KR20170013929A - Steamer head - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a condenser head, wherein the condenser head includes a treatment surface (13A, 33A) through which steam is discharged, and a vapor generating surface (14A, 34A) provided with liquid to be converted into vapor. The treatment surfaces 13A and 33A communicate with the steam generating surfaces 14A and 34A in a thermally conductive manner. The steam generating surfaces 14A and 34A are configured such that when the treatment surfaces 13A and 33A are oriented vertically the liquid descends onto the steam generating surfaces 14A and 34A and is directed along the steam generating surfaces 14A and 34A And is angularly formed with respect to the processing surfaces (13A, 33A) to be converted into steam.

Description

{STEAMER HEAD}

The present invention relates to a steamer head. The present invention also relates to a steam apparatus comprising a steam booster head. The present invention has some applications in the field of garment care, for example.

For example, it is known to use a fabric steamer to remove wrinkles from vertically disposed fabrics of garments. The fabric heat-evolving apparatus includes a steam generating unit and a steam-heating head connected to the steam generating unit by a flexible hose through which steam is conveyed to the steam-heating unit. The steam heating head has one or more steam outlets for discharging the steam onto the fabric to be treated. The garment is hung vertically and then steamed from the steam head to remove wrinkles from the fabric of the garment. However, such a steam booster head may cause spitting due to the number of steam accumulated from the steam generating unit.

Steam irons are also known for removing fabrics placed on ironing boards through the use of heat and moisture. A typical steam iron includes a soleplate through which steam is discharged onto the fabric of the garment. However, these steam irons are only suitable for treating horizontally disposed fabrics, because the steam irons in other orientations can not effectively and consistently generate steam.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a steam heating head and / or steam heating device which substantially eliminates or overcomes the above-mentioned problems.

The invention is defined by the independent claims; The dependent claims define advantageous embodiments.

According to the present invention, there is provided a steam booster head, wherein the steam boiler head includes a treatment surface on which steam is discharged, and a steam generating surface on which liquid to be converted into steam is provided. The treated surface communicates thermally with the vapor generating surface. The vapor generating surface is angled with respect to the processing surface such that when the processing surface is oriented vertically, liquid descends onto the vapor generating surface and flows along the vapor generating surface to be transformed into vapor.

When a liquid, for example, water, is supplied to the dehumidifying head, the liquid descends down and flows along the steam generating surface such that the liquid is dispersed across the surface area of the steam generating surface. By increasing the surface area of the vapor generating surface in contact with the liquid, the heat transfer rate from the vapor generating surface to the liquid can be maximized, and the amount of liquid evaporation can be increased. Moreover, the liquid is prevented from accumulating from the vapor generating surface. In addition, the flow rate of the liquid along the vapor generating surface is minimized when compared to the vertically disposed vapor generating surface, and heat is more efficiently transferred to the liquid and vaporized into the vapor. Due to the fact that it has a treatment surface configured to communicate thermally with the steam generating surface, the heat from the steam generating surface allows the fabric to be treated to dry and also prevents the steam from condensing on the treatment surface.

In one embodiment, the vapor generating surface is at an angle of from 75 degrees to 150 degrees with respect to the treatment surface. The angle between the steam generating surface and the treatment surface may be less than 135 degrees. In this arrangement, when the treatment surface is arranged vertically, the angle of the steam generating surface with respect to the horizontal becomes less than 45 degrees so as to very quickly limit the flow of liquid through the vapor generating surface, so that the liquid is not evaporated into water. The angle between the steam generating surface and the treatment surface may be greater than 90 degrees to prevent liquid supplied to the steam generating surface from flowing towards the treatment surface and to prevent release from the treatment surface when the treatment surface is vertically disposed.

At least a portion of the vapor generating surface may be planar. This allows a uniform diffusion of the liquid to the vapor generating surface. The vapor generating surface is oriented in an upward direction when the treatment surface is oriented vertically. Therefore, the liquid can fall down onto the vapor generating surface under gravity. In one embodiment, the treatment surface is planar.

