KR101998358B1 - Automatic steam washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automatic steam washing machine. After washing work, residual water in the steam washing machine is all removed to prevent a pipe line from being blocked as the residual water is frozen below zero temperatures or protect the pipe line not to be frozen. Moreover, when the steam washing machine is operated, and source water does not remain in a water tank or is all consumed, operation of a boiler is automatically stopped for a pressure tank not to overheat or explode. A user can randomly select a washing method to perform washing.

Description

{AUTOMATIC STEAM WASHING MACHINE}

The present invention relates to a steam washing machine, and more particularly, to a steam washing machine which removes all remaining water in a steam washing machine after a washing operation to protect the duct from clogging or freezing pipes due to freezing of residual water at a subzero temperature, It is possible to automatically stop the operation of the boiler so that the pressure tank does not overheat or explode when there is no water in the water tank during operation or when the water tank is completely consumed. Also, the automatic steam washing machine will be.

The steam washing machine of the present invention can be employed in the technical field of washing, washing, and cleaning using steam, but it will be exemplified as an example of a steam washing machine.

In the case of a steam cleaner for automobiles, conventionally, car washes using an automatic car washer installed in a gas station. However, in recent years, there has been a problem in that the car is advanced, It is changing to favor high-quality steam washing for various reasons.

However, since the steam washing machine is mainly used outdoors, there is a fatal problem that the water supply system of the steam washing machine is frozen or the piping is frozen at a subzero temperature.

In order to solve such a problem, Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2010-0001509 and Registration Utility Model No. 20-0327220 propose a steam car washer having a function of preventing freezing.

Both of the above-described conventional technologies are characterized in that the water in the duct is not frozen by wrapping a hot line heated by a power source around a duct through which fluid (water) flows. However, The power supply must be continuously supplied.

As a result, there is a distinct problem of unnecessarily wasting power, which is not a fundamental solution.

Another prior art related to the above is Korean Patent No. 10-0824079.

The above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 10-0824079 discloses a technique of installing a heating fan that is automatically operated when the temperature of the fuel cell drops below zero, heating the outside air through a heating fan, blowing air into the steam washing machine, This technology, however, does not have access to the above-mentioned problems.

As is well known, steam tends not to be good at hotter seasons in general because it is hot. Since steam carwash makers are mostly manufactured for exclusive use of steam washing, they are inefficient in terms of utilization and have a simple function Which limits washing efficiency and efficiency.

The present invention has been made to overcome the above-mentioned problems associated with the steam washing machine. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems.

A first object of the present invention is to provide an automatic steam cleaner capable of automatically shutting off the operation of the steam generator when raw water is not used or consumed in the water tank, thereby overheating the pressure tank or fundamentally blocking the occurrence of an explosion accident.

A second object of the present invention is to provide an automatic steam cleaner that can be cleaned at any time according to the user's choice of the cleaning method.

A third object of the present invention is to provide an automatic steam cleaner capable of removing all the residual water so that the residual water in the steam cleaner is not frozen by the temperature.

Means for solving the problems of the present invention is as follows.

A water tank having a water level sensor and storing raw water for generating steam;

A water supply system having a first flow sensor, a water supply pump, a pipeline opening / closing means, and a check valve, the water supply system being connected between the water tank and the pressure tank;

A raw water circulation system having a pipeline opening and closing means and branched from a rear end of the water supply pump and connected to the water tank;

If the sensing signal of the first flow sensor determines that the raw water flows in the water supply system, the control unit closes the water supply circulation system after a predetermined time, and controls the channel opening / closing means to open the channel of the water supply system, The water in the pressure tank is heated by operating the burner while feeding the water into the pressure tank along the water supply system,

On the contrary, if the first flow sensor senses that raw water does not flow in the water supply system, the control unit controls the burner to stop after a predetermined time, controls the channel of the water supply system to be shut off, controls the water supply pump to stop It is characterized by.

In this way, when the steam washing machine is operated, the boiler can be controlled not to operate even if there is no water in the water tank or if the water tank is completely consumed, so that there is no possibility of overheating or explosion accident of the pressure tank. Thus, the present invention is safe.

