KR20180137145A - Iron - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is an iron. The iron comprises: a main body; a heating unit connected to the main body to generate infrared rays; and a motion sensor disposed in the main body or the heating unit to detect motion of a user or an object. The heating unit may include: an infrared ray generating unit disposed under the main body and generating the infrared rays; and a heating plate disposed under the infrared ray generating unit and generating heat by the infrared rays. Infrared heating reduces heat loss, shortens heating time, saves energy, and makes it possible to use the iron safely because there is no electric wire exposed to the outside. If the motion sensor of the iron does not detect movement for a certain period of time, power can be turned off to prevent a fire.

Description

Iron {IRON}

The present invention relates to a safety iron which can detect a motion and prevent fire by using an automatic power saving function with an iron using an infrared ray.

Iron is a tool for spreading the wrinkles of laundered fabrics using heat and pressure. Iron started to be used in earnest from the 17th century. In the nineteenth century, it started to use 'charcoal iron' in the UK. After it entered modern times, electric iron and recently steam iron have been developed and in use.

As technology has developed, irons have become increasingly safe and convenient, but safety accidents are still a major concern. Depending on the type of cloth, the temperature required for ironing is different, which can damage the cloth, and the user can be carelessly burned and the risk of fire is high.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an iron having excellent safety.

The present invention provides an iron having excellent performance.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the iron includes a main body, a heating unit connected to the main body to generate infrared rays, and a motion sensor disposed in the main body or the heating unit to detect movement of a user or object.

The heating unit may include an infrared ray generating unit disposed under the main body and generating the infrared ray, and a heating plate disposed under the infrared ray generating unit and generating heat by the infrared ray.

The main body may include a case-shaped body portion disposed on the heat-generating portion and having an internal space, a control portion disposed inside the body portion, for controlling the temperature of the heat-generating portion, and a handle connected to the body portion.

The control unit may further include a cutoff unit for cutting off power if the movement of the user or object is not detected by the motion sensor for a predetermined time.

The iron may further include a fabric discriminating sensor disposed on the body or the heating unit to recognize a fabric to be ironed.

The cloth discriminating sensor is disposed on the heating plate and can be in contact with a cloth to be ironed to recognize the cloth.

The fabric discriminating sensor may be disposed on a bottom surface of the body portion and the heat generating portion may be disposed apart from each other with the fabric discriminating sensor interposed therebetween.

The control unit may further include a discriminating unit for discriminating the type of cloth to be ironed from the information recognized by the cloth discriminating sensor, and a setting unit for setting the ironing temperature for each type of cloth when the cloth type is discriminated.

The iron may further include one or more image devices disposed in the body or the heating unit to photograph the cloth at predetermined time intervals.

The imaging device may be disposed adjacent to the heating portion and the focus of the imaging device may be directed downward.

The video apparatus can be connected to the Internet and transmit images in real time.

The control unit may further include an image comparing unit for comparing the state of the cloth photographed by the image apparatus at a predetermined time interval to determine the progress of the ironing process.

The iron may further include a cooling part disposed in the body part and spraying the coolant in a direction of a cloth to be ironed.

The cooling unit may include a storage unit disposed in the body and storing the coolant, and a charger disposed adjacent to the storage unit and connectable to the outside to charge the coolant.

The irons may further include at least one injection hole connected to the storage unit so that the coolant may be injected to the body or the heat-generating unit.

The injection hole may be disposed on the bottom surface of the heat generating plate.

The controller may further include a coolant controller for controlling the coolant to be sprayed to the surface of the heating plate when the heating plate is overheated.

The body may further include a temperature controller disposed on an outer surface of the body to manually turn on / off the power and control the temperature.

The body portion may further include a display portion disposed adjacent to the temperature control device and displaying a power on / off, a temperature, a remaining amount of coolant, and an iron use time.

The iron according to the embodiments of the present invention can prevent the fire by shutting off the power when the motion sensor is not operated and the motion is not detected for a predetermined time.

The iron according to the embodiments of the present invention can be conveniently used by discriminating the kind of cloth to be ironed with the cloth identification sensor and setting the optimum ironing temperature according to the kind. In addition, it is possible to reduce the damage of the cloth and use it safely.

The irons according to the embodiments of the present invention can be used safely by observing the state change with the image device and controlling the infrared ray generator according to the state change to finish the ironing and prevent the fire in advance.

The iron according to the embodiments of the present invention can be safely used by controlling the temperature of the heating plate which is overheated by using the coolant. In addition, ironing can be facilitated by spraying coolant on a wrinkled fabric.

