JPH0790098B2 - Steam iron - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a steam iron.

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional steam iron, a structure using an electric pump for generating steam is known, for example, as shown in FIG.

In the following, referring to the drawings, reference numeral 1 is a base in which a heater 2 is embedded, and 3 is a vaporization chamber lid mounted on the base 1 to form a vaporization chamber 4 on the base 1. 5 is a tank provided so as to cover the base 1 from above the vaporization chamber lid 3, and a handle 6 is integrally formed at the upper end of the tank 5. 7 is an electric pump provided at the bottom of the tank 5, 8 is a control device provided inside the handle 6, 9 is the electric pump 7 and the vaporization chamber 4.
Is a water conduit that connects

In the steam iron configured as described above, the electric pump 7 operated by the controller 8 is the tank 5
The water is sucked in from and is sent to the vaporization chamber 4 through the water conduit 9. The water sent into the vaporization chamber 4 becomes steam and is jetted to the outside from the steam jet holes (not shown) of the base 1.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention In such a conventional steam iron, when a powerful pump using an electric motor or a solenoid or a pump using a diaphragm is used as the electric pump 7, vibration or vibration noise from the pump is large, In addition, the size of the pump became large, and there was a problem in mounting it on the iron. On the other hand, when a vibrator type pump is used, it can be downsized and the vibration noise is small, and it is possible to discharge the water necessary for steam generation, but until the pump starts sucking the water in the tank It does not have that powerful ejection force. Moreover, since the vibrator has a low heat resistance temperature, it is necessary to position it above the tank when it is installed with an iron, so it is preferable to arrange it above the water level in the tank. There was a problem that I could not inhale the water.

The present invention solves such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric pump with a low vibration noise and to provide a steam iron in which insufficient suction force at the initial stage of starting is eliminated.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a vaporization chamber formed on a base heated by a heater, a discharge nozzle located above the vaporization chamber, and a water storage tank. An electric pump that supplies water in the tank to the vaporization chamber through the discharge nozzle, a negative pressure generator that makes the discharge side of the electric pump a negative pressure, and an electric pump that works in conjunction with the negative pressure generator. And a starting switch for starting the electric pump, and forcibly introducing the water in the tank with a negative pressure on the discharge side when the electric pump is started.

Operation With this configuration, the electric pump does not need to suck the water in the tank by itself by supplying a negative pressure to the discharge side of the electric pump by the negative pressure generator at the time of starting, and the water is supplied to the discharge nozzle side. After that, water is sent to the discharge nozzle by the action of the electric pump, and the water is dropped from the discharge nozzle into the vaporization chamber to generate steam. As a result, a small electric pump can be used.

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

First, the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described.
Is a base in which the heater 12 is embedded, and 13 is a vaporization chamber lid mounted on the base 11 to form a vaporization chamber 14 on the base 11. Reference numeral 15 denotes a tank provided so as to cover the base 11 from above the vaporization chamber lid 13.
A handle 16 is integrally formed on the upper end of 15. Reference numeral 17 denotes a discharge nozzle attached to the upper end of the vaporization chamber 14, and inside the discharge nozzle 17, a float valve 19 located above the nozzle hole 18 at the lower end is provided. 20 is the tank
With the electric pump installed at the bottom of the 15,
The upper end of is connected to the inside of the tank 15 through the suction hole 21, and the lower end is connected to the discharge nozzle 17 through the water conduit 22. Reference numeral 23 denotes a manual pump provided so as to vertically penetrate the tank 15, the lower end of its suction cylinder portion 24 is communicated with the upper end of the discharge nozzle 17, and the upper end of the suction cylinder portion 24 is above the tank 15. The shaft portion 25a of the operation knob 25 that is operated up and down is fitted from above. 26 is a spring for urging the operating knob 25 upward, 27 is a discharge hole formed in the side portion near the upper end of the suction cylinder portion 24, and the portion where the discharge hole 27 is formed is covered with a partition wall 28 from the outside. It is separated from the inside of the tank 15 and communicates with the space above the tank 15. Reference numeral 29 is a check valve provided outside the discharge hole 27. Reference numeral 30 designates a switch lever 3 which comes into contact with the lower end of the upper end tubular portion 25b of the operation knob 25.
It is a switch provided with 1, and is provided inside the handle 16 together with the control device 32.