Further, when the water level sensor in the water tank is short of water, the water shortage prediction lamp of the operation unit is turned on, so that there is a time for the user to replenish the raw water.

Means for solving the problems of the automatic steam cleaner for realizing the object of the present invention include:

A steam discharging system having pipeline opening / closing means and communicatingly connected to the upper portion of the pressure tank;

A fluid discharge system having a conduit opening / closing means, one end connected to the lower side of the pressure tank, and the other end connected to the steam discharge system;

And a controller for controlling the opening / closing amount of the pipeline opening / closing means and the amount of opening / closing of the pipeline opening / closing means according to the selection of the washing mode.

The automatic steam washing machine can selectively open and close the fluid discharge system and the steam discharge system by means of a control unit to selectively open and close the fluid discharge system and the steam discharge system so as to selectively use steam or water or selectively use steam or water.

Therefore, the application range of the steam washing machine can be extended, and the cleaning efficiency and the cleaning efficiency can be improved by selecting the washing method.

The present invention is safe because the operation of the boiler is automatically stopped by the control unit when there is no raw water in the water tank at the start of operation of the steam cleaner and there is no fear of overheating or explosion of the pressure tank.

Further, since the present invention can wash steam and / or water (cold / hot water) by user's choice, it can be used regardless of the season or temperature, so that the range of use of the steam washing machine can be extended, Or more effective cleaning method according to the temperature, it is possible to improve cleaning efficiency and cleaning efficiency.

Further, since the present invention can discharge all the residual water in the steam washing machine, there is no problem of freezing or freezing the pipeline at a subzero temperature.

1A and 1B are perspective views showing an automatic steam cleaner and a steam spray gun according to the present invention.
2 is a block diagram illustrating the components of the automatic steam cleaner shown in FIG.
3 is a detailed block diagram of the block diagram shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the raw water circulation system of the present invention. FIG.
5 is a schematic view showing the steam discharging system of the present invention.
Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing the fluid discharge system of the present invention.
Fig. 7 is a schematic view showing the residual water drainage system of the present invention.
8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the pressure tank shown in Fig.
Fig. 9 is a front view showing the operating part of the steam washing machine according to the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a control flow chart of a control unit for each operation mode, such as steam cleaning, water cleaning, steam cleaning, and water removal, through a cleaning method selection switch of the present invention.
11 to 13 are control flow charts of the control unit according to the selection of the cleaning method shown in FIG.
14 is a control flow chart of the controller according to the removal of the residual water of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the automatic steam cleaner according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view illustrating a steam washing machine 100 for a washing machine according to the present invention, FIG. 1B is a perspective view illustrating a steam spraying gun, and FIGS. Reference numeral 105 denotes a lid for supplying water into the water tank 131, and reference numeral 106 denotes a steam outlet. Reference numeral 107 denotes a caster, 108 denotes an exhaust cover, 109 denotes a handling handle of the steam cleaner 100, 110 denotes an operation mode selection switch 111 (see FIG. 9) of the automatic steam cleaner 100 according to the present invention ), And is an operation unit that is connected in circuit with the control unit described below. When the hose 201 of the steam injection gun 200 shown in FIG. 1B is connected to the steam discharge port shown in FIG. 1A, steam can be used.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a steam washing machine 100 according to the present invention. The steam washing machine 100 of the present invention includes a water tank (not shown) for storing raw water for generating steam A steam generator 150 formed of a pressure tank having steam generating means and a water supply system having a water supply system for feeding the raw water of the water storage portion 130 to the steam generating portion 150, A steam discharging unit 170 having a steam discharging system L3 for discharging the steam generated in the steam generating unit 150 and a steam discharging unit 170 for discharging the water in the raw water and the pressure tank, The control unit 120 controls the water supply unit, the steam generation unit, the steam discharge unit, and the drainage unit according to the setting of the selection switch 111 and the drainage unit 160 having the drainage system for discharging the steam to the outside .

The control unit 120 described above is a semiconductor processor having control logic, and a control method for each operation mode of the cleaning mode will be described in more detail below.