In one embodiment, the heat-expanding head further comprises a heater for heating the vapor-generating surface.

The heater communicates thermally with the vapor generating surface. Thus, heat is efficiently transferred to the steam generating surface.

The treatment surface and the vapor generating surface are formed integrally.

In one embodiment, the treatment surface is configured to have a predetermined temperature difference relative to the steam generating surface. The heat-expanding head includes a material layer having a predetermined thermal conductivity and thickness. Therefore, the treatment surface is prevented from overheating when the steam generating surface is heated to generate steam.

In one embodiment, the heat-expanding head includes a vapor generating element forming the vapor generating surface and a processing element forming the processing surface. The steam generating surface may be removably mounted on the processing element. This helps to simplify manufacturing and minimize costs. A thermally conductive paste may be disposed between the vapor generating surface and the treatment surface. The thermally conductive paste improves the heat transfer between the vapor generating surface and the processing surface to increase the temperature of the processing surface.

In one embodiment, the heat-expanding head further comprises a liquid outlet for supplying a liquid to the vapor generating surface, wherein the treatment surface is vertically oriented so that liquid can descend via gravity onto the vapor- The liquid outlet is configured to be disposed over the vapor generating surface. Therefore, water can be supplied to the steam generating surface under gravity, and such water can be fed to the steam generating surface without the use of a pump.

Wherein the heat evolving head further comprises the handle configured to orient the heat evolving head such that when the handle is held in its normal operating position, the treatment surface is disposed substantially vertically.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steam heating apparatus including a steam heating head according to the present invention. In one embodiment, the steam heat exchanger is a fabric heat exchanger, and in other embodiments, the steam heat exchanger is a steam cleaner.

These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig.
1 is a perspective view of a steam purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the vapor-purifying head of Fig. 1 in a vertical position.
FIG. 3 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a vapor-enhancement head according to another embodiment of the present invention in a vertical position.
Fig. 4 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the vaporization head of Fig. 3 at a position between horizontal and vertical.
FIG. 5 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a vapor-enhancement head according to another embodiment of the present invention in a vertical position; FIG.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a steam purifier head 10 for fabric steam heating according to one embodiment of the present invention. The booster head 10 forms a nozzle, which includes a body 11 having an extended handle 12.

The steam heating head 10 includes a base plate 13 located at the end of the body 11 on the circle of the handle 12. [ The major surface of the base 13 includes a fabric treatment surface 13A facing away from the handle 12 and facing towards the fabric 17 to be treated during use. The bottom plate 13 includes a plurality of openings 13B extending through the thickness of the bottom plate 13. [ However, in one embodiment the base plate can be understood to have one opening.

The steam generating unit 14 including the plate has a main surface disposed inside the body 11 of the steam heat-generating head 10 and including the steam generating surface 14A. The steam generating surface 14A forms the wall of the vapor chamber 14B disposed inside the body 11 of the heat-enhancement head 10. The heater 15 is disposed inside the vapor generating unit 14. The heater 15 includes a resistance heating element connected to a power supply (not shown). The base plate 13 and the vapor generating unit 14 are integrally formed and include a thermally conductive material, for example, a metal. Therefore, when the base plate 13 is operated to heat the vapor generating unit 14, heat is transferred from the vapor generating unit 14 to the base plate 13 so that the base plate 13 is also heated by the heater 15 And heated. The treated surface communicates thermally with the vapor generating surface.

The flexible hose 16 extends from the handle 12 at the distal end to the body 11. The flexible hose 16 extends between the condenser head 10 and a base unit (not shown), which includes a water tank (not shown) and a pump (not shown). The pump is configured to supply water from the water tank to the nozzle 16A disposed in the body 11 of the steam heating head 10. [ The nozzle 16A is arranged to spray the supplied water onto the vapor generating surface 14A so that liquid water diffuses over the vapor generating surface 14A. Therefore, when the vapor generating surface 14A is heated by the heater 15, the liquid water is vaporized into the vapor in the vapor chamber 14B. The vapor to be discharged from the fabric treatment surface 13A flows along the vapor chamber 14B and out of the opening 13B of the base plate 13 so that a part of the fabric 17 positioned toward the fabric treatment surface 13A It is treated by steam.

