JP3371999B2 - Steam iron - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to steam irons.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional steam iron, the spouting of steam from the base is controlled according to the temperature of the base. The temperature of the base can be set by the user through an operation unit provided on a handle or the like above the iron body. The steam can be jetted only when this setting is set to the maximum temperature or a temperature close to the maximum temperature. When steam is ejected, the amount is constant and the amount of steam itself cannot be changed. The reason why the steam can be ejected only when the temperature of the base is high is that water cannot be sufficiently vaporized when the temperature of the base is low.

Recently, there has been proposed a steam iron using an electric pump device to feed water from a water tank in the iron body to a vaporization chamber in the base. In this steam iron, the amount of water sent from the water tank to the vaporization chamber can be varied by controlling the pump device, so even when the temperature of the base is low, by reducing the amount of water sent by the pump device to send water to the vaporization chamber, It can ironing while ejecting steam. However, even in the case of adjusting the water supply amount in this way, conventionally, the water supply amount was controlled only according to the temperature of the base.

[0004]

As described above, in the conventional steam iron, the amount of water to be sent is controlled only in accordance with the temperature of the base, but this is not sufficient in terms of user friendliness. is there. That is, in order to perform more appropriate ironing, it is desired that the amount of steam can be freely adjusted no matter where the temperature of the base is set. For example, even when the temperature set to the highest temperature, and when it is desired to generate a limited Ri <br/> large amount of steam that can be, and if it is desired to suppress the amount of steam minutely from energy saving point of view is.

Therefore, it is conceivable to add an operation unit such as a button or a knob for setting the vapor amount, in addition to an operation unit such as a button or a knob for setting the temperature of the base. But,
Providing two operation units to be operated intentionally makes the operation complicated for the user and makes it difficult to perform an appropriate operation. For example, although the temperature of the base is low, a large amount of water is supplied, which may lead to an erroneous operation such as water dripping due to insufficient vaporization.

The present invention is intended to solve such a problem and increases the amount of steam generated when actually required.
However, when it is not needed, do not release a large amount of steam unnecessarily.
Then, it aims at providing the steam iron which can adjust the amount of steam irrespective of temperature setting, and can perform the operation for it naturally naturally. Moreover, in this steam iron, it aims at being able to obtain an appropriate amount of water supply according to the temperature of the base.

[0007]

In order to achieve the former object, a steam iron according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises an iron body having a handle portion at the upper portion, and a base provided at the lower portion of the iron body. , A heater provided on the base, a water tank provided on the iron body, a vaporization chamber provided on the base and communicating with a steam jet outlet, and water supplied from the water tank to the vaporization chamber and the amount of water supplied can be varied. The water feeding means, the pressure detecting means provided on the upper surface of the surface of the handle portion for detecting the pressure applied to the handle portion from the outside, and the pressure detected by the pressure detecting means is large.
And a control means for controlling the amount of water supplied by the water supply means so that the amount of water supplied increases .

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the steam iron according to the first aspect of the invention, in order to achieve the latter object as well, a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the base is provided, and the control means is the The amount of water supplied by the water supply unit is controlled according to the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit and the temperature of the base.

[0009]

In the steam iron according to the invention of claim 1, when ironing, the base is heated by the heater, and in some cases, the water is sent from the water tank to the vaporization chamber of the base by the water supply means. Is vaporized, and steam is jetted from the steam outlet of the base. When ironing, the user holds the handle and slides the base over the object to be ironed. At this time, the force with which the user's hand presses the handle portion is detected by the pressure detection means, and the control means controls the amount of water supplied by the water supply means based on this.
The user, when ironing, for example, strongly involuntarily force on the handle part is when you want to lengthen wrinkles In addition, on the other hand, are those that take the action that does not put too much force when ironing small items, more steam And need
Therefore, a greater force is applied to the handle part. This
On the other hand, the pressure detected by the pressure detection means is large.
As it gets older, the amount of water sent to the vaporization chamber increases, so
It will generate more steam when it is actually needed.
Conversely, when unnecessary, a large amount of steam is emitted unnecessarily.
There is no waste, no waste, and it is economical. More general
In addition, when ironing, the user pushes the iron down.
Since you apply force as you apply it, this method of applying force is suitable.
For pressure detection, install the pressure detection means on the upper surface of the handle.
It is appropriate to kick.

