JPH0237199B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a steam iron used for finishing clothes, etc.

Conventional structure and problems In recent years, most household irons are steam irons with a steam generation function, and more than 60% of them have a cassette with a steam water tank that is detachable from the main body. It is a type steam iron.

The steam generation method of current steam irons employs a so-called drip type, in which the vaporization chamber and the steam passage are directly connected, and the steam generated in the vaporization chamber is directly guided to the steam outlet on the base surface. However, the drawback is that if water is supplied to the vaporization chamber whose temperature has not risen sufficiently, the water may not all be converted to steam and hot water may spout from the steam outlet.
Water that remained in the vaporization chamber after use sometimes caused corrosion to the vaporization chamber and base. In order to solve these problems, a steam iron as shown in FIG. 1 has been proposed.

In FIG. 1, a base 1 in which a heater 1' is embedded has a vaporization chamber 3 connected to it through a steam passage 2.
and a steam ejection hole 4 are formed. The vaporization chamber 3 is provided in an annular shape around the protrusion 5. 6 is a base lid, 7 is a water tank, and 8 is a nozzle body fixed to the upper end of the peripheral wall 3' of the vaporization chamber 3 facing the vaporization chamber 3, communicating with the inside of the water tank 7, and having a downwardly widening taper body. A shaped nozzle hole 9 is bored. The nozzle body 8 is made of a heat-sensitive material such as ferrite whose Kiuri point is set at a predetermined temperature, and its lower end is in contact with the upper end of the peripheral wall 3' of the vaporization chamber 3 so that heat is transferred from the base 1. 10 is nozzle hole 9
It is a tapered valve body that opens and closes the valve, and is made of a permanent magnet. 11 is a shaft of the valve body 10, 12 is a steam button 14 protruding from the handle portion 13, and a cylindrical portion 16 is provided below, into which a large diameter portion 15 formed at the upper end of the shaft 11 is fitted vertically. The provided opening/closing shaft 17 is a spring that biases the valve body 10 in the opening direction. 18 is a rubber gasket that prevents water in the water tank 7 from leaking to the outside.

In the above configuration, FIG. 1 shows a state in which the opening/closing shaft 12 is lowered via the steam button 14, and the valve body 10 is in an operable state, and in the current state, the nozzle hole 9 is This indicates that it is in a closed state. Therefore, when the temperature of the vaporization chamber 3, in other words the temperature of the base 1, is lower than the Curie point of the nozzle body 8 made of a heat-sensitive material, the nozzle body 8 and the valve body 10 are operated by magnetic attraction. This means that the force is stronger than that of spring 17. When the temperature of the base 1 rises, that is, the Curie point of the nozzle body 8 is exceeded and the magnetism of the nozzle body 8 disappears, the valve body 10 is pushed down by the force of the spring 17, and the nozzle hole 9
is in an open state, and the water in the water tank 7 flows into the vaporization chamber 3.
The steam generated here is ejected from the steam outlet 4 via the steam passage 2.

In this way, unless the base temperature reaches a value suitable for water vaporization, the water supply is automatically stopped, and there is no risk of hot water blowing out from the steam outlet 4 or water leakage. This is to prevent

However, in the above configuration, the nozzle body 8 is in contact with the base 1, the valve body 10 is located below the nozzle body 8, and the shaft 1 connected to the valve body 10 is in contact with the base 1.
1 is engaged with the cylindrical portion 16 at the top, it is impossible to make the water tank 7 part detachable from the main body. That is, it cannot be used with the currently popular cassette type steam iron.

Furthermore, in the configuration of the conventional example described above, water passes through the nozzle body 8 made of a temperature-sensitive material and the valve body 10 made of a permanent magnet. ), the nozzle hole 9 will not open, and at that time the temperature of the nozzle body 8 and valve body 10 will be at the above temperature (generally set at about 150 to 180°C), and cold water will be supplied there. Therefore, the nozzle body 8 and the valve body 10 receive a heat shock. Therefore, there is a high possibility that cracks or the like may occur in the nozzle body 8 and the valve body 10 during long-term use. As a result, water leakage problems occur. Furthermore, depending on the usage conditions, for example, in dry conditions (in which no steam is used, that is, in the raised position of the steam button 14 and the shaft 12 in FIG. 1), the base 1 temperature is usually 200 to 230°C.
If the steam button 14 is pressed down during use in this state, the nozzle hole 9 will naturally be in the open state, and cold water will pass through the nozzle hole 9. At that time, the cold water is nozzle body 8,
The heat shock will be applied to the valve body 10, causing a heat shock greater than that described above, which will increase the cause of the above-mentioned troubles.

