JPH0479678B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steam iron in which the supply of water is stopped unless the base temperature reaches a value suitable for vaporizing water.

Construction of a conventional example and its problems A conventional steam iron of this type will be explained with reference to FIG. In the figure, a base 1 made of a non-magnetic material such as an aluminum alloy in which a heater 1' is embedded has a vaporization chamber 3 and a steam ejection hole 4 which are communicated through a steam passage 2. As shown in FIG. The vaporization chamber 3 is provided in an annular shape around the projection 5. Reference numeral 6 denotes a base lid that closes the steam passage 2, 7 a water tank, and 8 a nozzle body located and fixed under the water tank 7, facing the vaporization chamber 3, and communicating with the inside of the water tank 7. A nozzle hole 9 is formed in a tapered shape that widens downward.

The nozzle body 8 is made of a heat-sensitive material such as ferrite, Ni-Cu alloy, Ni-Fe alloy, etc. whose Curie 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. Heat is transferred from the base 1. 10 is a tapered valve body that opens and closes the nozzle hole 9, and is made of a permanent magnet.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a shaft of the valve body 10, 12 a steam button 14 protruding from the handle portion 13, provided above, and a cylindrical portion below into which a large diameter portion 15 formed at the upper end of the shaft 11 fits vertically. Opening/closing shaft provided with 16, 1
7 is a spring that biases the valve body 10 in the opening direction;
18 is a nozzle 9 that prevents the water in the water tank 7 from leaking to the outside.
It is a rubber packing to lead to.

In the above configuration, FIG. 1 shows a state in which a gap is created between the steam button 14 and the large diameter portion 15 of the shaft 11, and the valve body 10 is in an operable state, and the valve body 10 is in a state where the valve body 10 is connected to the nozzle hole 9. is in a state of being closed. This is the temperature of vaporization chamber 3, i.e. base 1
is lower than the Curie point of the nozzle body 8 made of a heat-sensitive material, and the nozzle body 8 and the valve body 10 are magnetically attracted to each other by a force stronger than the elastic force of the spring 17. In this state, when the temperature of the base 1 rises and the temperature of the nozzle body 8 exceeds the Curie point, the nozzle body 8 does not lose its magnetism, and the valve body 10 is pushed down by the elastic force of the spring 17, and the nozzle hole 9 is in an open state. become. When the nozzle hole 9 is opened, water in the water tank is supplied to the vaporization chamber 3, and the steam generated here is ejected from the steam ejection hole 4 via the steam passage 2.

In this way, unless the temperature of the base 1 reaches a value suitable for water vaporization, the water supply is automatically stopped, and hot water that has not completely vaporized is ejected from the steam outlet 4 or water flows out. This is to prevent

However, in the above conventional example, the valve body 10
The pressing force on the nozzle body 8 is determined by the difference between the magnetic attraction force acting on the valve body 10 and the nozzle body 8 and the elastic force of the spring 17. Therefore, manufacturing variations in the permanent magnet and spring 17 that form the valve body 10 This pressing force may vary greatly depending on the temperature coefficient of the magnetic properties of the permanent magnet.
It has an unstable element in that the pressing force changes depending on the temperature, and its operation reliability is poor.

Furthermore, in the conventional example, the valve body 10 is made of a permanent magnet and brought into direct contact with the nozzle body 8 made of a heat-sensitive material, but ferrite, which is a typical heat-sensitive material, can also be used as a permanent magnet material. The material is brittle and easily cracked, and there is a risk that the permanent magnet will vibrate due to external impact and collide with the temperature-sensitive material, possibly causing cracks or damage to the permanent magnet or the temperature-sensitive material. It was hot.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, and provides a steam iron with excellent reliability and durability, which eliminates unstable elements in operation and eliminates concerns about material durability.

Structure of the Invention In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a base, a vaporization chamber provided on the base, a water tank, and a nozzle body having a nozzle hole for supplying water in the water tank to the vaporization chamber. , a valve body that urges the nozzle hole in the closing direction by a spring, a magnetic body connected to this valve body, and a heat-sensitive material whose Curie point is set at a predetermined temperature and thermally fixed to the base. and,
A yoke is provided that is equipped with a permanent magnet paired with this heat-sensitive material, and that short-circuits the permanent magnet and the heat-sensitive material to form a magnetic circuit. The nozzle hole is opened.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in FIGS. 2 to 4.
This will be explained based on the diagram.

