JPH0556158B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a steam iron that automatically opens and closes a water passage connecting a tank and a vaporizing chamber depending on the temperature of the base.

(b) Prior Art Conventionally, in this type of iron, as shown in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 56-82994, the opening/closing position of the water passage by the heat-responsive member is on the tank side. There was a problem in that the number of connection points between the base and the base increased, making the configuration more complicated. Therefore, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-186599, for example, a system in which the opening/closing position of the water passage using a thermally responsive member is provided on the base side to avoid an increase in the number of connection points between the tank and the base is proposed. Are known.
However, since the opening/closing position of the water passage by the thermally responsive member is at the very end of the water passage, when the thermally responsive member operates and closes the passage, a large amount of water remains in the water passage, causing rust, water stains, etc. becomes.

(c) Problems to be solved by the invention The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points.
The objective is to simplify the connection configuration between the tank and the base, reduce the amount of residual water in the water passage, and suppress the occurrence of rust and water scale.

(d) Means for solving the problems The present invention includes a base having a heater and a vaporization chamber,
an ironing cover provided above the base; a tank provided above the ironing cover and having a nozzle at the bottom; a first opening/closing rod that can freely open and close the opening of the nozzle; and the nozzle and the vaporizer. A water passage connecting the chambers, a thermally responsive member provided on the base, and a second opening/closing rod that opens and closes an upstream portion of the water passage in conjunction with the thermally responsive member, and the water passage includes: A downstream path extending in a direction substantially parallel to the base is formed downstream of the opening/closing position by the second opening/closing rod, and the downstream path is horizontally long, with the length of the part parallel to the base being longer than the length of the part perpendicular to the base. It has a shape. Further, the downstream passage may be formed toward the rear side of the base so that water in the downstream passage flows to the vaporization chamber when the front side of the base is facing upward.

(e) Function Since the present invention is configured as described above, when the thermally responsive member operates as the temperature of the base decreases,
In conjunction with this, a second opening/closing rod stops the flow of water from the tank to the vaporization chamber. Since this second opening/closing rod is located upstream of the water passage, water remaining in the water passage downstream thereof flows into the vaporization chamber and is vaporized by the residual heat of the base. Furthermore, the downstream channel extends in a direction parallel to the base, and has an oblong shape in which the length of the part parallel to the base is longer than the length of the part perpendicular to the base, so the amount of heat received from the base is increased, and the water It promotes evaporation and thus reduces the drying time in the downstream passage. Further, the downstream passage formed toward the rear side of the base promotes the flow of water to the vaporization chamber when the front side of the base is facing upward.

(f) Example This example will be explained based on the drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes a base made of aluminum in which a heater 2 is embedded, which includes a vaporization chamber 3 close to the heater 2, steam holes 4, 4 that communicate the vaporization chamber with outside air, and the vaporization chamber 3.
and a compartment 5 partitioned by a cylindrical partition wall A. Reference numeral 6 denotes a base lid that covers the vaporization chamber 3 and the compartment 5, and has an opening 7 communicating with the vaporization chamber 3 formed at a proper location. 8 is an ironing cover provided above the base 1; 9 is a handle provided on the top surface of the ironing cover; 10 is a tank detachably provided between the ironing cover 8 and the handle 9 for storing water; A nozzle 11 is formed on the bottom surface. Reference numeral 12 denotes a first opening/closing rod that moves up and down in a cylindrical portion 13 formed in the tank 10 and opens and closes the opening 14 of the nozzle 11 at its lower end. However, when an operating member (not shown) is manually operated, it descends and closes the opening 14 of the nozzle 11.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a cylindrical flexible heat-resistant resin packing made of, for example, silicone rubber, which is provided between the iron cover 8 and the base lid 6, and has a small diameter hole 16 whose upper edge is bent inward. A contact surface 17 that contacts the lower surface of the nozzle 11 is formed on the upper surface, and this contact surface 17 is made to protrude from the upper surface of the base cover 8. Further, this packing 15 has one side of its lower end extending rearward in a substantially horizontal direction with the base 1 to form, together with the upper surface of the base lid 6, a downstream passage 18 that communicates with the opening 7 of the base lid 6. Therefore, the packing 15 and the base lid 6 form a water passage connecting the nozzle 11 and the vaporization chamber 3.
19 is a first spring that is installed in the packing 15 and always urges the contact surface 17 upward;
0 is a heat-responsive member such as a reversible bimetal which is arranged in the compartment 5 and senses the temperature of the base 1 and operates in reverse; 21 is a second opening/closing rod whose lower end is connected to the upper surface of the heat-responsive member at approximately the center thereof; By the operation of the thermally responsive member 20, it slides up and down through the guide hole 22 provided in the base lid 6, and its upper end also connects to the upstream part of the water passage, that is, the hole 16 of the packing 15.
The lower end of the can be opened and closed. A second spring 23 is interposed between the base lid 6 and the thermally responsive member 20, and assists the reversing operation of the thermally responsive member 20.