The steam emitted from the fabric treatment surface 13A is generated in the heat-enhancement head 10 and therefore does not need to supply steam from an external source using an external hose. When steam is generated externally and then the steam is passed through the outer hose to the steam heating head 10, the steam is cooled and condensed in the outer hose to provide humidity to the fabric being treated and to release moisture from the fabric treatment surface 13A It is advantageous because it becomes a water drop. In addition, since the heater 15 used to generate steam in the condenser 10 also heats the bottom plate 13, accumulation of the wet spot on the fabric treatment surface 13A due to condensation is prevented. In other cases, such a wet spot can be delivered to the treated fabric. The heated base 13 also offers the advantage of drying the fabric to be treated.

The steam generating surface 14A is at an angle alpha 1 of 90 degrees with respect to the fabric treatment surface 13A such that the fabric treatment surface 13A faces away from the handle 12 of the heat- The steam generating surface 14A is angled with respect to the fabric treatment surface 13A of the base plate 13 such that the steam generating surface 14A is located at a position where the fabric treatment surface 13A is positioned relative to the vertically disposed fabric 17 When the steam heating head 10 is not disposed vertically and is used to process the vertically arranged fabric 17 (shown in Fig. 2), the liquid 16 supplied by the nozzle 16A to the steam generating surface 14A To diffuse over the vapor generating surface 14A. More specifically, when the heat-enhancement head 10 is disposed such that the fabric treatment surface 13A is positioned at a vertically oriented and vertically disposed fabric 17, an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the fabric treatment surface 13A the vapor generating surface 14A in the first vaporizing chamber 12 will be horizontally arranged so that the nozzle 16A is positioned above the vapor generating surface 14A. Therefore, when the pump (not shown) operates to supply the liquid water to the steam-generating head 10, the liquid water falls from the nozzle 16A onto the steam generating surface 14A, The liquid water will flow along the vapor generating surface 14A to spread over the large surface area of the vapor generating surface 14A, as compared to the case where it is vertically disposed. The increased surface area of the vapor generating surface 14A in contact with the liquid water means that a large proportion of the heat transfer from the heater 15 to the liquid water can be achieved so that the liquid water is vaporized more rapidly. Furthermore, since the vapor generating surface 14A is disposed horizontally rather than obliquely or vertically, the liquid water is directed to the side of the vapor chamber 14B due to gravity when the fabric treatment surface 13A is positioned relative to the vertically- And is prevented from collecting at the lower end.

The heat-enhancement head 10 is also suitable for use on textiles that are not arranged vertically. For example, if the steam heating head 10 is used to treat fabrics that are inclined at an angle between vertical and horizontal, the steam generating surface 14A is not vertically disposed. More specifically, the vapor generating surface 14A is not perpendicular to the horizontal but instead is inclined at an angle between horizontal and vertical, offset from the fabric treatment surface 13A by an angle? 1 of 90 degrees, 16A to the vapor generating unit 14 and spread over the vapor generating surface 14A. Moreover, since the vapor generating surface 14A is not disposed vertically, the liquid water flows more slowly along the vapor generating surface 14A, so that a large proportion of the water 15 from the heater 15 to the liquid water Can be obtained.

The steam generating unit 14 includes a projection 14C extending from the steam generating surface 14A. The protrusion 14C prevents the liquid supplied from the vapor generating surface 14A from leaking out of the vapor chamber 14B and prevents the nozzle 16A and the bottom plate 13 from being discharged from the cloth processing surface 13A. Respectively. More specifically, when the fabric treatment surface 13A is oriented so that the steam generating surface 14A is inclined downward toward the fabric treatment surface 13A, the liquid water supplied to the steam generating surface 14A is separated from the protrusion 14C, And will be collected toward the protrusion 14C.