Next, the operation of the steam iron having the above structure will be described. When the operating knob 25 of the manual pump 23 is pushed down at the time of starting the iron, the pressing lever 25b integrally formed from the operating knob 25 interlocks with the switch lever 31 to turn on the switch 30, and as a result, the control device 32 is electrically operated. Start pump 20. When the operation knob 25 of the pushed manual pump 23 is released, the operation knob 25 is pushed up by the spring 26, and the negative pressure generated at this time causes the tank to move.
The water in 15 passes through the electric pump 20 and collects in the discharge nozzle 17 from the water conduit 22. Due to the water accumulated inside the discharge nozzle 17, the float valve 19 has a smaller specific gravity than water.
Lifts up and closes the communication part between the discharge nozzle 17 and the suction cylinder part 24. As a result, the nozzle hole 18 at the lower end of the discharge nozzle 17 is opened, and the water pushed out from the electric pump 20 causes water to be sequentially dropped from the nozzle hole 18 into the vaporization chamber 14 to generate steam.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the water is sucked into the electric pump 20 and the discharge nozzle 17 by using the manual pump 23 only when the iron is started, and thereafter, the electric power of the electric pump 20 is used. By supplying water to the discharge nozzle 23, it is possible to construct an iron using a small electric pump, and as a result, it is possible to provide an iron that is easy to use with little vibration or vibration noise.

Next, a second embodiment shown in FIG. 2 will be described. In contrast to the first embodiment, in which the electric pump 20 is provided at the bottom of the tank 15, in the second embodiment, the upper end of the tank 15 is higher than the water surface. An electric pump 20 is provided above. 33 is an electric pump for sucking the water in the tank 15 into the electric pump 20.
The suction pipe hangs from 20 to near the inner bottom of the tank 15.
Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

Next, a third embodiment shown in FIG. 3 will be explained. In contrast to the float valve 19 provided inside the discharge nozzle 17 in the first and second embodiments, the discharge nozzle 17 is provided in the third embodiment. A ball valve 34 is provided inside, the shaft portion 25a extending downward from the operation knob 25 is brought to the lower end of the suction cylinder portion 24, and a spring 35 is interposed between the lower end of the shaft portion 25a and the ball valve 34. In a normal state in which the operation knob 25 is not pushed down, the ball valve 34 is positioned above the nozzle hole 18 of the discharge nozzle 17 at a constant interval. Further, the shaft portion 25a
A packing 36 that is in contact with the inner surface of the suction tube portion 24 is attached to an intermediate portion in the up-down direction. Reference numeral 37 is a sealing projection formed near the upper end of the suction cylinder 24 so that the packing 36 abuts in a normal state. The other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment.

The operation of the third embodiment described above will be explained. When the operating knob 25 is pushed down, the electric pump 20 is started, the ball valve 34 is lowered, and the nozzle hole 18 is closed. Next, when the operating knob 25 is pushed up by the spring 26 by releasing the operating knob 25, the inside of the suction cylinder portion 24 becomes a negative pressure, and the water in the tank 15 becomes the electric pump 20 and the water conduit.
It is sucked into the discharge nozzle 17 through 22. When the operating knob 25 is completely returned upward, the ball valve 34 rises to open the nozzle hole 18, and the water pushed out from the electric pump 20 causes the water to be sequentially dropped from the nozzle hole 18 into the vaporization chamber 14 to generate steam. To do.

By the way, in the above three embodiments, the device for generating the negative pressure by the manual pump 23 is configured, but the device for generating the negative pressure by the electric pump may be configured.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION As described above, according to the present invention, by providing the negative pressure generating device that makes the discharge side of the electric pump that supplies the water in the tank to the vaporization chamber a negative pressure, the electric pump can be It is not necessary to suck in water by itself, and a small electric pump can be used instead of a large electric pump that produces vibrations and noises. This makes it possible to provide a steam iron that is easy to use. By the way, as a small electric pump, for example, a vibrator type pump can be used, but this vibrator type pump has low heat resistance, and it is better to keep it away from the iron base, and inevitably above the water surface in the tank. Although it will be installed, even in this case, since the water can be sucked up into the electric pump by the operation of the negative pressure generating device, the electric pump can be kept small in size, and can be installed in a narrow space near the handle, for example. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a steam iron according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which is a cutaway side view, and FIG. 2 is a side view of a steam iron according to a second embodiment of the present invention, which is a cutaway side view. FIG. 4 is a cutaway side view of a main part of a steam iron according to a third embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a cutaway side view of a main part of a steam iron according to a conventional example. 11 ... Base, 12 ... Heater, 13 ... Vaporization chamber lid, 14 ...
… Vaporization chamber, 15 …… Tank, 17 …… Discharge nozzle, 18 …… Nozzle hole, 20 …… Electric pump, 22 …… Water conduit, 23 …… Manual pump, 24 …… Suction cylinder, 25 …… Operation Knob, 30 ... Switch, 32 ... Control device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A vaporization chamber formed on a base heated by a heater, a discharge nozzle positioned above the vaporization chamber, a tank for storing water, and water in the tank through the discharge nozzle. The electric pump is equipped with an electric pump for supplying to the vaporization chamber, a negative pressure generator for making the discharge side of the electric pump a negative pressure, and a start switch for starting the electric pump in cooperation with the negative pressure generator. A steam iron characterized by forcing the water in the tank to be forcibly introduced with a negative pressure on the discharge side.