1 is a perspective view of an iron according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 shows the bottom surface of the heating plate of the iron of Fig. 1;
3 is a perspective view of an iron according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 4 shows the bottom surface of the heating plate of the iron of Fig. 3;
5 is a block diagram schematically showing a control unit of an iron according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is an operational flowchart of an iron according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples. The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be easily understood by the following embodiments. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein, but may be embodied in other forms. The embodiments disclosed herein are provided so that the disclosure may be thorough and complete, and that those skilled in the art will be able to convey the spirit of the invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited by the following examples.

Although the terms first, second, etc. are used herein to describe various elements, the elements should not be limited by such terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the elements from each other. In addition, when an element is referred to as being on another element, it may be directly formed on the other element, or a third element may be interposed therebetween.

The sizes of the elements in the figures, or the relative sizes between the elements, may be exaggerated somewhat for a clearer understanding of the present invention. In addition, the shape of the elements shown in the drawings may be somewhat modified by variations in the manufacturing process or the like. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed herein should not be construed as limited to the shapes shown in the drawings unless specifically stated, and should be understood to include some modifications.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an iron according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a heating plate of the iron of FIG.

 1 and 2, the iron 100 includes a main body 110, a heating unit 120, a motion sensor 130, a fabric discrimination sensor 140, a video apparatus 150, a cooling unit 160, A control unit 170, a display unit 180, and a control unit 190.

The body 110 may include a body portion 111 and a handle 112. The body 110 is connected to the heat generating unit 120 and may be formed of heat-resistant reinforced plastic that is resistant to heat to protect the user and the apparatuses included in the body 110 from the heat.

The body portion 111 may be connected to the heat generating portion 120 to support the heat generating portion 120. The body part 111 has a case shape having an inner space, and various devices can be arranged inside and outside.

The handle 112 is connected to the body portion 111 and a main portion of the handle 112 is disposed apart from the body portion 111 so that the user can easily grasp the handle 112. [

The heat generating unit 120 may be disposed below the body unit 111 and may include an infrared ray generating unit 121 and a heating plate 122.

The infrared ray generating unit 121 may be disposed below the body 111 to provide infrared rays to the heating plate 122 to heat the heating plate 122. The infrared ray generating unit 121 may include an infrared ray heating element capable of generating infrared rays, for example, an infrared ray lamp.

Infrared rays are electromagnetic waves existing between visible light and radar / radio wave region in the 0.77 ~ 1,000 ㎛ wavelength band. Heating using infrared rays has a small heat loss, shortening of heating time, and great energy saving effect. The iron 100 is heated using infrared rays, but it can be heated hot like an iron using an electric hot wire, and can be used more safely because there is no electric hot wire exposed to the outside.

 The heating plate 122 is disposed below the infrared ray generating unit 121 and directly contacts the fabric to be ironed. The heating plate 122 may be formed of a material having high heat resistance and high thermal shock and mechanical strength. For example, the heating plate 122 may be formed of a plate-like ceramic or ceramic-coated material. The heating plate 122 formed of ceramics may be heated by the infrared rays generated by the infrared ray generating unit 121 to emit far infrared rays. When the fabric is ironed by the radiated far infrared rays, the fibers can be made flexible by the radiated far infrared rays. Far infrared rays are also effective for antibacterial and deodorization. In addition, far-infrared rays have a good influence on the human body. The far-infrared ray generated during the ironing of the user activates the user's bioenergy and helps the blood circulation and fatigue recovery.

The motion sensor 130 may be disposed on the body 111 or the heating unit 120 to detect movement of the user. And it is preferably disposed on the surface of the body 111 in the direction in which the user is looking to effectively sense the movement of the user. For example, the motion sensor 130 can detect motion of a user and its surroundings by using a microwave, and can detect minute movements without being influenced by external environment such as temperature, humidity, light, and dust . If no motion is sensed by the motion sensor 130 for a predetermined time, the information is transmitted to the controller 190 so that the power of the iron 100 can be cut off.

The fabric discrimination sensor 140 may be disposed on the heating plate 122. The fabric discrimination sensor 140 may be surrounded by an insulator 141 to prevent damage due to heat. The insulator 141 may be selected in consideration of comprehensive properties such as heat resistance and water resistance. The cloth discriminating sensor 140 can detect the type of cloth by detecting the cloth to be ironed.