A base 21 made of a non-magnetic material such as an aluminum alloy in which a heater 21' is embedded has a vaporizing chamber 23 communicating with it through a steam passage 22, a steam outlet 24, and a storage chamber 2 that accommodates a valve drive section.
5 is formed. 26 is a vaporization chamber lid, 27 is a water tank, and 28 is a nozzle body fixed to the bottom of the water tank 27, in which a nozzle hole 29 communicating with the inside of the water tank 27 is bored. 30 is a valve body for opening and closing the nozzle hole 29, through which an operating shaft 31 is fixed. Reference numeral 32 denotes an opening/closing shaft having a steam button 34 protruding from the handle portion 33 provided above, and a cylindrical portion 36 provided below into which a large diameter portion 35 formed at the upper end of the operating shaft 31 fits vertically; 37; 38 is a spring that biases the valve body 30 in the closing direction, and 38 is a ferrite or Ni-
Donut-shaped heat-sensitive material made of Cu-based, Ni-Fe-based alloy, etc., 38 is radially magnetized heat-sensitive material 3
8 is a cylindrical permanent magnet placed in contact with the magnet. 40 and 40' are yokes made of magnetic material, which constitute a magnetic circuit that short-circuits the N and S magnetic poles of the permanent magnet 39 and the heat-sensitive material 38, respectively, and which protrude from the upper end of the permanent magnet 39 and connect to the operating shaft 31. It serves as an attraction surface for the magnetic body 41 which is fixed and connected to the valve body 30.

In the above configuration, both FIGS. 2 and 3 show the steam button 34 in the steam state, that is, the opening/closing shaft 32 is lowered and the operating shaft 31 is movable up and down. FIG. 2 shows that when the temperature of the heat-sensitive material 38 is lower than the Curie point, in other words, the base 2
1 shows a state when the temperature of water is lower than the value suitable for vaporizing water, and no magnetic force acts on the magnetic body 41, and the valve body 30 receives only the elastic force of the spring 37, and the valve body 30 is forced into the nozzle hole 29. The water in the water tank 27 is not supplied to the vaporization chamber 23 because the water in the water tank 27 is in a closed state.

Next, FIG. 3 shows the state when the temperature of the base 21 increases and reaches a value suitable for vaporizing water, and the temperature of the heat-sensitive material 38 exceeds the Curie point. At this time, the upper end surfaces of the yokes 40 and 40' are S,
Since the N magnetic pole appears and attracts the magnetic material 41, the valve body 30 connected thereto becomes open, and water in the water tank 27 is supplied to the vaporization chamber 23 as shown by arrow A through the nozzle hole 29. Ru. The steam generated here is ejected from the steam ejection hole 24 via the steam passage 22.

The magnetic circuit during operation will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows the case where the temperature of the heat-sensitive material 38 is lower than the Curie point, and since the heat-sensitive material 38 is a magnetic material, the permanent magnet 39 A magnetic path B is formed that short-circuits the magnetic poles, and does not exert any magnetic effect on the outside. FIG. 5 shows a case where the temperature of the heat-sensitive material 38 is higher than the Curie point.
8 is made of a non-magnetic material that does not lose its magnetism, so the magnetic pole of the permanent magnet 39 passes through the yokes 40, 40',
An S pole appears at the upper end of the yoke 40, and an N pole appears at the upper end of the yoke 40', attracting and attracting the magnetic body 41 to form a magnetic path C. Furthermore, if the temperature of the heat-sensitive material 38 decreases to below the Curie point in this state, a short-circuit magnetic path will occur within the heat-sensitive material 38 as shown in FIG. 4, the magnetic flux passing through the magnetic path C will decrease, and the attractive force will decrease. As a result, the magnetic body 41 is pushed up by the spring 37 and returns to the state shown in FIG.

In this way, by moving the magnetic body 41 up and down depending on the temperature of the heat-sensitive material 38, the base 2
Water is supplied to the vaporization chamber 23 only when the temperature of the vaporization chamber 23 reaches a value suitable for vaporization of water.