Further, while using steam, cold water always passes through the nozzle hole 9, thereby cooling the nozzle body 8. Therefore, the nozzle body 8, which is above the Kyuri temperature, is cooled by the heat of the base 1, and in some cases, the temperature may become below the Kyuri temperature, in which case the nozzle hole 9 is closed as described above. That is, a chattering phenomenon occurs during use, and undesirable conditions such as a decrease in the amount of steam occur.

Purpose of the Invention The purpose of the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, and is to provide a compact and easy-to-install structure that requires almost no changes to the basic structure of not only ordinary steam irons but also current cassette-type steam irons. The present invention provides a steam iron that enables temperature control of water dripping from a water tank to a vaporization chamber, and has high steam reliability.

Structure of the Invention To achieve this object, the steam iron of the present invention includes a base, a vaporization chamber provided in the base, a water tank that supplies water to the vaporization chamber, and a water tank that supplies water from the water tank to the vaporization chamber. The valve device includes a bush that forms a water supply passage from the water tank to the vaporization chamber, and a heat sensitive element having a predetermined Kuyuri point provided outside the water supply passage; It is composed of a permanent magnet and a valve mechanism provided in the water supply passage, the heat sensitive body is fixed in thermal relation to the vaporization chamber, and the permanent magnet is placed on the outside of the bush facing the heat sensitive body. On the other hand, a valve body of a valve mechanism is provided inside the bushing, and these permanent magnets and the valve body are each elastically supported by the spring properties of this bushing, and the magnetic force acting between the permanent magnet and the heat sensitive body and the above-mentioned elastic supporting force are The valve mechanism is opened and closed under the force relationship between the valve mechanism and the valve mechanism. That is, the heat sensitive body and the permanent magnet are disposed outside the water supply passage, and the permanent magnet and the valve body are elastically supported by the spring properties of the bush.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached FIGS. 2 to 4. Fig. 2 shows a cassette type steam iron according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figs. 3 and 4 show details of the valve device, with Fig. 3 in the closed state and Fig. 4 in the open state. It shows.

A base 21 made of a non-magnetic material such as an aluminum alloy in which a heater 21' is embedded is formed with a vaporization chamber 23 and a steam ejection hole 24, which are communicated through a steam passage 22. Reference numeral 25 denotes a springy bush that connects the first valve device and the second valve device in a watertight manner and constitutes a part of the second valve device. 26 is a vaporization chamber lid, and 27 is a water tank that is detachable from the main body of the iron.
28 is a nozzle of the first valve device, 29 is a nozzle hole, 30 is a valve stem, and 31 is a shaft connecting this valve stem 30 and the steam button 32. Each of the above members 28 to 32 constitutes a first valve device.

Next, 33 is a second valve device, and the details of this part are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. 34 is the vaporization chamber lid 2
6 is a heat-sensitive body made of a heat-sensitive material having a predetermined Kuyuri point fixed in thermal relation to the water tank 27 and is provided outside the water supply path from the water tank 27 to the vaporization chamber 23. A permanent magnet 35 faces the heat sensitive body 34 and is fixed to the bush 25 having a spring property so as to be interlocked with the permanent magnet 35. Like the heat sensitive body 34, it is located outside the water supply passage. Reference numeral 36 denotes a valve body which is fixed to the bushing 25 which also has spring properties so as to be interlocked with the permanent magnet 35 and the valve body 36.
are both fixed to the bush 25, and their connecting body is a connecting plate 37, which is fixed to the bush 25. The connecting plate 37 can also be used as a yoke for the permanent magnet 35, and is preferably made of a ferromagnetic material. Reference numeral 38 denotes a valve seat provided on the vaporization chamber lid 26, which together with the valve body 36 constitutes a valve mechanism, and is naturally located within the water supply passage. 39 is a water supply passage hole.

