JPH0221040Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] This invention relates to a steam iron having a steam jetting function.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

Generally, a steam iron has a vaporizing chamber formed on the top surface of a base equipped with a heater, and water is sequentially dripped from a water tank through a dripping nozzle onto the inner bottom surface of this vaporizing chamber, or the vaporizing surface, and the water is evaporated by the heat of the base. , the steam is guided to the bottom side of the base and spewed out.

However, in the past, with long-term use, water evaporation residue gradually accumulates and adheres to the vaporization surface, and especially directly under the dripping nozzle, the evaporation residue grows into bamboo shoots and eventually There have been cases where the water has reached the area where the dripping nozzle is located, thereby blocking the dripping nozzle, preventing water from dripping, and impairing the steam jetting function.

[Purpose of invention]

This invention was made with attention to these points, and its purpose is to provide a steam iron that does not allow evaporation residue to build up and stick to the evaporation surface even after long-term use. It's about doing.

[Summary of the idea]

That is, this invention provides a heat-responsive cleaning tool on the inner bottom surface of the vaporization chamber that responds to the heat of the base and slides on the inner bottom surface of the vaporization chamber, including at least directly below the dripping nozzle. The cleaning tool is designed to automatically clean the inner bottom surface of the vaporizing chamber each time the steam iron is used.

[Example of idea]

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

In the figure, 1 is a metal base, and a heater 2 is integrally cast into this base 1. A vaporization chamber 3 is formed on the upper surface of the base 1, and a jet nozzle 4 is formed on the lower surface thereof, and the vaporization chamber 3 is communicated with the jet nozzle 4 via a conduction path 5. The upper surface of the vaporization chamber 3 is hermetically closed with a lid plate 6, and the entire upper surface of the base 1 is covered with a heat shielding cover 7, on which a handle 8 and a water tank 9 are attached. There is.

The water tank 9 has a water inlet 10 at the upper front and a drain 11 at the bottom. A drip nozzle 12 is provided below the drain 11, and the tip of the drip nozzle 12 penetrates the cover plate 6. It faces the inside of vaporization chamber 3. A valve rod 13 is inserted into the water tank 9 so as to be movable up and down, and the tip of the valve rod 13 faces the inside of the drip nozzle 12.
4, the pore at the tip of the dripping nozzle 12 can be opened and closed, and water in the water tank 9 can be dripped onto the inner bottom surface of the vaporization chamber 3, that is, the vaporization surface 3a, as appropriate.

A thermally responsive cleaning tool 15 is provided on the vaporizing surface 3a of the vaporizing chamber 3, and this thermally responsive cleaning tool 15 is made of, for example, omnidirectional (bidirectional) shape memory alloy (Af point set at around 100°C) wound into a coil shape. Turn it to form the thermally responsive member 16,
One end of this thermally responsive member 16 is hooked to the base 1,
A sliding plate 17 is attached to the other end, and the sliding plate 17 is configured to slide on at least a portion of the vaporizing surface 3a including directly below the drip nozzle 12 as the thermally responsive member 16 operates.

Note that 18 is an opening/closing lid that opens and closes the water inlet 10 of the water tank 9, and 19 is a temperature adjustment mechanism that controls energization of the heater 2 to adjust the temperature of the base 1 to a set value.

Next, we will discuss the effect.

When the heater 2 is not energized, that is, when the base 1 is at room temperature, the thermally responsive member 1 of the thermally responsive cleaning tool 15 is
6 maintains an extended state as shown by the chain line in the figure. When the heater 2 is energized in such a state by using a steam iron, the base 1 is heated, and the radiant heat causes the thermally responsive member 16 made of a shape memory alloy to rise to a temperature above the Af point.
As shown by the solid line in the figure, it is deformed into a contracted state, and the sliding plate 17 slides on the vaporization surface 3a.

When the valve rod 13 is lifted to open the dripping nozzle 12, the water in the water tank 9 passes through the dripping nozzle 12 and drips onto the vaporization surface 3a. The dropped water is immediately evaporated by the heat of the base 1 and becomes steam, which flows through the conduit 5 and is jetted from the spout 4 to the lower surface of the base 1. As the water evaporates, a small amount of evaporation residue gradually adheres to the vaporization surface 3a, but the adhesion does not become so strong when the steam iron is used for a medium period of time.

When the use of the steam iron is finished in this way and the heater 2 is turned off, the thermally responsive member 16 is turned off.
The temperature drops below the Ms point, and the sliding plate 17 deforms again so as to return to the initial elongated state, and the sliding plate 17 slides as if scratching the vaporizing surface 3a, and this action causes the vaporizing surface 3
The evaporation residue adhering to a is peeled off, and the evaporation surface 3
a is cleaned.

In this way, each time the steam iron is used, the thermally responsive cleaning tool 15 automatically operates to clean the vaporizing surface 3a, and as a result, vaporized residue accumulates on the vaporizing surface 3a, and its growth causes the dripping nozzle 12 It is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of a situation such as a blockage.

In the above embodiment, the thermally responsive cleaning tool was constructed using an omnidirectional shape memory alloy, but it may also be constructed using a combination of a unidirectional shape memory alloy and a bias spring. It is also possible to reverse the relationship with the shape of the alloy, and furthermore, it is also possible to use a bimetal as a thermally responsive member, and it is also possible to configure the sliding plate with the bimetal itself. . Furthermore, in the above embodiments, a fixed type water tank is used as an example in which the water tank is integrally attached to a heat shield cover, but it goes without saying that there is no problem in using a removable type water tank.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, according to this invention, it is possible to automatically clean the vaporization surface of the vaporization chamber, including the area directly below the dripping nozzle, each time the steam iron is used, thereby preventing the accumulation and fixation of vaporization residue. This has the effect of reliably eliminating the problem of inadvertent clogging of the drip nozzle caused by the problem and maintaining proper function for a long period of time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figure is a sectional view showing an embodiment of this invention. 1...base, 2...heater, 3...vaporization chamber,
12...Dripping nozzle, 15...Thermal response cleaning tool, 1
6...thermally responsive member.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) A vaporization chamber is formed on the top surface of a base equipped with a heater, water is sequentially dripped onto the inner bottom surface of this vaporization chamber through a dripping nozzle, and the water is evaporated by the heat of the base, In a device that guides the steam to the lower surface of the base and blows it out, the vapor is applied to the inner bottom surface of the vaporization chamber in response to the heat of the base, and the operation causes the vapor to flow on the inner bottom surface of the vaporization chamber, including at least the part immediately below the dripping nozzle. A steam iron characterized by being equipped with a sliding heat-responsive cleaning tool. (2) The steam iron according to claim 1, wherein the thermally responsive cleaning tool is constructed using a shape memory alloy.