JPH03277400A - Iron device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve reliability by preventing wasteful power consumption and ambient overheat occurring by starting the energizing of a heater and the operation of a timer means when the feed terminal of an iron main body is connected to the power source terminal of a placing board. CONSTITUTION:When the iron main body 1 is placed on the placing part 15 of the placing board 2 and the feed terminal 9 is brought into contact with the power source terminal 17, a power is supplied from a power source circuit 21 to the feed terminal 9 via a microcomputer 20, and accordingly, a timer circuit 27 is operated. The base 3 of the iron main body 1 is heated by a heater 7, and the temperature of the iron main body can be maintained at a preset temperature via a thermostat 8. At this time, the iron main body 1 is taken out of the placing board 2, and ironing is performed. When no placement on the placing board 2 is performed after the lapse of constant time, temperature drop is detected by the microcomputer 20, and an informing circuit 25 is driven informing such state with a buzzer, and the replacement of the iron main body 1 on the placing board 2 is urged.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Purpose of the Invention (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to an ironing device including an iron body and a table on which the iron body is placed.

(Prior Art) When using this type of ironing device, first, the iron body is placed on a mounting table. The mounting table is provided with a power supply terminal that connects to the power supply through the microcomputer, and the iron body is provided with a power supply terminal that conducts to the heater through the thermostat.The power supply terminal connects to the power supply in response to the operation of placing the iron body on the mounting base. Contact is made with the terminals, and such contact energizes a heater, which heats the ironing base and maintains its temperature via the thermostat at a predetermined set temperature. Under these conditions, the iron body is removed from the mounting stand and the ironing work is carried out through the base, and in between the ironing work, the iron body is placed on the mounting stand each time and the ironing work is carried out through the base. Continue ironing step by step while reheating.

By the way, there are cases where the iron body is left on the table for a relatively long time due to the user leaving the place, for example, and in such a case, The heater is unnecessarily energized, which not only wastes power, but also poses a risk of overheating the area around the base.

Therefore, conventionally, a timer means is built into the mounting table, and when the iron body is placed on the mounting table, the signal output terminal provided on the iron body and the signal input terminal provided on the mounting table are connected. A signal for placing the iron body is sent to the timer means, and in response to this, the timer means starts operating and counts the time for which the iron body is placed. For example, when the time for placing the iron body continues for 10 minutes or more, , and is configured to automatically turn off the heater at that point.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in such a conventional configuration, the operation of the timer means is started by the exchange of signals between the signal output terminal of the iron body and the signal input terminal of the mounting table. The connection between the signal output terminal and the signal input terminal becomes unreliable, and the timer means may not operate properly, posing a problem in terms of reliability.

This invention was made with attention to these points, and its purpose is to accurately and simultaneously provide electricity when the power supply terminal of the iron body comes into contact with the power supply terminal of the mounting table and the heater is energized. To provide an ironing device which can reliably cut off electricity to a heater at a required time when a timer means starts operating and an iron body continues to be placed for a certain period of time.

[Structure of the Invention (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides, as a first invention, an iron body having a power supply terminal, and an iron body on which the iron body can be placed. A mounting table having a power supply terminal that contacts the power supply terminal and energizes the heater of the iron body in accordance with the placement of the iron body; and a timer means for turning off the power to the heater when the current continues for a certain period of time, wherein the timer means is provided in the iron body, and the operation of the timer means is started by contact between the power supply terminal and the power supply terminal, Further, as a second invention, there is provided an iron main body having a power supply terminal, and a power supply terminal on which the iron main body can be placed and which contacts the power supply terminal and energizes the heater of the iron main body according to the placement. A device comprising a placing table and a timer means that starts operating in response to the placing of the iron body on the placing table and turns off the electricity to the heater when the placed state continues for a certain period of time, the timer means being used for ironing. Further, the iron body is provided with a state detection means for detecting the free standing state, the horizontally stationary state, and the overturned and resting state, and the mounting table is provided with a state detecting means that can be electrically connected to a power source and that is connected to the iron body. A power cord connectable to the power supply terminal is provided, and when the iron body is placed on the mounting stand, the operation of the timer means is started by contact between the power supply terminal and the power supply terminal, while the power cord is connected to the iron body. In the case where the heater is energized through this power cord, the timer means is controlled to control the timer means when the state detection means detects each of the states, and the timer means is activated after a predetermined time has elapsed since the detection. It is designed to automatically cut off the power to the heater.

(Function) In the first and second inventions, when the iron main body is placed on the mounting stand and the power supply terminal of the iron main body is brought into contact with the power supply terminal of the mounting stand, the timer means is activated at the same time as the heater is energized. Therefore, when the iron body is left on the mounting table for a certain period of time, the power supply to the heater is reliably cut off at that point.

Furthermore, in the second invention, the iron main body can be used in a corded manner by connecting the power cord provided on the mounting table to the power supply terminal of the iron main body. When using the iron with a cord, if the iron is left standing on its own, the base of the iron is left in contact with fabric, or the iron is left tipped over, After each predetermined period of time has elapsed, the heater is automatically de-energized, thereby preventing unnecessary power consumption and the risk of burning the fabric or floor surface.