Depending on the type of fabric, the temperature and method required for ironing will vary. Normally, it is preferable to use the clothes description label on the type of cloth and washing and ironing methods. If the label of the garment is missing or the label of the garment is damaged and can not be identified, the fabric discrimination sensor 140 can be used to identify the fabric.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an iron according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a heating plate of the iron of FIG.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the heat generating unit 120 may include a first heat generating unit 120a and a second heat generating unit 120b which are spaced apart from each other. The first heating unit 120a may include a first infrared ray generating unit 121a and a first heating plate 122a and the second heating unit 120b may include a second infrared ray generating unit 121b and a second heating plate 122b. The first heating unit 120a and the second heating unit 120b may be disposed in different sizes and shapes. For example, the first heating unit 120a and the second heating unit 120b may be disposed at different positions, You can have a connected shape. The first heat generating unit 120a and the second heat generating unit 120b may be independently controlled. The fabric discriminating sensor 140 may be disposed on the bottom of the body 111 between the first heat generating portion 120a and the second heat generating portion 120b.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the imaging device 150 may be disposed in the lower part of the body part 111 or in the heat generating part 120 so as to be captured as close as possible to the cloth. The imaging device 150 may be disposed above the heating unit 120, that is, above the infrared ray generating unit 121, to minimize damage by the heating plate 122. The focus of the imaging device 150 may be directed downward.

 The imaging device 150 can photograph the cloth state at predetermined time intervals from the time when the ironing starts. The imaging device 150 can take a continuous image. The imaging device 150 may include one or more cameras or camcorders. For example, the imaging device 150 can include two cameras, and can capture images accurately and effectively with the two cameras. In addition, the video apparatus 150 may include an IP camera having a network function. The IP camera can transmit images in real time, and the transmitted image information can be transmitted to the controller 190 and used as information necessary for operating the iron 100, and can also be transmitted to a portable device of a user.

The cooling unit 160 may include a coolant storage unit 161 and a charging unit 162.

The coolant storage portion 161 may be disposed inside or outside the body portion in a container shape including a space for storing the coolant. The coolant is a material that passes through the equipment to prevent it from overheating and transfers heat to other equipment to use it or to cool it by heat. The coolant should have high thermal efficiency, low viscosity, low cost and no toxicity. It should also be chemically stable and free from corrosion within the cooling structure. For example, argon gas or neon gas.

The coolant may comprise water. The user can iron by spraying water on a well-ironed cloth. For example, cotton-like fabrics are made of cellulose molecules. The molecules of cellulose have a very strong binding force and must be heated to temperatures above 180 ° C to fold or flatten. Water is sprayed on the fabric during ironing, which causes water molecules to enter the cellulosic molecules and soften the cellulose chains. In this state, when rubbing the high heat-producing iron (100), the wrinkled cellulose is put back and becomes stiff.

The charging unit 162 may include a structure that is disposed adjacent to the storage unit 161 and can be connected to the outside to charge the coolant.

2 and 4, the injection hole 163 may be internally connected to the storage unit 161 and disposed at the bottom of the heating plate. The injection hole 163 may be disposed at the center of the bottom surface of the heating plate 122. The injection holes 163 may include one or more holes and may be arranged in a line. The number of the injection holes 163 may be different depending on the size of the heat generating plate 122, the maximum heat generating temperature, the coolant injection amount, and the like.

The coolant stored in the coolant storage portion 161 may be injected through the injection hole 163. When the iron is still wrinkled on the fabric, the coolant may be sprayed onto the fabric. At this time, the coolant may be sprayed on the cloth at an incident angle of 87 degrees. The coolant may be sprayed to the heating plate 122 to lower the temperature when the heating plate 122 is overheated.

The temperature regulating device 170 may be disposed in the body portion 111. The temperature regulating device may be disposed on the lower surface of the space formed between the body 111 and the handle 112. The power is turned on / off by the temperature controller 170, and the temperature can be manually adjusted. The thermostat 170 may include one or more buttons or dials.

The display unit 180 may be disposed on the outer surface of the body 111 adjacent to the temperature controller 170. The display unit 180 may display power on / off, temperature, remaining coolant amount, and ironing time.

5 is a block diagram schematically showing an artificial intelligent control unit of an iron according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the controller 190 may be disposed inside a case-shaped body 111 having an internal space. The control unit 190 may include a temperature control unit 191, a shutoff unit 192, a determination unit 193, a setting unit 194, an image comparison unit 195, and a coolant control unit 196. The controller 190 may use an artificial intelligence optimization technique.

The temperature control unit 191 controls the temperature of the heating plate 122 by controlling the infrared ray generating unit 121 with the safety function being the most important function of the control unit 190. Thus, damage to the fabric is minimized, safety accidents and fire can be prevented.

The blocking unit 192 may cut off the power of the iron 100 when the motion of the user or the object is not detected through the motion sensor 130 for a certain period of time while the ironing unit 100 is operating, .