3, the connection relationship between the control unit 120, the water storage unit 130, the water supply unit 140, the steam generation unit 150, the steam discharge unit 170, and the drainage unit 160 will be described with reference to FIG. Fig.

The conduit opening / closing means defined by the present invention encompasses an electronic valve (hereinafter referred to as "the electromagnetic valve") that opens and closes the conduit under the control of the control unit 120, the water level sensor includes a sensor for sensing the water level, It covers the sensor that can sense the pressure, and the flow sensor covers the sensor that senses the flow of the fluid.

The water reservoir 130 described above is a water tank 131 for storing raw water for producing steam. When the lid 105 shown in FIG. 1 is opened, water can be replenished into the water tank 131, The inside of the water tank is atmospheric pressure.

The water tank 131 is connected to the outside of the steam cleaner 100 so that the user can intuitively check the water level sensor 132 and the water tank 131 for detecting the water level as shown in FIG. (Fig. 1).

The water supply unit 140 is connected between the water tank 131 and the pressure tank 151 (see FIGS. 3 and 5) to transfer the raw water in the water tank 131 into the pressure tank 151 The water supply system L1 is provided with a first flow sensor 141, a feed pump 142, a check valve 143 and a pipe line opening / closing means, that is, (V1).

The first flow sensor 141 senses whether the raw water in the water tank 131 flows along the pipeline, and transmits the sensed raw water to the control unit 120.

The water supply pump 142 described above is a pump dedicated to transfer raw water in the water tank to the pressure tank. When the water level in the pressure tank 151 reaches the set range, the water level sensor 152 (Fig. 8) And is stopped by the control unit through the information sensed by the control unit.

The check valve 143 described above is a valve whose channel is opened so that raw water only flows toward the steam generating part 150 along the water supply line L1 described above and can not flow back when raw water passes through the check valve 143 . Therefore, the pressure in the pressure tank does not flow into the water tank.

The first electromagnetic valve V1 installed in the water supply system L1 opens the conduit of the water supply system L1 when the power is turned on by the control unit 120, Lt; / RTI >

The steam washing machine 100 according to the present invention is branched from the check valve 143 of the water supply system L1 and the first electromagnetic valve V1 to be connected to the water tank 131 described above as shown in FIGS. And a raw water circulation system L2 having a second electromagnetic valve V2.

In the raw water circulation system, whether the raw water flows along the water supply system (L1) when the steam washing machine (100) starts operation, that is, whether the raw water flows in the water tank while circulating raw water through the water supply system and the raw water circulation system Since the control unit 120 controls the boiler B to operate only when the raw water flows after judging in advance, there is basically no problem that the pressure tank 151 is overheated or exploded.

The second electromagnetic valve and the first flow sensor are operated by a relay (not shown in the figure) circuit for a predetermined time, for example, within several seconds, and when the water flows into the water supply system L1, .

8, the steam generating unit 150 includes a hermetically sealed pressure tank 151 having a water level sensor 152 and a pressure sensor 155, and a pressure tank 151 And a sixth electromagnetic valve (V6) for discharging the air.

The above-described pressure tank is an enclosure for storing raw water fed through the water supply system L1.

The above-mentioned water level sensor 152 senses the water level so that the water level in the pressure tank 151 is maintained within the set range, and transmits the sensing information to the control unit.

The maximum water level can be set by installing the water level sensor 152 at an upper side in the pressure tank 151 and a certain distance from the upper side. In this way, the volume of the air layer 150a for accumulating the steam pressure in the pressure tank can be maintained.

When the water level of the pressure tank 151 falls below the set range, the controller 120 drives the water feed pump 142 to stop the operation of the water feed pump when the water level reaches the set range. 151 may be maintained in the continuously set range.

The above-described pressure sensor 155 senses the pressure in the pressure tank 151 and transmits the sensing signal to the control unit 120. The control unit 120 controls the operation of the boiler B according to the sensing information of the pressure sensor so that the pressure in the pressure tank can be maintained in the design range.