3 and 4, a steam purifier head 20 for fabric steam heating according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. The condenser head 20 shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is similar to the condenser head 10 described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, and similar features are designated with like reference numerals. The difference is that the vapor generating surface 14A of the vapor-growing head 20 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is at an angle? 1 of 135 degrees with respect to the cloth treating surface 13A. The angle alpha 1 between the fabric treatment surface 13A and the vapor generating surface 14A is such that the fabric treatment surface 13A faces away from the handle 12 of the steam-

The vapor generating surface 14A angled with respect to the fabric treatment surface 13A of the base plate 13 is vaporized by the nozzle 16A when the vapor deposition head 20 is used to treat the vertically disposed fabric 17. [ The liquid water supplied to the unit 14 can be diffused over the vapor generating surface 14A.

In order to process the vertically disposed fabric 17, the user places the fabric treatment surface 13A against the upper portion of the vertically disposed fabric 17 (as shown in Fig. 3). The fabric treatment surface 13A is oriented vertically and the steam generating surface 14A at an angle alpha 1 to 135 degrees with respect to the fabric treatment surface 13A is horizontal and vertical so that the nozzle 16A is positioned above the steam generating surface 14A. It will slope 45 degrees between vertical. Therefore, when the pump (not shown) operates to supply the liquid water to the steam-generating head 20, the liquid water falls from the nozzle 16A onto the steam generating surface 14A, The liquid water will flow along the vapor generating surface 14A to spread over the large surface area of the vapor generating surface 14A, as compared to the case where it is vertically disposed. The increased surface area of the vapor generating surface 14A in contact with the liquid water means that a large percentage of heat transfer from the vapor generating unit 14 to the liquid water can be achieved so that the liquid water is vaporized more rapidly. Further, since the vapor generating surface 14A is not arranged vertically, the liquid water flows more slowly toward the lower end of the vapor chamber 14B along the vapor generating surface 14A, so that the higher Heat transfer will be obtained.

The user can then process the remainder of the fabric 17 by drawing the steam heating head 20 below the fabric 17 vertically disposed in the direction of arrow "A" shown in FIG. When the steam heating head 20 is drawn onto the fabric 17, the user's arm moves in an arcuate motion and thus such an angle between the user's arm and the handle 12, which extends against the fabric 17, As the head 20 moves under the fabric 17, the resulting angle of the fabric treatment surface 13A relative to the fabric 17 also changes. Therefore, in order to prevent gap formation between the fabric treatment surface 13A and the fabric 17, the user can pull the lower end of the fabric 17 toward the user in the direction shown in Fig. This causes the fabric 17 to tilt horizontally such that it remains at the same height with respect to the fabric treatment surface 13A. The angle of the steam generating surface 14A with respect to the horizontal when the steam booster head 20 is drawn below the fabric 17 so that the fabric 17 and the fabric treatment surface 13A are inclined relative to the vertical, 14A will be reduced to be placed horizontally to increase. Therefore, the liquid water supplied by the nozzle 16A will descend from the nozzle 16A and onto the steam generating unit 14 so as to diffuse over the steam generating surface 14A to facilitate effective steam generation.

The steam booster head 20 is also suitable for use in fabrics that are placed horizontally because the steam generating surface 14A is inclined at an angle between vertical and horizontal rather than vertically disposed. More specifically, when the fabric treatment surface 13A is horizontally disposed, the steam generating surface 14A is inclined at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal and vertical directions, so that the liquid water is diffused to the vapor generating surface 14A, Will descend from the steam generating surface 16A onto the steam generating surface 14A. Moreover, since the vapor generating surface 14A is not disposed vertically, liquid water flows slowly along the vapor generating surface 14A and a high heat transfer rate from the heater 15 to the liquid water is obtained to evaporate the liquid water into the vapor It will lose.

Referring now to Fig. 5, a steam purifying head 30 for fabric steam heating according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. The condenser head 30 shown in Fig. 5 is similar to the condenser head 10 described above with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, and similar features have similar reference numerals. The difference is that the integrally formed base plate 13 and the steam generating unit 14 are omitted and replaced with the fixed bottom plate 33 and the steam generating unit 34 together.

