JPH0221039Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] [Technical field of invention] The present invention relates to a steam iron.

[Technical background of the invention]

In general, so-called drip-type steam irons drip water from a water tank through a drip nozzle into a vaporization chamber formed on the top surface of the base, and then eject it as steam from the steam outlet of the base.
The dripping nozzle is opened and closed by vertical movement of the valve lever to create a "steam" and "dry" state.

In such a steam iron, if water is left in the water tank and the drip nozzle is left open when the iron is not in use, water may flow out.

Conventionally, a device is known in which the drip nozzle is opened and closed using a disc bimetal that is reversed depending on the temperature of the vaporization chamber, and the drip nozzle is closed when not in use to prevent water from flowing out.

However, the disc bimetal has a size limit in order to fit into a narrow iron, and cannot have a large reversal stroke, so even if the drip nozzle is opened, it is not sufficient to reliably drip the desired amount of water. Also, due to the characteristics of disk bimetal, the operating temperature is about 10 to 15 degrees Celsius higher than the reversal temperature, and unless the temperature at which steam can be used is limited to a considerably high range, no steam will be produced.

For this reason, conventionally, for example,
As shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 58-7297 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 58-29500, it has been proposed that a shape memory alloy is used to open and close a dropping nozzle.

[Problems with background technology]

However, conventional methods using the above-mentioned shape memory alloy have the disadvantage that they do not respond accurately to the temperature of the vaporization chamber because the shape memory alloy is in direct contact with water or is installed far from the vaporization chamber. be.

[Purpose of invention]

The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to improve reliability by opening and closing a drip nozzle accurately in accordance with the temperature of the vaporization chamber.

[Summary of the idea]

The steam iron of the present invention includes a base having a heating element and a vaporizing chamber and a steam outlet communicating with the vaporizing chamber, a water tank provided at the top of the base, and a water tank connected to the vaporizing chamber. A dripping nozzle that drips water, a valve rod that is movable up and down relative to the dripping nozzle and opens and closes the dripping nozzle, and a valve rod that senses the temperature of the vaporization chamber and moves the valve rod to the closing position of the dripping nozzle when the temperature is below a predetermined temperature. and a heat-sensitive actuator made of a shape memory alloy that operates to maintain the temperature at a certain temperature and to allow vertical movement of the valve lever when the temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature. A water guide portion is formed in the lower part to guide the water in the vaporization chamber, and a heat-sensitive actuator made of the shape memory alloy is provided on the heat-sensitive seat. is quickly transmitted to a heat-sensitive actuator made of a shape memory alloy, and the drip nozzle is reliably opened and closed depending on the temperature of the vaporization chamber.

[Example of idea]

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

1 is a base, and a heating element 2 is embedded within this base 1. Further, a vaporizing chamber 3 is formed on the upper surface of the base 1, and a plurality of steam ejection holes 5 are formed on the lower surface of the base 1 and communicated with the vaporizing chamber 3 via steam passages 4. The upper plate 6 covers the upper part of the chamber 3 and the steam passage 4.
is installed. Cover 7 on top of base 1 above
is attached, and a handle 8 is attached to the top of this cover 7.
is attached, a water tank 9 is provided at the front of the handle 8, and a water inlet 10 is formed at the front upper part of the water tank 9.
A dripping nozzle 11 is provided at the bottom of the water tank 9 and faces the vaporization chamber 3 through the upper plate 6. A valve rod 12 is connected to the dripping nozzle 11 by passing through the water tank 9 and into the handle 8. The valve rod 12 is supported so as to be movable up and down, and is provided with a coil-shaped valve spring 13 that always urges the valve rod 12 upward.
4 is provided, and by operating this operation button 14, the valve rod 12 is moved up and down, and the drip nozzle 11 is opened at the lower end of the valve rod 12.
You can open and close it to select between ``steam'' and ``dry.''

A heat-sensitive seat 15 is integrally erected on the base 1 on the side of the steam passage 4 in one side of the vaporization chamber 3, and a water guide on the same surface as the vaporization surface is provided at the lower part of the heat-sensitive seat 15 on the drip nozzle 11 side. A portion 16 is cut out. A mounting seat 17 is formed on the heat-sensitive seat 15, a spherical recess 18 is formed in the center of the mounting seat 17, and a guide hole 19 is formed in the center bottom of the recess 18. Then, for example, titanium-nickel (Ti-nickel) is placed on the mounting seat 17.
Ni), copper-aluminum-nickel (Cu-Al-
A rectangular plate-shaped heat-sensitive actuator 20 made of a shape memory alloy such as Ni) is mounted, and a cover plate 21 is attached to the upper surface of the heat-sensitive seat 15. Further, a control rod 23 is supported on the upper surface of the cover 7 via a support 22 so as to be able to move up and down. The control rod 23 passes through the center of the heat-sensitive actuator 20 and faces the guide hole 19, and is biased downward by a coiled control spring 24. A control plate 25 is provided at the upper end of the control rod 23. One end of the control plate 25 is fixed, and the other end of the control plate 25 is fitted onto the valve rod 12 and faces above the valve spring 13.

