of water to the vaporization chamber 4 based on the temperature of the base 2.

When the vaporization chamber 4 is heated to the vaporization temperature of water, the thermally responsive member 15 senses the heat of the base 2 and reverses upward when the vaporization chamber 4 is heated to the vaporization temperature of water. And the water passage 9 is opened. In this state, when the operation unit 16 of the pump device 5 is moved up and down, water in the pump device 5 is repelled by the check valve 7 against the urging force of the check valve 7.
Is pushed down, and water is pushed out vigorously into the water passage 9 from the discharge port 6 of the opened pump device 5. The water is water carrier 1
The water is supplied to the vaporization chamber 4 through the headrace channel formed at zero and is vaporized, and the increased amount of steam can be ejected.

[0006]

In such a conventional configuration, the water tank 3 is provided to secure the water passage 9 and to clamp the check valve 7 with the bottom of the discharge port 6 of the pump device 5.
The lid 8 is required at the bottom of the water tank 3. Therefore, the bottom of the water tank 3 must be placed at the top. If the appearance and size of the iron cannot be changed for convenience, the capacity of the water tank 3 is reduced. When the ironing becomes small and ironing is performed for a long time, there is a problem that the ironing must be interrupted to supply water.

In consideration of the time from when the steam is operated to when the steam is blown out from the base 2, the water passage 9 formed by the lid 8 is narrow. Short and convenient. For this reason, the lid 8 and the check valve 7 are formed as small as possible, and there is a high possibility that the set of the check valve 7 varies in terms of assembly, and thus the discharge port of the pump device 5 of the check valve 7. There is a large possibility that the urging force to the pressure vessel 6 varies, and there is a problem that water in the pump device 5 may leak to the vaporization chamber 4 via the water passage 9.

When the pump device 5 is operated to continuously eject the increased amount of steam, the heat of the base 2 becomes lower than the vaporization temperature of water, and the heat responsive member 15 made of bimetal senses the heat of the base 2. Inverted downward, the thermally responsive on-off valve device 1
4 falls and the water passage 9 closes. At this time, since the water supplied by the pump device 5 is filled in the water passage 9 and the pressure is increased, the heat of the base 2 becomes higher than the vaporization temperature of the water again, and the heat responsive member 15 However, even if the heat is sensed and turned upside down, the pressure in the water passage 9 causes the thermally responsive on-off valve device 14 not to be pushed up, so that the increased steam cannot be ejected.

When the heat responsive on-off valve device 14 is lowered and the water passage 9 is closed as described above, the opening 13 of the water passage 9 and the inflow port 11 of the water guide 10 are closed.
If the sealing pressure of the connection packing 12 between them is weak, there is a problem that water leaks from the connection between the opening 13 of the water passage 9 and the inflow port 11 of the water conduit 10 and contaminates clothes and the like. .

[0010] The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, without changing the appearance and size of the iron.
In other words, by increasing the capacity of the tank without changing the usability of the iron and reducing the number of times of water replenishment, ironing can be performed more efficiently, and steam is reliably stopped to finish the clothing. It has a purpose to be increased.

[0011]

[0012]

The present invention SUMMARY OF] To achieve the above Symbol purpose, to form a vaporization chamber in the base of heating by the heater, heat responsive when the vaporization chamber is heated to the vaporization temperature of the water A water conduit is opened by an opening / closing device to circulate water, and water in a tank storing water to be supplied to the vaporization chamber is supplied to the vaporization chamber by a pump device to generate steam. A headrace that guides the water in the tank to the vaporization chamber is attached to the base with a headrace mounting plate, and a headrace packing is interposed between the headrace mounting plate and the headrace, so that the headrace packing and the headrace serve as the headrace. And an inlet for a water guide connected to the outlet of the pump device
Is closed by a check valve, and the check valve is
It is formed integrally with the headrace packing by being urged to the inlet side .

This makes ironing more efficient without changing the appearance and size of the iron, ie without increasing the usability of the iron, by increasing the capacity of the tank and reducing the number of refills of water. To be able to do well and be in the pump device
To prevent water from leaking through the headrace to the vaporization chamber.
It is possible to reliably stop the steam and enhance the finishing effect of the clothes.