(Example) Examples of the invention will be described below.

An embodiment of the first invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which 1 is an iron body and 2 is a mounting table.

As shown in FIG. 2, the iron body 1 is mounted on a metal base 3 with a synthetic resin handle 5 through a heat shielding cover 4.
A cassette-type water tank 6 for storing water for steam generation is removably attached to the front part of the handle 5. The base 3 is provided with a heater 7 and a thermostat 8 that controls the energization of the heater 7 to maintain the temperature of the base 3 at a set temperature, and a pair of power supply terminals 9 (only one shown) is provided on the rear end surface of the handle 5. Furthermore, a circuit board 10 is disposed inside the handle 5. Note that 11 is an operation knob for operating the thermostat 8 to set the temperature of the base 3.

On the other hand, a tilted placing part 15 on which the iron main body 1 can be placed is formed on the upper surface of the placing table 2.
An abutting wall 16 integrally protrudes from one end, and a pair of power terminals 17 (only one shown) corresponding to the power supply terminal 9 and a mounting switch 18 are provided on the side surface of the abutting wall 16. Further, a circuit board 19 is arranged inside the mounting table 2. When the iron main body 1 is placed on the placing part 15 of this placing table 2, the power supply terminal 9 is connected to the power supply terminal 17.
The placement switch 18 detects the placement of the placement switch 18 .

The configuration of the electric circuit is shown in FIG.
The microcomputer 20 is connected to the power supply terminal 17, and the microcomputer 20 has a power supply circuit 21, a placement detection circuit 22, an energization detection circuit 23, and a power supply circuit 21 connected to the input terminal of the microcomputer 20. A display circuit 24 and a notification circuit 25 connected to the output terminal are also provided. The placement detection circuit 22 is electrically connected to the placement switch 18, and outputs a signal to the microcomputer 20 when the placement switch 18 detects whether the iron body 1 is placed, and the energization detection circuit 23 is connected to the power terminal The presence or absence of current flowing through the microcomputer 17 is detected and a signal thereof is output to the microcomputer 20.

On the other hand, a power supply terminal 9 is provided on the circuit board 10 of the iron body 1.
A timer circuit 27 is provided as a timer means to count the time according to the start of energization and cut off the energization to the heater 7 when a preset time has elapsed, for example, when 10 minutes have elapsed. There is.

When using an ironing device configured in this way,
First, place the iron body 1 on the placing part 15 of the placing table 1,
The power supply terminal 9 is brought into contact with the power supply terminal 17. Due to this contact, power is supplied from the power supply circuit 21 to the power supply terminal 9 through the microcomputer 20, and in response, the timer circuit 27 starts operating, and the heater 7 is energized through the thermostat 8. The base 3 of the iron main body l is heated by the heater 7, and its temperature is maintained at a set temperature via the thermostat 8.

In such a state, the iron body 1 is removed from the mounting table 2.
Take out the cloth, press the base 3 against the cloth, and perform the ironing work. Then, at intervals during the work, the iron main body 1 is placed on the mounting table 2 each time, the base 3 is reheated, and the ironing work is continued. Iron body 1
If the base 3 is not placed on the mounting table 2 even after a certain period of time has elapsed since it was taken out from the mounting table 2, in other words, if the temperature of the base 3 drops to a predetermined temperature or less, the The temperature decrease is determined by the microcomputer 20 based on the time of Installation is encouraged.

On the other hand, when the iron body 1 is placed on the mounting table 2, the timer circuit 27 starts counting, but even if a certain period of time, for example 10 minutes, has elapsed since the iron body 1 is placed, the iron body 1
If the time is not taken out, the timer circuit 27 counts the time, and when 10 minutes have elapsed, the power supply to the heater 7 is automatically cut off via the timer circuit 27, thereby saving power. Risks such as consumption and overheating around the base 3 are prevented.

The timer circuit 27 starts operating when the power supply terminal 9 comes into contact with the power supply terminal 17. In other words, the start of energization of the heater 7 always coincides with the start of the operation of the timer circuit 27, so that the energization of the heater 7 is stopped. can be reliably shut off at the required point to achieve high reliability.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the second invention, in which the iron main body 1 can be selectively switched between a cordless method and a corded method, that is, a mounting table is used. 2 is provided with a cord reel 30 in addition to the configuration of the first invention, and a relatively long power cord 31 is wound around the cord reel 30 so as to be freely drawn out, and the tip of the power cord 31 is connected to the power supply for the iron main body 1. A power plug 32 connectable to the terminal 9 is provided. Further, a cordless/corded switching input circuit 33 is connected to the input terminal of the microcomputer 20, and this microcomputer 20 is connected to the changeover switch 3.
4 to the power supply terminal 17 and the power cord 31.