The base plate 33 and the steam generating unit 34 each have a major surface including a fabric treatment surface 33A and a steam generating surface 34A, respectively. The steam generating surface 34A forms a wall of the vapor chamber 34B disposed in the heat-enhancement head 30. [ The heater 35 is disposed in the steam generating unit 34. The heater 35 includes a resistance heating element connected to a power supply (not shown).

The steam heating head 30 includes a bracket 36 extending from the base plate 33 in a direction opposite to the direction in which the fabric treatment surface 33A is directed. The bracket 36 includes a plurality of screw holes 37A and the steam generating unit 34 includes a plurality of screw holes 37B. The steam generating unit 34 is accommodated with respect to the bracket 36 such that a plurality of screw holes 37A of the bracket 36 are aligned with the plurality of screw holes 37B of the steam generating unit 34. [ A bolt or screw 38 is received in a plurality of screw holes 37A and 38B aligned to secure to the steam generating unit 34 and accordingly to the bottom plate 33. [ Alternatively or additionally, the steam generating unit 34 may be secured to the bracket 36 using an adhesive (not shown) or other fastening means.

A thermally conductive paste 39 is disposed between the vapor generating unit 34 and the bracket 36 to improve the heat transfer between the vapor generating unit 34 and the bracket 36. Therefore, when the heater 35 operates to heat the steam generating surface 34A, the heat will be transferred to the bracket 36. [ The bracket 36 and the base plate 33 are integrally formed and include a thermally conductive material. Therefore, the heat is transferred from the heater 35 through the bracket 36 to heat the fabric treatment surface 33A of the base plate 33.

The heat conductive paste 39 improves the heat transfer between the steam generating unit 34 and the bracket 36, so that the temperature of the bottom plate 33 increases. However, in alternative embodiments, it should be appreciated that the thermally conductive paste 39 may be omitted so that the vapor generating unit 34 can directly contact the bracket 36. [

Since the steam generating unit 34 is not integrally formed with the bottom plate 33, the steam generating unit 34 can be manufactured separately in different factories, for example, and can be fixed to the base plate 33 at a later time . Moreover, if the steam generating unit 34 malfunctions, the steam generating unit 34 can be easily removed from the steam heating head 30 and can be repaired or replaced.

In the embodiment described above, a seal portion (not shown) is provided around the periphery of the vapor chambers 14B, 34B to prevent vapor leakage into the interior of the heat-up head 10, 20, 30.

In the above-described embodiment, the vapor generating surfaces 14A, 34A are at an angle? 1 of 90 degrees or 135 relative to the fabric treatment surfaces 13A, 33A. It should be appreciated, however, that the angle alpha 1 between the vapor generating surface 14A, 34A and the fabric treatment surface 13A, 33A is between 75 and 150. Preferably, when the fabric treatment surfaces 13A, 33A are arranged vertically, the angle of the steam generating surface 14A, 34A with respect to the horizontal is less than 45 degrees so that the steam generating surfaces 14A, The angle alpha 1 between the steam generating surfaces 14A and 34A and the fabric treatment surfaces 13A and 33A is less than 135 degrees so as to eliminate the problem of too fast flowing water flowing through the fabric treatment surfaces 13A and 34A. Preferably, the angle alpha 1 between the steam generating surfaces 14A and 34A and the fabric treatment surfaces 13A and 33A is such that when the fabric treatment surfaces 13A and 33A are vertically disposed, the steam generating units 14 and 34 Is prevented from flowing toward the bottom plate 13, 33 and potentially outside the opening 13B.

In the above embodiment, the bottom plates 13 and 33 are heated by the same heaters 15 and 35 that heat the steam generating units 14 and 34, and in the alternative embodiment (not shown) Is provided for heating the base plate and the second heater is provided for heating the steam generating unit. In another embodiment (not shown), the base plate is not heated by the heater. In one embodiment, the base plate is configured to have a predetermined temperature differential to the steam generating unit. The heat-enhancement head includes, for example, a material layer having a predetermined thermal conductivity and thickness. The material layer is disposed between the base plate and the vapor generating unit. In another embodiment, the base is heat-conductively insulated from the steam generating unit by, for example, a heat insulating layer disposed between the bottom plate and the steam generating unit.