Therefore, the vapor pressure of the water heated by the boiler is accumulated in the air layer 150a of the pressure tank 151, and the water level is maintained at the lower portion by the water supply pump 142 in the set range according to the sensing information of the water level sensor The steam washer can be operated.

As shown in FIG. 3, the pressure tank is provided with a pressure valve 155a for automatically discharging overpressure when an overpressure occurs.

It is preferable that the installation position of the sixth electromagnetic valve V6 is installed at a position at least equal to or higher than the full water level sensing position of the water level sensor.

When the raw water is supplied into the pressure tank 151, the air in the pressure tank is discharged, so that the raw water can be supplied to the set range of the water level sensor 152. When the water level of the pressure tank is lowered due to steam consumption, Water can be continuously filled in the water level setting range by the water supply pump in accordance with the sensing of the sensor 152 and water can be prevented from flowing out through the channel of the sixth electromagnetic valve V6 when water in the pressure tank is removed have.

When the water level in the pressure tank 151 reaches the set range, the sixth electromagnetic valve V6 is controlled so that the conduit of the sixth electromagnetic valve V6 is closed by the sensing information of the water level sensor.

The steam generating means includes a boiler for generating steam.

Preferred examples of the use of the steam generating means include a boiler (B) equipped with an LPG gas burner (not shown in the figure) having a burner burner and a burner gas exhaust port or a coil type heat line generating heat by electric resistance heat And an electric boiler (not shown in the drawings). The present invention is shown in the drawings by employing a burner type boiler (B) using LPG gas as an energy source.

The LPG gas burner type boiler (B) must use the steam washing machine where the power can not be used during the washing cleaning, and it is necessary to generate the steam quickly and also to control the temperature of the steam quickly. It can be more useful than a boiler.

It is preferable that all of the outer walls of the heating vessel 153 of the boiler B are fixed so as to be spaced apart from the inner wall of the pressure tank 151 by using the spacer B2 as shown in FIG.

In this way, heat exchange is performed on the entire surface of the heating vessel 153, thereby shortening the steam production time and further enhancing the energy efficiency.

The interior of the heating vessel 153 described above is partitioned by the partition B1, and the partitioned spaces are communicated through the lower portion of the partition B1. In this way, the heat energy efficiency can be further improved by delaying the time for the heat of combustion in the heating vessel 153 to be discharged to the exhaust port (not shown).

6, the steam discharging part 170 has a fifth valve V5 as shown in FIG. 6, and is a pipe for guiding the steam stored in the air layer 150a to be discharged out of the pressure tank 151 A steam discharge port 106 is connected to the end of the steam discharge line L3 and connected to the hose 201 of the steam spray gun 200 as shown in FIGS. Lt; / RTI >

7, the drainage system 160 includes a second flow sensor 162, a third electromagnetic valve V3, and a drainage pump 161. The drainage system includes a pressure tank 151, As shown in FIG.

The second flow sensor senses whether water is flowing in the drainage system, such as the first flow sensor described above, and transmits the information to the controller.

The third electromagnetic valve V3 opens and closes the conduit of the drainage system L5 by the control unit 120 and the drain pump 161 is connected to the control unit 120 in accordance with the sensing information of the second flow sensor Whether to drive is controlled.

The fluid discharge system L4 refers to a pipe for discharging the water in the pressure tank to the steam discharge system as shown in FIG. The fluid discharge system L4 is connected to the lower portion of the pressure tank 151 and the other end is connected to the steam discharge system L3 to induce water in the pressure tank. And a four-electron valve (V4) opened and closed by a control unit.

The fluid discharge system L4 may be connected to the rear end of the fifth electromagnetic valve V5 (on the basis of the steam discharge direction) when communicating with the steam discharge system L3.

In this case, the control unit can control the mixture ratio of steam and water in the steam discharge system L3 by selectively controlling the opening and closing amounts of the fourth and fifth electromagnetic valves V4 and V5.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 155a denotes a pressure valve that automatically opens the pipe at a predetermined pressure so that the pressure tank 151 does not explode by overpressure. Reference numeral 156 denotes a pressure gauge, and 157 denotes a temperature gauge.