[0014]

[0015]

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is directed to a base heated by a heater, a vaporization chamber formed in the base, a tank for storing water supplied to the vaporization chamber, and a tank inside the tank. A pump device that supplies water to the vaporization chamber to generate steam, a water guide that guides water in the tank to the vaporization chamber, a water channel mounting plate that mounts the water body on the base, and a water channel mounting plate. Interposed between the water guide
The provided water guide member and the water conduit packing to form a water channel in the said water conduit thermally responsive switch device for circulating water open when the vaporization chamber is heated to the vaporization temperature of water, the Connect the outlet of the pump device to the inlet of the water guide.
And the inlet is closed by a check valve.
At the same time, the check valve is closed so as to close the inflow port.
It was formed integrally with the headrace packing by being urged to the mouth side, and was formed with a lid at the bottom of the tank by forming a water passage that was conventionally formed with a lid in the water guide. Since the water passage can be eliminated and the bottom of the tank can be lowered, the capacity of the tank can be increased without changing the appearance and size of the iron, that is, without changing the usability of the iron. .
For this reason, the number of times of water replenishment can be reduced,
Ironing can be more efficient.

Further, by integrally forming the headrace packing and the check valve for closing the discharge port of the pump device,
Because the bottom of the check valve can be made large,
The check valve can be reliably set, and the urging force of the check valve to the discharge port of the pump device can be stabilized. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the water in the pump device from leaking into the vaporization chamber via the headrace, and to surely stop the steam to enhance the finishing effect of the clothes.

[0018]

[0019]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the iron body 1
Reference numeral 7 denotes a base 19 heated by the heater 18, a vaporization chamber 22 for generating steam spouted from a spouting hole 21 formed in the base 19 covered with the cover plate 20, and a base 19.
And a pump device 24 for supplying water in the tank 23 to the vaporization chamber 22. A discharge port 25 of the pump device 24 has a tank bottom member 26.
And a connection packing 28 for watertight connection.

The discharge port 27 of the tank bottom member 26 is
The water inlet 29 of the water guide 29 that guides water to the vaporization chamber 22 is water-tightly connected to a second connection packing 31. Here, the sealing pressure of the connection packing 28 is set to be weaker than the sealing pressure of the second connection packing 31 depending on the size of the seal portion, the shape of the seal portion, and the like.

The pump device 24 includes an operating portion 32 formed on the upper portion of the tank 23 so as to be vertically movable, and a piston 34 formed of a flexible material which slides up and down in a cylinder 33 by operating the operating portion 32. , A button spring 35 for urging the operation unit 32 upward. The cylinder 33 is provided with a pumping channel 36 below and a check valve 37 made of steel balls or the like for opening and closing the pumping channel 36.

The thermally responsive on-off valve device 38 opens and closes the valve device 41 by the up-and-down movement of the thermally responsive member 39 made of a bimetal incorporated in the base 19 in the vicinity of the vaporization chamber 22 due to the reversing operation and the reaction force of the valve spring 40. It is configured to work.

The water conduit mounting plate 42 is formed of a metal plate, and the water conduit 29 is attached thereto. A water conduit packing 43 made of heat-resistant rubber is interposed between the water conduit mounting plate 42 and the water conduit 29. The water conduit 29 is formed by the water conduit 29 and the water conduit packing 43, and water is supplied from the water outlet 45 to the vaporization chamber 22.

The water guide 29 is provided with a hole 48 through which a valve seat 46 and a valve shaft 47 constituting the valve device 41 of the thermally responsive on-off valve device 38 are vertically movably inserted. The valve device 41 is configured to be opened and closed by the valve packing 49 and the valve seat 46.

As shown in FIG. 3, the inflow port 30 of the water guide 29 communicating with the discharge port 27 of the tank bottom member 26 communicates with the upper part of the hole 48 by a communication portion 50 inside the water guide 29. The check valve 51 closes the discharge port 25 of the pump device 24, that is, the inflow port 30 of the water guide 29, and is formed integrally with the water channel packing 43. Water guide lid 52
Covers the upper part of the water guide 29.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. First, when the heater 18 is energized and the vaporization chamber 22 is heated to the vaporization temperature of water, the heat responsive member 39 reverses upward,
By displacing the thermally responsive on-off valve device 38 upward, the valve packing 49 is separated from the valve seat 46, and the communication part 50 in the water guide 29 and the water guide passage 44 are connected.

Here, the pump device 24 can be operated by moving the operating portion 32 up and down, and the water in the cylinder 33 closes the outlet of the inlet 30 of the water guide 29 by the reciprocating motion of the piston 34. The check valve 51 is depressed against the urging force of the check valve 51, and from the inlet 30 of the opened water guide 29 through the communication portion 50 to the water passage 44.
Water is pushed out to the inside vigorously.