Furthermore, when the steam button 34 is changed from the steam state to the dry state, the opening/closing shaft 32 rises, the large diameter portion 35 engages with the lower opening edge of the cylindrical portion 36, and the operating shaft 31 also rises, forcing the valve body 30 to be closed.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the pressing force of the valve body 30 at low temperatures can be determined only by the elastic force of the spring 37, regardless of the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 39, and the permanent magnet 39, Heat sensitive material 3
8 can be fixed together, and the magnetic body 41 is attached to the yokes 40, 4.
0' is suctioned, so the movable part directly touches the heat-sensitive material 3.
8 or the permanent magnet 39.

Moreover, FIGS. 6 to 10 show other examples of combinations of permanent magnets and heat-sensitive materials in the steam iron of the present invention. Figures 6 and 7 are
This is an example in which flat yokes 43, 43' and a heat-sensitive material 44 are disposed closely around a cubic permanent magnet 42 magnetized in the horizontal direction, and when the temperature of the heat-sensitive material 44 is higher than the Curie point, the yoke 43 An S-pole appears on the upper end surface, and an N-pole magnetism appears on the upper end surface of the yoke 43'. In FIGS. 8 and 9, curved plate-shaped yokes 46 and 46' are tightly attached around a cylindrical permanent magnet 45 magnetized in the radial direction, and a cylindrical heat-sensitive material 47 is further closely attached around the cylindrical permanent magnet 45. In this example, when the heat-sensitive material 47 is at a high temperature, an S pole appears on the upper end surface of the yoke 46, and an N pole appears on the upper end surface of the yoke 46'. In FIG. 10, yokes 49 and 49' are closely attached to the lower and upper end surfaces of a cylindrical permanent magnet 48 magnetized in the axial direction, respectively, and a heat-sensitive material 50 is tightly placed between the yokes 49 and 49'. In this example, when the heat-sensitive material 50 is at a high temperature, a B pole appears on the upper end surface of the yoke 49, and an N pole appears on the upper end surface of the yoke 49'.

As described above, the permanent magnet and the heat-sensitive material can be freely combined, and the key is to arrange the heat-sensitive material in such a way that the N and S poles of the permanent magnet are short-circuited.

In addition, in the embodiment described above, the nozzle hole 29 of the nozzle body 28 is opened and closed directly by the valve body 30.
Needless to say, another valve seat may be provided in addition to the nozzle body 28 to control the temperature of the water supply.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above embodiments, the steam iron of the present invention is provided with a yoke that short-circuits a permanent magnet and a heat-sensitive material to form a magnetic circuit. It is designed to open a nozzle hole by suctioning the body.
With this configuration, the pressing force of the valve body against the nozzle body when the valve body is closed can be determined only by the elastic force of the spring, so manufacturing variations in the pressing force can be minimized. Moreover, the change in pressing force due to temperature is reduced, and since both the permanent magnet and the heat-sensitive material can be fixed, the permanent magnet will not vibrate due to external impact and collide with the heat-sensitive material, causing cracks or damage. It has excellent reliability and durability.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a main part of a conventional steam iron, FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional views of main parts showing an operating state of a steam iron according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 4 and 5. are cross-sectional views of the main parts showing the operating status of the valve device of the same steam iron, respectively.
6 and 7 are a plan view and a sectional view showing an example of a combination of a permanent magnet and a heat-sensitive material of the valve device of the same steam iron, and FIGS. 8 and 9 are a plan view showing another example of the combination, and A cross-sectional view and FIG. 10 are cross-sectional views showing still another example of combination. 21... Base, 23... Vaporization chamber, 27... Water tank, 28... Nozzle, 30... Valve body, 37...
... Spring, 38 ... Heat-sensitive material, 39 ... Permanent magnet, 40, 40' ... Yoke, 41 ... Magnetic material.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A base, a vaporization chamber provided on the base, a water tank, a nozzle body having a nozzle hole for supplying water in the water tank to the vaporization chamber, and a spring for connecting the nozzle hole. a valve body that is biased in the closing direction by a magnetic body, a magnetic body connected to the valve body, a heat-sensitive material whose Curie point is set at a predetermined temperature and is thermally fixed to the base, and this heat-sensitive material. and a permanent magnet paired with a yoke that short-circuits the permanent magnet and the heat-sensitive material to form a magnetic circuit,
The steam iron is configured to attract the magnetic material and open the nozzle hole when the temperature of the heat-sensitive material reaches a temperature higher than the Curie point. 2. The steam iron according to claim 1, wherein the valve body has an external operation means for forcibly closing the valve body.