On the other hand, a state detection circuit 35 as a state detection means is incorporated in the iron main body 1, and this state detection circuit 35
is equipped with an optical switch or a mercury bulb switch, and has two states: a first state in which the iron body 1 stands on its own; a second state in which the iron body 1 stands still with the iron body 1 placed almost horizontally; and a second state in which the iron body 1 stands still when it falls over. A third state of rest is detected. Each time the iron body 1 moves, the timer circuit 27 sequentially resets the time count under the control of the state detection circuit 35, and starts counting at that point when the state detection circuit 35 detects the first state. For example, when 10 minutes have elapsed, the power supply to the heater 7 is automatically cut off, and when the second state is detected, the power supply to the heater 7 is also cut off when 1 minute has elapsed, and the third state is detected. When you do,
Similarly, the heater 7 is configured to be de-energized after one minute has elapsed. Note that when the iron main body 1 is placed on the mounting table 2, the timer circuit 27 operates in the same manner as in the first invention.

In such an ironing device of the second invention, the first
Although it can be used as a cordless system by following the same procedure as in the case of the invention, it can also be used as a corded system if necessary. When using the corded method, pull out the power cord 31 from the cord reel 30 of the mounting table 2, connect the power plug 32 at the end to the power supply terminal 9 of the iron body 1, and connect the cordless/corded switching input circuit. 33 to switch to the corded setting. In response to this, the changeover switch 34 operates to connect the microcomputer 20 to the power cord 31, thereby supplying power to the power supply terminal 9 of the iron body 1, and energizing the heater 7 through the thermostat 8.
The base 3 is heated by the heater 7 and maintained at a set temperature via the thermostat 8. In this state, the base 3 of the iron main body 1 is pressed against the fabric to perform ironing.

In the case of such a corded system, the mounting table 2
It is possible to prevent the temperature of the base 3 from dropping by continuously energizing the heater 7 without placing the iron body 1 on the iron body 1. Therefore, it is convenient when ironing thick fabrics etc. that have a high heat absorption rate. be. And in this case,
When the iron body 1 is placed on the floor in a free-standing state during ironing work, etc., this is detected by the state detection circuit 35, and after this, the iron main body 1 remains in the free-standing state.
If the heater 7 is left unattended for 0 minutes, the timer circuit 27 operates to automatically turn off the heater 7, thereby preventing unnecessary power consumption.

Additionally, if the iron main body 1 stands still in an almost horizontal position during ironing work, and the base 3 stops moving while being pressed against the fabric, the state detection circuit 35 detects this and determines whether the iron body 1 is in this horizontal, stationary state. If the heating continues for one minute, the timer circuit 27 operates to automatically cut off the electricity to the heater 7, thereby preventing the fabric from becoming scorched.

Furthermore, when the iron body 1 falls and comes to a standstill, this is detected by the state detection circuit 35, and if this falling state continues for one minute, at that point the timer circuit 27 operates to automatically cut off the power to the heater 7. base 3
Prevents burning of floors, clothing, etc. that come into contact with the product.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the first and second inventions, when the iron main body is placed on the mounting stand and the power supply terminal of the iron main body is brought into contact with the power supply terminal of the mounting stand, the heater The timer means starts operating at the same time that the iron is energized, so that when the iron body is left on the table for a certain period of time, the energization of the heater can be reliably cut off at that point, making it useless. High reliability can be achieved by reliably preventing dangers such as excessive power consumption and overheating around the base. Furthermore, in the second invention, the iron main body can be selectively used in a cordless method or a corded method as needed, and when used in a corded method, the iron main body can be left standing in a free-standing state. The base of the iron may be left in contact with the fabric, causing it to burn, or the iron may be left tipped over, causing the floor or clothes to burn. There is an advantage that this is definitely prevented.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram of an ironing device according to an embodiment of the first invention, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view showing the structure of the ironing device, and FIG. 3 is an embodiment of the second invention. FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Iron main body, 2... Mounting stand, 7... Heater, 9... Power supply terminal, 17... Power supply terminal, 27...
・Timer circuit (timer means), 31...power cord, 35...state detection circuit (state detection means).

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) An iron body having a power supply terminal, a mounting table having a power terminal on which the iron body can be placed and which contacts the power supply terminal and energizes the heater of the iron body according to the placement; and a timer means that starts operating in response to the placement of the iron body on the mounting table and turns off the electricity to the heater when the placed state continues for a certain period of time, the timer means being provided in the iron body, An ironing device characterized in that the operation of the timer means is started by contact between the power supply terminal and the power supply terminal. (2) an iron main body having a power supply terminal; a mounting table having a power supply terminal on which the iron main body can be placed and which contacts the power supply terminal and energizes the heater of the iron main body according to the placement; and a timer means that starts operating in response to the placement of the iron body on the mounting table and turns off the electricity to the heater when the placed state continues for a certain period of time, the timer means being provided in the iron body, Furthermore, this iron body has a self-supporting state of the iron body,
A state detection means is provided for detecting a horizontally stationary state and an inverted and still state, and the mounting table is provided with a power cord that can be connected to a power source and connectable to a power supply terminal of the iron body,
When the iron main body is placed on the mounting stand, the timer means starts operating by contacting the power supply terminal with the power supply terminal, while the power cord is connected to the power supply terminal of the iron main body, and the power cord is passed through the power supply terminal. When the heater is energized, when the state detecting means detects each of the states, the timer means is controlled to automatically cut off the energization of the heater after a predetermined time has elapsed since the detection. Features ironing equipment.