Further, in the steam iron according to the second aspect of the present invention, the temperature detecting means detects the temperature of the base, but the water supply amount is controlled according to the force of the user's hand pressing the handle and the temperature of the base. To be done. As a result, not only the pressure applied to the handle portion but also the temperature of the base can be obtained so that an appropriate amount of water can be obtained.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the steam iron of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, which is a cross-sectional view of the entire steam iron, 1 is an iron body, and a handle portion 2 is provided on the iron body 1 and a base 3 is provided on the lower portion. A heater 4 for heating is provided in the base 3, and a temperature detecting element 5 which is a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the base 3 is provided.

Further, the iron body 1 has a water tank 11
Is provided. The water tank 11 is removable, for example, and can be replenished with water A from the outside as appropriate. On the other hand, a vaporization chamber 12 is provided in the base 3. The vaporization chamber 12 communicates with a steam outlet 13 that opens on the lower surface of the base 3. The water tank 11 and the vaporization chamber 12 below the water tank 11 are communicated with each other by water passages 14 and 15 such as water passages. An electric pump 16 as a means is provided. This electric pump 16 supplies water from the water tank 11 to the vaporization chamber 12, but, for example, by changing the rotational speed of the rotor for water supply or by changing the oscillation frequency for driving the plunger of the electromagnetic pump, It is possible to change the amount of water sent.

On the upper surface of the handle portion 2 of the iron body 1, pressure detecting means made of conductive pressure sensitive rubber is provided.
21 are provided. The pressure detecting means 21 is provided in the handle portion 2.
The pressure applied from the outside, that is, the force with which the user's hand presses the handle portion 2 is detected, and this pressure is converted into an electric signal and output. In particular, like the present embodiment, when the pressure detecting means 21 is made of an elastic body, the pressure detecting means 21 does not necessarily need to project from the surface of the handle portion 2. The pressure detecting means 21 may be provided on the surface of the bar-shaped handle portion 2 which is long in the front-rear direction, not only the upper surface portion as in this embodiment but also the side surface portion or the lower surface portion. The advantages of each of these positions will be described later. Further, the pressure detecting means 21 is a conductive pressure-sensitive rubber,
A strain gauge or a structure that mechanically detects pressure may be used.

Further, in the iron body 1, a circuit board 22 is arranged on the handle portion 2, and a control circuit 23 as a control means is formed on the circuit board 22. Also,
The heater 4, the temperature detecting element 5, the electric pump 16 and the pressure detecting means 21 are electrically connected to the circuit board 22 by electric wires 24, 25 and 26, and a changeover switch 27 as an operating means and a display means. And a display unit 28 as. The changeover switch 27 is used by the user to make various settings such as temperature and whether steam is generated, and is composed of one push button switch, but may be composed of a plurality of switches. The display unit 28 also displays the current setting state of the temperature of the base 3 and the like. The temperature may be indicated by a number, but it may also be indicated by a typical material such as hemp, cotton, and synthetic fiber, which temperature is compatible with.
Further, the display unit 28 may display the generated vapor amount by using a plurality of light emitting diodes arranged side by side. Incidentally, 29 is a power cord for supplying power to the control circuit 23.