Next, the operation will be explained. First, the first valve device is opened (FIG. 3). In other words, it is in a state where steam is emitted. At this time, water passes through the nozzle hole 29 (arrow a), but since the second valve device 33 is closed, the water reaches b in the bush 25 and accumulates. In short, the second valve device 33 is the base 21
The temperature is still low, lower than the Curie point of the temperature sensor 34, and the magnetic attraction between the permanent magnet 35 and the temperature sensor 34 overcomes the springiness of the bush 25, causing the valve seat 38 to be closed by the valve body 36. This is what it says.

Next, if the temperature of the base 21 rises and exceeds the Curie point of the temperature sensing element 34, both of the above-mentioned 34, 3
5 becomes weaker, the permanent magnet 35 is pushed up by the springiness of the bushing 25, and the valve body 36 is also pushed up at the same time, so that the second valve device 33 becomes open (FIG. 4). The water accumulated in b in the bush 25 is supplied to the vaporization chamber 23 as indicated by the arrow a', and is turned into steam and ejected from the steam outlet 24 to the outside. and the first
Even if you leave the second valve device open (with the steam button 32 pressed) and turn off the power or lower the temperature setting, the second valve device 33 will remain closed as described above. state,
There is no need to worry about boiling water gushing out or leaking.

In the case of the embodiment of the present invention, both the heat sensitive body 34 and the permanent magnet 35 are disposed outside the water supply passage, so there is no concern about heat shock as described in the conventional example. Furthermore, the heat sensitive element 34 does not come into direct contact with cold water, and there is no fear of chattering as in the conventional example. Furthermore, there is no fear of corrosion due to water.

Further, the water tank 27 having the first valve device consisting of the nozzle 28, the nozzle hole 29, the valve stem 30, the shaft 31, and the steam button 32 can be separated from the bush 25, and can be used as a cassette type steam iron. It is possible to attach and detach the tank 27 from the iron body.

Next, as another embodiment, the second valve device 33
The details are shown in FIG.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 25' indicates a spring-like bushing in which a spring 40 is embedded and integrally molded. The other configurations are the same as those in FIGS. 2 to 4. By embedding the spring 40 in the bush 25' in this manner, it is possible to provide the bush 25' with more reliable spring characteristics. Also, it can be said that the reliability is high in terms of durability. Further, the spring 40 does not have to be embedded in the bush 25', but can easily be arranged around the bush.

Although this embodiment has been described with respect to a cassette-type steam iron equipped with a water tank that is detachable from the iron body, the present invention can also be applied to a steam iron with a fixed water tank. That is, it goes without saying that, for example, the above-mentioned effects can be achieved even if the members 28 to 31 in FIGS. 2 to 4 constituting the first valve device are removed and the bush 25 is connected directly to the tank 27. stomach.

Effects of the Invention As explained so far, by arranging the temperature sensing element and the permanent magnet outside the bush, that is, outside the water supply path, a more reliable water dripping temperature control valve device into the vaporization chamber can be achieved. This invention solves the problems of the conventional example and has excellent effects. Furthermore, since the permanent magnet is elastically supported by the springiness of the bushing, there is no need to provide a separate spring, providing a valve device that is compact and easy to mount.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a main part of a conventional steam iron, Fig. 2 is a partially cutaway sectional view of a steam iron showing an embodiment of the present invention, and Figs. 3 and 4 show the operation of the main part. FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of main parts showing another embodiment of the present invention. 25, 25'... Bush, 33... Valve device, 34... Heat sensitive body, 35... Permanent magnet, 36...
...valve body, 38...valve seat.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A base, a vaporization chamber provided in the base, a water tank that supplies water to the vaporization chamber, and a valve device that controls water supply from the water tank to the vaporization chamber; A water supply passage from the tank to the vaporization chamber is formed by a bush, and is composed of a heat sensitive body and a permanent magnet having a predetermined Kyuri point provided outside the water supply passage, and a valve mechanism provided within the water supply passage, The heat sensitive body is fixed in thermal relation to the vaporization chamber, the permanent magnet is provided outside the bush at a position opposite to the heat sensitive body, while the valve body of the valve mechanism is provided inside the bush, and these permanent magnets In the steam iron, the magnet and the valve body are each elastically supported by the spring properties of the bush, and the valve mechanism is opened and closed under the force relationship between the magnetic force acting between the permanent magnet and the heat-sensitive member and the elastic supporting force.