The water discharged into the water conduit 44 is supplied to the vaporization chamber 22.
To generate steam, and the steam is ejected from the ejection holes 21. This steam can be continued for a predetermined time by operating the operation unit 32 in relation to the temperature decrease of the vaporization chamber 22.

When the temperature of the vaporizing chamber 22 becomes equal to or lower than the vaporizing temperature of water, the heat responsive member 39 senses the temperature and performs a reversing operation downward, so that the valve packing 49 is pressed against the valve seat 46 and the water guide 29 is pressed. The communication between the communication section 50 and the water conduit 44 is shut off. In this state, even if the pump device 24 is operated, water is not supplied to the vaporization chamber 22, and the water discharged to the discharge port 27 depends on the sealing pressure of the connection packing 28, such as the size of the seal portion, the shape of the seal portion, and the like. As a result, the second connection packing 31
Is set to be weaker than the sealing pressure of the connection packing 28, so that the connection packing 28 is returned into the tank 23 from the sealing portion.

Here, the seal pressure of the connection packing 28 is lower than the valve opening operation pressure of the thermally responsive on-off valve device 38, and the seal pressure of the second connection packing 31 is higher than the valve opening operation pressure of the thermally responsive on-off valve device 38. If the heat of the vaporization chamber 22 becomes higher than the vaporization temperature of water again, and the heat responsive member 39 senses the heat of the vaporization chamber 22 and reverses upward, the water The pressure in the passage is thermally responsive on-off valve device 3
8, the thermally responsive on-off valve device 38 can be displaced upward to communicate with the vaporization chamber 22 to discharge increased steam.

In addition, by forming the water passage formed in the conventional lid by the water guide 29, the bottom of the tank 23 can be lowered, so that the appearance and size of the iron are not changed, that is, The capacity of the tank 23 can be increased without changing the usability of the iron. For this reason, the number of times of replenishing water can be reduced, and ironing can be performed more efficiently.

[0033]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a base heated by a heater, a vaporization chamber formed in the base, and a tank for storing water supplied to the vaporization chamber are provided. A pump device for supplying water in the tank to the vaporization chamber to generate steam; a water guide for guiding the water in the tank to the vaporization chamber; a water channel mounting plate for mounting the water guide on the base; a water conduit packing to form a water channel between the water guide member interposed between the waterways mounting plate the water guide member, the water channel to be open when the said vaporization chamber is heated to the vaporization temperature of the water water And a heat-responsive opening / closing device for flowing the water.
Connect to the inlet and close the inlet with a check valve
And the check valve closes the inflow port.
Because the integrally formed with the water conduit packing so urged the inlet side, it is possible to eliminate the water passage has been formed in the lid at the bottom of the tank, it is possible to lower the bottom of the tank Therefore, the capacity of the tank can be increased without changing the appearance and size of the iron, that is, without changing the usability of the iron. For this reason, the number of times of replenishing water can be reduced, and ironing can be performed more efficiently.

Further, by integrally forming the headrace packing and the check valve for closing the discharge port of the pump device,
Since the bottom of the check valve can be made large,
The check valve can be reliably set, and the urging force of the check valve to the discharge port of the pump device can be stabilized. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the water in the pump device from leaking into the vaporization chamber via the headrace, and to surely stop the steam to enhance the finishing effect of the clothes.

[0035]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway sectional view of a steam iron according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the steam iron.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a water guide of the steam iron.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway sectional view of a conventional steam iron.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 18 heater 19 base 22 vaporization chamber 23 tank 24 pump device 25 discharge port 29 water guide 38 heat-responsive opening / closing valve device 42 water guide channel mounting plate 43 water channel packing 44 water channel 51 check valve

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Mamoru Ikeshima 1006 Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-61-263493 (JP, A) JP-A-8-150296 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) D06F 75/14

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A base heated by a heater, a vaporization chamber formed in the base, a tank for storing water to be supplied to the vaporization chamber, and a pump for supplying water in the tank to the vaporization chamber to generate steam. in the device, a water guide member for guiding the water in the tank to the vaporization chamber, and a water conduit mounting plate for mounting the water guide member to the base, and the water guide member interposed between the headrace mounting plate and the water guide member A headrace packing forming a headrace, and a thermally responsive opening / closing device for opening the headrace and flowing water when the vaporization chamber is heated to the vaporization temperature of water, and a discharge port of the pump device. The flow of the conduit
Connect to the inlet and close the inlet with a check valve
And the check valve closes the inflow port.
And a steam iron formed integrally with the headrace packing by urging the same toward the same inlet side .