Next, the structure of the control circuit 23 will be described with reference to FIG. The control circuit 23 includes a microcomputer 31 that operates according to a program stored in advance.
The microcomputer 31 includes an electric signal output from the changeover switch 27 and the temperature detection element 5
The electric signal corresponding to the temperature of the base 3 and the electric signal corresponding to the pressure value outputted from the pressure detecting means 21 are inputted. Then, in each mode that is switched by the signal from the changeover switch 27, the energization of the heater 4 is controlled via the heater drive circuit 32 based on the detected temperature of the base 3, and the actual temperature of the base 3 is controlled by the feedback control. Make sure that the target temperature is maintained. In addition, the microcomputer 31 has a base 3 in each mode.
A proper amount of water is calculated from the temperature of the water and the pressure detected by the pressure detection means 21, and the electric pump 16 is driven through the pump drive circuit 33 to move the water tank 11 to the vaporization chamber.
Make sure that the proper amount of water A is sent to 12. Further, the microcomputer 31 controls the display unit 28 via the display drive circuit 34.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the pressure detected by the pressure detecting means 21 and the calculated water supply amount.
In the same figure, the broken line graph indicates that the temperature of the base 3 is high, and the dashed line graph indicates that the temperature of the base 3 is medium temperature (150
C.), the two-dot chain line graph shows the case where the temperature of the base 3 is low (120.degree. C.). In either case, the amount of water supplied is 0 and the water is not supplied until the pressure reaches a predetermined value PL from 0. The amount of water sent when the pressure is PL is VL. On the other hand, when the pressure exceeds a predetermined value PH, the water supply amount VH1, VH2, VH3 becomes maximum and becomes constant, but the maximum water supply amount VH1 at high temperature, the maximum water supply amount VH2 at medium temperature and the maximum water supply at low temperature are obtained. The relationship with the water volume VH3 is VH1> V
H2> VH3. Then, at each temperature, (PL,
(PH), (VL, VH1), (VL, VH2), (VL
, VH3). Further, the maximum water supply amounts VH1, VH2, VH3 at each temperature match the maximum vaporizable amount at that temperature. Furthermore, the maximum water supply amount VH1 at high temperature also matches the maximum possible water supply amount in terms of the capacity of the electric pump 16.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. When using, the user holds the handle part 2 with one hand,
First, by operating the changeover switch 27, it is possible to select the mode, that is, the temperature of the base 3 and the presence / absence of steam generation in accordance with the cloth to be ironed. The mode is "low temperature" every time the changeover switch 27 is pressed.
→ "Low temperature steam" → "Medium temperature" → "Medium temperature steam" →
It cyclically changes from "high temperature" to "high temperature steam".

When ironing, the heater 4 heats the base 3. When the steam mode is selected, the water A is sent from the water tank 11 to the vaporization chamber 12 of the base 3 by driving the electric pump 16, where the water A vaporizes and steam is generated. , Generated steam is base 3
It spouts from the steam spout 13 on the lower surface of. The amount of steam generated depends on the amount of water sent by the electric pump 16.

During such ironing, the user performs a work such as grasping the handle portion 2 and sliding the base 3 on the cloth. At this time, the user's hand detects the pressure of the handle portion 2. The means 21 is pressed, and the pressure is detected by the pressure detecting means 21. That is, an electric signal corresponding to the magnitude of the pressure applied by the hand is transmitted to the control circuit 23. At the same time, the temperature detection element 5 also transmits an electric signal corresponding to the temperature of the base 3 to the control circuit 23. Then, the control circuit 23
As shown in FIG. 3, an appropriate water supply amount is obtained based on the temperature of the base 3 and the pressure detected by the pressure detecting means 21, and the electric pump 16 is driven. As a result, the water A is sent to the vaporization chamber 12 by the appropriate amount of water sent.

At the time of ironing, for example, when the user wants to strongly and wrinkle-extend, he or she unintentionally applies a force to the handle portion 2 to push the iron hard, while the ironing of small items does not require much force. It is taken. That is, generally, a greater force is applied to the handle portion 2 when more steam is required. On the other hand, as the pressure detected by the pressure detecting means 21 increases, the amount of water A sent to the vaporization chamber 12 increases, so that the amount of steam generated increases when actually required. . On the contrary, when it is not needed, a large amount of steam is not emitted unnecessarily, so that there is no waste and it is economical.
As described above, according to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, the amount of steam can be adjusted without depending on the temperature setting, and the operation for that can be naturally and easily performed. It is possible to provide a steam iron that is easy to use.

Further, there is a changeover switch 27 for selecting whether or not to generate steam, but in actual use, the user
Whether or not steam is generated can be freely selected by consciously adjusting the gripping force of the handle portion 2. Therefore, it is not necessary to frequently switch the changeover switch 27 for that purpose, and the operability is improved.

Further, until the pressure detected by the pressure detecting means 21 reaches the predetermined value PL, it is judged that the handle portion 2 is not gripped and water is not supplied. Therefore,
Steam is not generated unless the handle portion 2 is actually gripped for ironing, so that unnecessary energy is not consumed, it is economical, and handling safety is improved.

By the way, when the mode is set to "low temperature steam" or "medium temperature steam", the base 3
The amount of water that can be vaporized in the vaporization chamber 12 is lower than that at high temperature. However, in this case, the maximum water flow rates VH2 and VH3 are suppressed to a lower level, and no matter how strongly the pressure detection means 21 is pressed, the amount of water A exceeding the vaporization capacity in the vaporization chamber 12 is larger than that in the vaporization chamber.
Not sent to 12. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a problem such as water dripping from the steam outlet 13 due to insufficient vaporization.

