JPH0422400A - Cordless iron - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To control the temperature of a base with good accuracy and make an iron body compact by detecting with an infrared sensor the intensity of infrared energy emitted from the base as base temperature information, and controlling a heater via an optical means. CONSTITUTION:The intensity of infrared energy emitted from the lower surface of a base 3 is detected with an infrared sensor 15 as the temperature information of the base 3. The detected information signal is inputted to a power supply control device 20 and the temperature of the base 3 is operated with a temperature operation circuit section 24. Furthermore, the temperature of the base 3 is compared with set temperature in a comparison circuit section 25, and power supply to a heater 6 is controlled by a power supply control circuit section 22 on the basis of the comparison, thereby keeping the base 3 at the set temperature. A user takes out an iron body 1 from a placement seat 2, and performs an ironing work via the base 3. Also. the user places the iron body 1 on the placement seat 2 in the intervals of ironing for power supply to the heater 6, thereby preventing a drop in the temperature of the base 3 and enabling the continuous use of the iron body 1 under controlling power supply.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Objective of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a cordless iron that includes an iron body and a mounting table on which the iron body is placed and which energizes the heater of the iron body.

(Prior Art) In this type of cordless iron, the iron body has a base for ironing, a heater is provided on this base, and a power supply terminal that conducts to the heater is provided at the rear end of the iron body. ing. In addition, the mounting table is provided with a power terminal that conducts to the power source, and when the iron body is placed on the mounting table, the power supply terminal of the iron body comes into contact with the power terminal of the mounting table, and the heater is thereby energized. , the base is heated by this heater.

Conventionally, as a method for controlling the temperature of the base,
As seen in Publication No. 22000, a heat sensitive element is provided on the base, a transmitting terminal electrically connected to the heat sensitive element is provided on the outside of the iron body, and a temperature control circuit and a receiving terminal electrically connected to the temperature control circuit are provided on the mounting table. A terminal is provided, and the transmission terminal is brought into contact with the reception terminal by the operation of placing the iron body on the mounting table, and this contact transmits information on the temperature of the base detected by the heat-sensitive element to the temperature control circuit of the mounting table, and this information is transmitted to the temperature control circuit of the mounting table. Based on this, the temperature control circuit controls the energization of the heater to maintain the base temperature at the set temperature.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, in such a conventional control method,
Since the structure is such that the signal from the heat-sensitive element is transmitted to the temperature control circuit through mechanical contact between the transmitting terminal and the receiving terminal, the signal transmission may be inaccurate due to poor contact between the transmitting terminal and the receiving terminal, and the temperature may increase. The accuracy of the control is likely to go awry, making it unsatisfactory in terms of reliability.Also, since a heat-sensitive element and a transmission terminal must be incorporated into the iron body, the configuration of the iron body becomes complicated and large, making ironing difficult. There is a drawback that it is inconvenient to handle when doing so.

This invention was made with attention to these points, and its purpose is to provide a cordless iron that can accurately control the temperature of the base and that can have a compact iron body. Our goal is to provide the following.

[Structure of the Invention (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes an ironing base, a heater that heats the base, and a power supply terminal that is electrically connected to the heater. An iron body having an iron body and a mounting base on which the iron body can be placed and which is equipped with a power supply terminal that contacts the power supply terminal and energizes the heater of the iron body according to the placement of the iron body, the above-mentioned mounting base an infrared sensor is provided at a base of the iron body to face the iron body at a distance according to the placement of the iron body;
Detecting the intensity of infrared energy emitted from the base as information about the temperature of the base by the infrared sensor,
Based on this detection, energization of the heater is controlled so that the base reaches the set temperature.

(Function) When the iron body is placed on the mounting stand, the power supply terminal contacts the power supply terminal and the heater is energized, the base is heated by this heater, and the intensity of the infrared energy radiated from the base increases the temperature of the base. This information is detected by an infrared sensor, and based on this detection, energization of the heater is controlled to maintain the base at the set temperature.

In this way, information on the temperature of the base is captured by optical means rather than mechanical means, so there is no mechanical contact failure, and the heater can be controlled with high precision. Since there is no need to incorporate an element or a transmission terminal, it is possible to construct the iron main body in a compact size.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the figure, 1 is an iron main body, and 2 is a mounting table.

The iron body 1 has a heat shielding cover 4 on top of a metal base 3.
A handle 5 made of synthetic resin is attached through the base 3, and a heater 6 is integrally provided on the base 3, and a pair of power supply terminals 7 (only one is connected to the rear end of the handle 5) are connected to the heater 6. ) is provided. A cassette-type water tank 8 is removably attached to the front of the handle 5.
The water in the water tank 8 is appropriately dripped into a vaporizing chamber (not shown) formed on the upper surface of the base 3 to become steam, and this steam is ejected from the lower surface of the base 3.

Is mounting table 2 FI? - It is made of a heat-resistant synthetic resin such as PET, and has an inclined placing part 1o on the upper surface on which the iron main body 1 can be placed. A mating wall 11 protrudes integrally, and this mating wall 1
A pair of power supply terminals 1 corresponding to the power supply terminal 7 are provided on the side surface of the power supply terminal 1.
2 (only one shown) is provided, and depending on the placement of the iron main body 1 on the mounting table 2, the power supply terminal 7 or the power supply terminal 12 is contacted and electrically connected.