Next, the operation will be explained based on A to C of FIG. First, when ironing is performed using steam, water is stored in the tank 10 and the tank 10 is attached. At this time, the packing 15
The contact surface 17 is pressed against the lower surface of the nozzle 11 and moves slightly downward against the biasing force of the first spring 19. Then, by operating an operation member (not shown), the first
The opening 14 of the nozzle 11 is opened by moving the opening/closing rod 12 upward. When the temperature of the base 1 is lower than the appropriate temperature for steam generation, such as when the heater 2 is initially energized, the thermally responsive member 20 is in an upwardly curved state as shown in FIG.
The lower end of the hole 16 is closed. Therefore, downstream path 1
Water does not flow into the vaporization chamber 8 and is not supplied into the vaporization chamber 3 even when the opening 14 of the nozzle 11 is opened.
Then, when the base 1 is heated by the heater 2 and reaches the appropriate temperature for vaporizing water and generating steam,
As shown in B, the thermally responsive member 20 instantaneously reverses with the help of the second spring 23, and the second opening/closing rod 2
1 opens the hole 16 of the packing 15. In this state, the water in the tank 10 passes through the nozzle 11 and the packing 15, and after being preheated by the base lid 6 in the downstream passage 18, it flows into the vaporization chamber 3 where it is efficiently vaporized and the water flows through the steam hole. It is ejected from 4,4. Of course, even during use, the supply of water to the vaporization chamber 3 can be stopped by operating an operating member (not shown) to move the first opening/closing rod 12 downward and closing the opening 14 of the nozzle 11. is possible, and switching between steam and dry can be done manually.

After ironing, the thermally responsive member 20 returns to its original position as the temperature of the base 1 decreases, and the second opening/closing rod 2
1 moves upward to close the water passage, water remaining in the downstream passage 18 flows into the vaporization chamber 3 and is vaporized by the residual heat of the base 1. Further, the downstream passage 18 is connected to the base 1
Since the base 1 is substantially parallel to the base 1, a large amount of heat is received by the base 1, and water droplets in the downstream passage 18 are quickly vaporized, and the interior is dried in a short time.

In addition, since the downstream path 18 extends backward, when the base 1 is moved away from the ironing surface after ironing is completed and placed in a heel rest state, the downstream path 18 becomes steeply sloped and the water in the downstream path 18 is drained. It can be rapidly flowed into the vaporization chamber 3.

Further, when the tank 10 is taken out to discard the water after ironing, the water remaining in the downstream passage 18 flows into the vaporization chamber 3 and the base 1
The contact surface 17 of the packing 15 is released from the pressure of the nozzle 11 and moves upward to its original state as shown in C, so even if the second opening/closing rod 21 is moving upward, Even if the hole 16 of the packing 15 is open, the water remaining in the hole 16 flows into the vaporization chamber 3 through the water passage 18 and is vaporized by the residual heat of the base 1 as described above.

Further, although the compartment 5 is formed in the base 1, it is completely separated from the vaporization chamber 3 by the partition wall A, so water droplets from the tank 10 cannot enter the compartment 5 through the vaporization chamber 3. First, rust or deterioration of the thermally responsive member 20 contained therein due to water will be eliminated.

Moreover, since the hole 16 is formed of the flexible heat-resistant resin packing 15, the second opening/closing rod 2
Even if there are variations in the upward movement position of the opening/closing rod 1, or even if the contact surface of the second opening/closing rod 21 is deformed, the second opening/closing rod 21 can reliably close the hole 16 together with the packing 21 that deforms. can.

(g) Effects of the invention Since the present invention is constructed as described above,
It is possible to significantly reduce the amount of water remaining in the water passage after the flow of water from the tank to the vaporization chamber is closed by the second opening/closing rod; The downstream portion (downstream path) of the water passage can be effectively dried by the residual heat of the base, and the occurrence of water scale and rust caused by water remaining in the water passage can be suppressed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing one embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along line A-A' in Figure 1, and A and A in Figure 3.
B and C are operation explanatory diagrams. 1...base, 10...tank, 11...nozzle, 1
4... Opening, 3... Vaporization chamber, 18... Downstream path, 5... Compartment, 15... Packing (water passage), 16... Hole, 2
0...Thermal response member, 21...Second opening/closing rod.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A base having a heater and a vaporizing chamber, an ironing cover provided above the base, a tank provided above the ironing cover and having a nozzle at its bottom, and an opening for the nozzle. The first part can be opened and closed freely.
a water passage connecting the nozzle and the vaporization chamber, a thermally responsive member provided on the base, and a second opening/closing rod that opens and closes an upstream portion of the water passage in conjunction with the thermally responsive member. The water passage has a downstream passage extending in a direction substantially parallel to the base downstream of the opening/closing position by the second opening/closing rod, and the downstream passage has a length parallel to the base. A steam iron characterized by having an oblong shape that is longer than the length of the part perpendicular to the base. 2. Claims characterized in that the downstream passage is formed toward the rear side of the base so that water in the downstream passage flows to the vaporization chamber when the front side of the base faces upward. The steam iron described in Section 1.