Further, the amount of steam generated, which is determined according to the amount of water sent by the electric pump 16, is displayed on the display unit 28. Therefore, the user can proceed with ironing by observing the display unit 28 while clearly recognizing the force applied to the handle unit 2.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example,
As described above, the pressure detecting means 21 may be provided not only on the upper surface of the handle portion 2 but also on the side surface or the lower surface. Generally, when ironing, the user applies a force by pressing the iron down, so to properly detect how to apply this force, the pressure detecting means 21 is provided with a handle part as in the above embodiment. It is suitable to provide it on the upper surface portion of 2. However, it is also possible to provide the pressure detecting means on the lower surface of the handle portion for the purpose of preventing the pressure detecting means 21 from hitting the floor or the like and continuing to emit steam when the iron placed is laid down. To be

Further, the relationship between the pressure and the water supply amount shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example. The relationship between the pressure and the water supply amount may be non-linear, or the gradient of the water supply amount with respect to the pressure may be constant regardless of the temperature of the base, and only the maximum water supply amount may be changed according to the temperature of the base. Good.

Further, since the magnitude of the pressure detected by the pressure detecting means 21 provided in the handle portion 2 is very consistent with the strength of the user's willingness to extend the wrinkle, it depends on the detected pressure. It is also conceivable to control the temperature of the base 3 as well. For example, when the detected pressure is high, it may be possible to increase the temperature of the lower surface of the base 3 by about 20 ° C. as compared with the case where the detected pressure is low so that the wrinkles are easily extended.

It is also conceivable that the temperature of the base 3 is variably controlled in accordance with the change in the amount of water sent to the vaporization chamber 12.

Further, the pressure detecting means and the control means for controlling the water supply amount by the detection result are not limited to electrical ones as in the above embodiment, but mechanical ones can be used. In this case, as the pressure detecting means, a movable body that moves by an amount corresponding to the force pressed by the hand is provided in the handle part, and as the water feeding means, a valve whose opening / closing amount is adjustable is provided between the water tank and the vaporization chamber, The control means may be provided with a connecting rod or the like for connecting a valve to the movable body and interlocking it. Then, the force pushing the handle is mechanically transmitted to the valve as it is, and the opening / closing amount of the valve changes according to the force pushing the handle, so that the amount of steam changes. Therefore, the calculation in the control circuit 23 and the electric pump 16 as in the above embodiment are performed.
Is unnecessary.

[0030]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the pressure applied from the outside to the handle portion is detected, and the higher the pressure is, the higher the pressure is sent.
Since the amount of water sent to the vaporization chamber by the water supply means is controlled so that the amount of water increases, the amount of steam generated can be adjusted when it is actually needed.
If you don't need it, you don't need a lot of steam.
In this way, the amount of steam can be adjusted regardless of the temperature setting, and the amount of water to be sent will be adjusted according to the force with which the user manually presses the handle during ironing. The operation for it is naturally easy.

Further, according to the second aspect of the invention, since the water supply amount is controlled according to the pressure detected by the handle and the temperature of the base, an appropriate water supply amount can be obtained according to the temperature of the base.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall sectional view showing an embodiment of a steam iron of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control circuit of the same.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the detected pressure and the water supply amount.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Iron body 2 handle 3 base 4 heater 5 Temperature detection element (temperature detection means) 11 water tank 12 Vaporization chamber 13 Steam outlet 16 Electric pump (water supply means) 21 Pressure detection means 23 Control circuit (control means)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An iron body having a handle portion on the upper portion,
A base provided in the lower part of the iron body, a heater provided in the base, a water tank provided in the iron body, a vaporization chamber provided in the base and communicating with a steam outlet, and the water tank On the surface of the handle part, the water supply means for supplying water to the vaporization chamber and changing the water supply amount
Pressure detection means provided on the surface portion for detecting the pressure applied to the handle portion from the outside, and control for controlling the water supply amount by the water supply means such that the water supply amount increases as the pressure detected by the pressure detection means increases. A steam iron, which is provided with means. 2. A temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the base is provided, and the control means controls the amount of water supplied by the water supplying means according to the pressure detected by the pressure detecting means and the temperature of the base. The steam iron according to claim 1, which is characterized in that.