When the main power is applied, all components of the steam washing machine 100 of the present invention start operating according to the setting of the selection switch 111 of the operation unit 110 while the power is off. A control method for each operation mode of the steam washing machine will be described.

When the steam washing operation mode is set by the selection switch 111, the control unit operates the steam washing machine 100 in the operation mode set (selected) by the selection switch 111 as shown in FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 11, the steam washing machine 100 may have no water in the water tank 131 at all or the water level may be lower than the set range.

Therefore, the control part of the steam washing machine performs the raw water checking step (a) in advance.

When the water level information sensed by the water level sensor 132 in the water tank 131 is sensed below the set value, the controller 120 determines whether the water level is low And simultaneously opens the second electromagnetic valve V2 to communicate the water supply system L1 and the raw water circulation system L2 and at the same time operates the water supply pump 142 to supply the raw water to the water supply system L1 and the raw water circulation system (L2), and checking whether the raw water flows through the first flow sensor (141).

The control unit 120 cuts off the power supplied to the water supply pump 142 and the second electromagnetic valve V2 to stop the steam washing machine 100, and the main power is turned off, all the control is stopped and the steam washing machine is put in a dormant state. After the raw water is replenished in the water tank 131, the selection switch 111 is turned off (ON), the control unit 120 determines whether or not the water is present in the manner described above.

11, the raw water circulation system L2 is closed and the water supply system L1 is closed, as shown in FIG. 11, when the controller 112 determines that the raw water flows in the water supply system L1. (B) for controlling the first electromagnetic valve (V1) and the second electromagnetic valve (V2) so as to open the water supply pump (142) and then driving the water supply pump (142) to transfer the raw water into the pressure tank (151).

The control unit 120 determines that the water supply pump 142 and the boiler B are connected to each other by the first flow sensor 141 in the raw water supply step (b) The pressure tank 151 is prevented from overheating or exploding.

When the water level is not detected even in the minimum sensing range when the raw water is supplied into the pressure tank 151 through the water supply system described above, the control unit opens the sixth electromagnetic valve V6 to correspond to the water supply amount The air in the pressure tank 151 is discharged and when the water level is sensed as reaching the set range, the duct of the sixth electromagnetic valve is closed, the water supply pump 142 is stopped, Perform step (c).

The steam generated by the boiler B is accumulated in the air layer 150a, and the pressure information sensed by the pressure sensor 152 is transmitted to the control unit 120. [

If the sensed pressure information is within the set range, the controller 120 controls the boiler B to stop and open the conduit of the fifth valve V5 so that the steam is discharged along the steam discharge line L3 , The control unit 120 closes the conduit of the fifth electromagnetic valve V5 to shut off the steam to the steam discharging system L3 and restart the boiler B when the sensed pressure information falls below the set range The steam pressure correction step (d) is performed so that the pressure reaches the set range.

The steam generated by the above-described raw water identification step (a), the raw water feed step (b), the steam generating step (c) and the steam pressure correcting step (d) can be served to the user through the steam discharge system.

If the selection switch 111 is set to the steam and water washing operation mode, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the water supply step (a), the raw water supply step (b), the steam generating step (c) the steam discharge system is controlled so that water in the pressure tank 151 is mixed into the steam discharge system L3 along the fluid discharge system L4 by opening the duct of the fourth electromagnetic valve V4 while performing the step (d) It is possible to service the user with a mixture of steam and water.

If the selector switch 111 is set to the water washing operation mode and the steam washing machine is operated, the control unit 120 controls the water washing operation such as the above-described raw water checking step (a), the raw water feeding step (b), the steam generating step 12, the piping of the fluid discharge system L4 is opened and the steam discharge system L3 is closed so that the high-pressure washing water L3 is supplied through the steam discharge system L3, To the user.

In the above-described water washing operation mode, the water in the pressure tank can be serviced to the fluid discharge system L4 without performing the above-described steam generating step (c) as shown in Fig.