The heat-sensitive actuating body 20 made of the shape memory alloy is
For example, when the temperature exceeds about 110 degrees Celsius, it becomes flat as shown in FIG. As shown in Figure 2, the control rod 23 is controlled by the control spring 24.
It is designed to deform downward under the force of . Also,
The control spring 24 is set to a greater force by the valve spring 13.

Next, the operation will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 1, the heat-sensitive actuating body 20 has a flat plate shape,
When the control board 25 is in the upper position, operation button 1
4 is set to "dry" and the valve rod 12 is pushed down, the dripping nozzle 11 closes and no water drips.

In this state, when the operation button 14 is set to the "steam" state and the valve rod 12 is pulled up, the dripping nozzle 11 opens as shown in FIG. It is dripped into the vaporization chamber 3, where it becomes steam, and this steam passes through the steam passage 4 and enters each steam outlet 5.
It is ejected from the bottom surface of the base 1.

As mentioned above, the heat-sensitive actuating body 20 made of a shape memory alloy assumes a flat plate shape at temperatures above about 110° C., and overcomes the downward force of the control rod 23 by the control spring 24, but as shown in FIG. Water increases and accumulates in the vaporization chamber 3, and the temperature of the vaporization chamber 3 decreases.
When the temperature approaches 100°C, the heat-sensitive actuating body 20 made of a shape memory alloy undergoes martensitic transformation, cannot resist the force of the control rod 23 pushed downward by the control spring 24, and deforms along the spherical recess 18. Closely attached. In this state, the control spring 24 is made considerably stronger than the valve spring 13, so the control plate 25
The valve rod 12 is pushed down through the valve to close the drip nozzle 11.

Next, when the water in the vaporization chamber 3 decreases and the temperature of the vaporization chamber 3, that is, the heat-sensitive seat 15 reaches about 110° C. or higher, the heat-sensitive actuator 20 made of a shape memory alloy undergoes reverse transformation and immediately returns to its flat shape. In this case, since the heat-sensitive actuator 20 is in close contact with the recess 18 of the heat-sensitive seat 15, heat is well transferred from the heat-sensitive seat 15, and the reaction is quick.

In addition, in the case of the above operation, since the lower part of the heat-sensitive seat 15 is cut out and has the water guide part 16, water in the vaporizing chamber 3 passes through the water guide part 16 when reaching the steam outlet 5, and therefore, the heat-sensitive seat 15 responds sensitively to the temperature of the vaporization chamber 3 and immediately transmits the temperature to the heat-sensitive actuator 20.

In addition, in practice, the heat-sensitive actuating body made of a shape memory alloy may be formed into a spherical circular plate that performs a snap action.

[Effect of idea]

According to the present invention, the heat-sensitive actuator made of a shape memory alloy operates with high sensitivity to the temperature of the vaporization chamber, and when the amount of water that is not vaporized increases and the temperature of the vaporization chamber decreases, the dripping nozzle is immediately closed, allowing steam to flow. If this condition is reached, the drip nozzle can be opened even at a considerably low temperature, and therefore, the drip nozzle can be reliably opened and closed depending on the temperature of the vaporization chamber, and reliability can be improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the steam iron of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a part thereof. 1...base, 2...heating element, 3...vaporization chamber,
5...Steam outlet, 9...Water tank, 11...
...Dripping nozzle, 12...Valve lever, 15...Heat-sensitive seat,
16...Water guiding section, 20...Heat-sensitive actuating body.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A base having a heating element and having a vaporization chamber and a steam outlet communicating with the vaporization chamber, a water tank provided at the top of the base, and a water tank connected to the vaporization chamber from the water tank. a dripping nozzle that drips water; a valve lever that is movable up and down with respect to the dripping nozzle to open and close the dripping nozzle; and a valve rod that senses the temperature of the vaporization chamber and closes the dripping nozzle when the temperature is below a predetermined temperature. a heat-sensitive actuator made of a shape memory alloy that operates to hold the valve lever in position and allow vertical movement of the valve lever when the temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature; A steam iron characterized in that a water guide portion for guiding water in the vaporizing chamber is cut out in the lower part of the iron, and a heat-sensitive actuator made of the shape memory alloy is provided on the heat-sensitive seat.