Although in the embodiments described above a water tank and a pump are provided in the base unit (not shown), in an alternative embodiment (not shown), the pump and / or the water tank may be arranged inside the heat-up head. In another embodiment (not shown), the pump may be omitted and instead liquid water is supplied gravity from the nozzle to the vapor generating unit. This is possible, for example, when the steam heating head is used, for example when the fabric treatment surface is positioned relative to the vertically disposed fabric, the nozzle is placed on a part of the steam generating surface. Therefore, the liquid water falls from the nozzle onto the vapor generating surface by gravity without the need for any pumping action.

Although the vapor-purge heads 10, 20 and 30 are described as being for use with fabric heat-up to remove wrinkles from the fabric in the above-described embodiment, the vapor-purifying heads of the present invention are also suitable for use in steam- It should also be noted that it is suitable for use. For example, the steam head can be used in conjunction with a steam scrubber to remove dirt and debris from articles or fabrics of furniture or carpets. In one such embodiment (not shown), the pyrometric head includes a brush or mop pad attached to the base of the pyrometric head to assist in removing contaminants and debris from the fabric.

The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative rather than limiting the invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions of the present invention can be modified and modified within the spirit and scope of the present invention, And should be considered to be within the scope of the appended claims. Also, in the claims, the term "comprises" does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps, and the term "singular" does not exclude the presence of a plurality of elements. Any reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims (14)

As a steam heating head,
The treatment surfaces 13A and 33A on which steam is emitted, and
Comprising a vapor generating surface (14A, 34A) provided with a liquid to be converted into vapor,
The treatment surfaces 13A and 33A communicate with the steam generating surfaces 14A and 34A in a thermally conductive manner,
The vapor generating surfaces 14A and 34A are configured such that when the processing surfaces 13A and 33A are vertically oriented the liquid descends onto the vapor generating surfaces 14A and 34A and the vapor generating surfaces 14A and 34A And thus is angled with respect to the processing surfaces (13A, 33A) to flow and convert to steam. The method according to claim 1,
The steam generating surfaces 14A and 34A are at an angle of 75 to 150 degrees relative to the treatment surfaces 13A and 33A and preferably at an angle of 90 to 135 degrees to the treatment surfaces 13A and 33A , And an expansion head. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein at least a portion of the steam generating surface (14A, 34A) is flat. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Wherein the steam generating surface (14A, 34A) is oriented in an upward direction when the treatment surface (13A, 33A) is oriented vertically. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Further comprising a heater (15, 35) for heating the steam generating surface (14A, 34A). 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the heater (15, 35) communicates thermally conductive with the steam generating surface (14A, 34A). 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Wherein the treatment surfaces (13A, 33A) are configured to have a predetermined temperature difference with respect to the vapor generating surface, and preferably the heat-up head comprises a material layer having a predetermined thermal conductivity and thickness. 8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Wherein the processing surfaces (13A, 33A) and the steam generating surfaces (14A, 34A) are integrally formed. 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Further comprising a vapor generating element (14,34) forming said vapor generating surface (14A, 34A) and a processing element (13,33) forming said processing surface (13A, 33A). 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the steam generating element (14,34) can be removably installed in the processing element (13,33). 11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
Wherein said processing surfaces (13A, 33A) are planar. 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
Further comprising a liquid outlet (16A) for supplying a liquid to the vapor generating surface (14A, 34A), wherein the treatment surfaces (13A, 33A) are arranged such that liquid can be lowered onto the vapor generating surface Wherein the liquid outlet is configured to be disposed on the vapor generating surface when the liquid is oriented vertically. 13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
Further comprising the handle (12) configured to orient the heat-up head such that the treatment surface (13A, 33A) is disposed substantially vertically when the handle is held in its normal operating position. 14. A steam heating apparatus comprising the steam purifying head according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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