In addition, when the steam washing machine is operated in the steam and water washing operation mode in the above-described manner, the control unit 120 controls the steam washing operation to be performed in the order of the raw water checking step (a), the raw water feeding step (b), the steam generating step It is possible to mix the steam and the water (fluid) to control the opening of both the fluid discharge line L4 and the steam discharge line L3 as shown in FIG. 13 while performing the correction step (d) have.

As described above, according to the user's selection of the washing method, the most efficient washing method can be used at any time, so that the application range of the steam washing machine 100 is extended.

On the other hand, the operation of the steam cleaner 100 by setting the selection switch 111 to the residual water removal operation mode will be described.

The controller 120 sets the water supply system L1, the pressure tank 151, and the drainage system L5 to one by one in sequence as shown in FIG. 14 when the steam washing machine is operated by setting the residual water removal operation mode. The raw water in the water tank 131 is supplied to the pressure tank 151 through the water supply pump 142 by driving the water supply pump 142 and the drain pump 161 after the channel is opened And the water in the pressure tank 151 is conveyed through the drain pump 161 to be discharged along the drainage system L5.

At this time, the control unit 120 controls whether the pumps 142 and 161 are driven according to the sensing information of the first and second flow sensors 141 and 162, so that both the water supply and drainage systems L1 and L5 The control unit 120 controls both the pumps 142 and 161 to stop so that the water in the water tank 131, the water supply system L1, the pressure tank 151, and the water discharge system L5 It is possible to remove all remaining water.

When the residual water is removed by the above-described method, it is preferable that the control unit 120 controls the channel of the sixth electron valve V6 to be simultaneously opened.

The inside of the pressure tank 151 becomes atmospheric pressure so that feeding of the raw water of the water supply pump 142 is made easier than the water tank 131, the water supply system L1 and the pressure tank 151 are successively brought into an atmospheric pressure state At the same time, the water in the pressure tank 151 can be immediately discharged through the drain pump 161.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying drawings. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims and their equivalents. And the scope of the claims defined in the following claims.

100: steam washing machine 110:
120: control unit 130:
131: Water tank 140: Water supply part
141: first flow sensor 142: feed pump
143: Check valve 150: Steam generating part
151: pressure tank 152: water level sensor
153: Heating vessel 155 Pressure sensor
155a: Pressure valve 156: Pressure gauge
160: Multiplication part a:
b: raw water supply stage c: steam generation stage
d: steam pressure correction step B: boiler
B1: bulkhead of heating vessel L1: water supply system
L2: raw water circulation system L3: steam discharge system
L4: fluid discharge system L5: drainage system
V1 to V6: first to sixth electrons

Claims (9)

1. A steam washing machine for heating raw water to generate steam,
A first flow sensor 141 for detecting the fluid flow in feeding the raw water in the water tank 131 into the pressure tank 150 equipped with the heating vessel and a second flow sensor 141 for detecting the flow of the raw water in the water tank 131 via the first electromagnetic valve V1, (L1) having a water supply pump (142) for feeding raw water in the pressure tank (131) into the pressure tank (150);
A raw water circulation system L2 having a second electromagnetic valve V2 and connected between a rear end of the water supply pump 142 and the water tank 131;
A sixth electromagnetic valve (V6) installed at a position equal to or higher than the full water level position of the water level sensor in the pressure tank (150);
A drainage system L5 having a second flow sensor 162, a third electromagnetic valve V3, and a drain pump 161 and coupled to a lower portion of the pressure tank 150;
And selectively controls whether or not the first and second electromagnetic valves V1 and V2 are open or closed according to a sensing signal of the first flow sensor 141. When the first and second solenoid valves V1 and V2 are turned on or off according to a sensing signal of the water level sensor in the pressure tank 150, And a control unit for controlling whether the sixth electromagnetic valve (V6) is open or closed and for controlling the third electromagnetic valve (V3) and the drain pump (161) according to a sensing signal of the second flow sensor (162) syringe. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the water supply system (L1) is further coupled with a check valve that opens only to the pressure tank (150) side. delete delete delete delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the pressure tank (150) is partitioned into a partition wall communicating with the lower portion through a lower portion of the pressure tank (150), and is separated from the inner wall of the pressure tank and immersed in water. delete

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