A plurality of receivers 13 made of heat-resistant silicone rubber or the like are attached to the upper surface of the mounting portion 10, and a recess 14 is formed approximately in the center of the upper surface.
An infrared sensor 15 that detects the intensity of infrared energy and outputs the signal is provided on the bottom surface of this recess 14, and when the iron main body 1 is placed on the placing part 10, the light receiving part of this infrared sensor 15 15a is spaced apart from and faces the lower surface of the base 3. And the light receiving section 15a
is equipped with a filter 16 that passes only infrared energy in a certain wavelength range, for example, a wavelength range of 8 to 14 μm. Further, a water receiving portion 17 is formed on the bottom surface of the recessed portion 14 and is further recessed downward.

An energization control device 20 and a cord reel device 21 are housed inside the mounting table 2, and the energization control device 20 includes an energization control circuit section 22 composed of a microcomputer, an IC, a transistor, etc., a temperature setting circuit section 23, and a temperature setting circuit section 23. It has an arithmetic circuit section 24 and a comparison circuit section 25, and a power cord 26 is wound around the cord reel device 21 so as to be freely drawn out. A power plug 27 is attached to its end. Further, a temperature setting switch 28 is provided on the upper surface of the abutting wall 11 of the mounting table 2. and the power terminal 1
2. The infrared sensor 15, the power cord 26, and the temperature setting switch 28 are electrically connected to the energization control device 20, respectively.

Next, we will discuss the effect.

When using the iron body 1, connect the power plug 27 to an indoor outlet, and set the temperature via the temperature setting switch 28. Place it on top. In response to this placement, the power supply terminal 7 comes into contact with the power supply terminal 12, and this contact energizes the heater 6, which heats the base 3 and raises its temperature.

Infrared energy of each wavelength is emitted from the bottom surface of the base 3, and as is well known, there is a certain correlation between the strength of this infrared energy and the temperature of the base 3, and as the temperature rises, the infrared energy increases. The strength of increases. Therefore, the temperature of the base 3 can be known by detecting the intensity of infrared energy with the infrared sensor 15.

However, the change in the intensity of infrared energy depending on the temperature of the base 3 varies depending on its wavelength range, and it is better to collect and detect infrared energy in a wavelength range where the range of change is large, and the temperature can be captured more accurately. If steam ejection is selected, steam is ejected from the bottom surface of the base 3, but infrared energy in a certain wavelength range tends to be absorbed by the steam, so in this embodiment, the temperature of the base 3 is Suitable for detection in the range (-10 to 250°C) and absorbed by steam (approximately 5 to 8
The infrared sensor 15 is equipped with a filter 16 that passes only infrared energy in a wavelength range (for example, 8 to 14 μm) that avoids
The sensor is attached to the light receiving section 15a of the light receiving section 15a to detect the intensity of infrared energy in that wavelength range.

In this way, the intensity of infrared energy radiated from the lower surface of the base 3 is detected by the infrared sensor 15 as information on the temperature of the base 3. Then, this detection signal is input to the energization control device 20, and upon receiving this signal, the temperature calculation circuit section 24
The temperature of the base 3 is calculated, the temperature of the base 3 and the temperature set by operating the temperature setting switch 28 are compared in the comparator circuit section 25, and the energization control circuit section 22 controls the energization of the heater 6 based on this comparison. is controlled,
Through such control, the base 3 is maintained at the set temperature.

Under such conditions, the user takes out the iron main body 1 from the mounting table 2, performs ironing work via the base 3, and places the iron main body 1 on the mounting table 2 between the ironing operations. This energizes the heater 6, thereby preventing the temperature of the base 3 from decreasing and allowing continuous use.

In addition, as a heating method for heating the base 3, the base 3 is made of a magnetic material such as iron, and an electromagnetic coil for electromagnetic induction is built into the mounting table 2, and when the iron main body 1 is placed on the mounting table 2, the electromagnetic Place base 3 facing the coil,
A method may also be considered in which the electromagnetic coil is excited in this state and the base 3 is heated by electromagnetic induction between the base 3 and the base 3.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, the heater is not controlled through mechanical means by contact between the transmitting terminal and the receiving terminal as in the past, but by using infrared energy radiated from the base. Since the heater is controlled through optical means that uses an infrared sensor to detect the strength of the heat as temperature information, there is no possibility of mechanical contact failure, and the system is always accurate and highly reliable. Since it is possible to control the heater with the iron body, and there is no need to incorporate a heat-sensitive element or a transmission terminal into the iron body, there is an advantage that the iron body can be made compact and usability can be improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figure is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Iron body, 2... Mounting stand, 3... Base, 6... Heater, 8... Power supply terminal, 12... Power supply terminal, 15... Infrared sensor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] An iron body that is equipped with an ironing base, a heater that heats the base, and a power supply terminal that conducts to the heater; and the iron body can be placed, and when the iron body is placed, it contacts the power supply terminal to iron the iron. and a mounting table equipped with a power supply terminal for energizing the heater of the main body, wherein the mounting table is provided with an infrared sensor facing the base of the iron main body at a distance according to the placement of the iron main body, and the base The cordless iron is characterized in that the intensity of infrared energy radiated from the base is detected by the infrared sensor as information on the temperature of the base, and based on this detection, energization of the heater is controlled so that the base reaches a set temperature.