The discriminating unit 193 can discriminate the type of the fabric by analyzing the characteristics of the fabric recognized by the fabric discriminating sensor 140. [ The fabric sample can be programmed to identify the fabric by analyzing the texture of the fabric, the type of the raw material, the arrangement of the yarns, the relationship of the dyeing, the pattern, the color tone, the processing state,

The setting unit 194 can set an appropriate ironing temperature according to the fabric information received from the judging unit 193. [ For example, fibers of acetate and acrylic are 70-100 ° C, polyester and nylon 100-120 ° C, rayon and silk 120-140 ° C, wool 140-160 ° C, cotton 160-180 ° C, The ironing temperature can be set at 180 to 200 ° C. In addition, the required ironing temperature may vary depending on the thickness and size of the fabric, even for the same type of fabric. Synthetic fibers made using the advantages of various kinds of fabrics can be differentiated according to the mixing ratio. In this case, you can set the ironing temperature by selecting the fabric that has the greatest characteristics.

The image comparing unit 195 may analyze the state change of the cloth by comparing images of the cloth taken at a predetermined time interval or continuously with the image device 150. [ The degree of progress of the ironing according to the state change of the cloth can be grasped and the temperature control value or the like can be programmed and applied thereto to control the infrared ray generating unit 121 according to the result.

The coolant adjuster 196 can lower the temperature by spraying the coolant onto the bottom surface of the heating plate 122 through the injection hole 163 when the heating plate 122 continues to be heated and the heating plate 122 overheats the set temperature.

In the case where the cloth is still wrinkled while the ironing continues, that is, when the state of the cloth is not changed for a predetermined time in the image comparator 195, the coolant adjuster 196 adjusts the coolant through the injection hole 163 So that the wrinkles of the fabric can be spread more easily.

6 is an operational flowchart of an iron according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the user can start driving by turning on the power of the iron (100). First, the user correctly spreads the cloth to be ironed and raises the iron 100 on the cloth, and the fabric discrimination sensor 140 is operated (S310). In the fabric discriminating sensor operation step S310, the shape and characteristics of the fabric are identified and the information is transmitted to the discriminating unit 192 to discriminate the fabric according to the designed program.

The setting unit 193 may set the ironing temperature required for ironing by the fabric according to the type of fabric selected in operation S310. For example, in the case of discrimination with acetate-acryl (S311), the temperature can be set to 70 to 100 ° C (S312). When discriminated to be polyester · nylon (S313), the temperature is set to 100 to 120 ° C (S314). In the case of discrimination by rayon / silk (S315), the temperature may be set to 120 to 140 占 폚 (S316). If discriminated to be wool (S317), the temperature may be set to 140 to 160 占 폚 (S318). If the surface is discriminated (S 319), the temperature can be set to 160 to 180 ° C (S 320). If the surface is discriminated (S 321), the temperature can be set to 180 to 200 ° C (S 322).

The infrared ray generating unit 121 may be operated according to the ironing temperature set in the temperature setting step S330 (S350). When the heating plate 122 is heated by the infrared ray generating unit 121, the ironing temperature can be gradually reached.

When the infrared ray generator operation step S350 is performed, the imaging device 150 may be operated (S370). In the video device operation step S370, the video device 150 can photograph the state of the cloth ironed at predetermined time intervals. The photographed cloth image is transmitted to the image comparison unit 195 to analyze the state change. When the state of change of the ironing state is detected according to the state change of the cloth and reaches the state change reference of the ironing finishing step (S372), the infrared ray generating unit 121 can stop the operation (S373). The infrared ray is not generated in the infrared ray generator off step S377 and the heating plate 122 is not heated.

The motion sensor 130 may also be actuated when the infrared ray generator operating step S350 is in operation (S390). If the motion of the user or the surrounding object is not detected through the motion sensor 130 during the ironing process (S391), the blocking unit 192 may receive the information and block the power source (S392 ). As a result, it is possible to prevent safety accidents such as fire that may occur while the iron (100) is not used.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention have been described. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope of equivalents thereof should be construed as being included in the present invention.

100: Iron 141: Insulator
110: main body 150: video device
111: body part 160: cooling part
112: handle 161:
120: heat generating unit 162:
120a: first heating portion 163: injection hole
120b: second heating part 170: temperature control device
121: infrared ray generator 180: display unit
121a: first infrared ray generator 190:
121b: second infrared ray generator 191: temperature controller
122: heating plate 192:
122a: first heating plate 193:
122b: second heating plate 194: setting section
130: motion sensor 195:
140: Fabric discrimination sensor 196: Coolant regulator

Claims (19)

main body;
A heating unit connected to the main body to generate infrared rays; And
And a motion sensor disposed in the main body or the heating unit for detecting movement of a user or an object. The method according to claim 1,
The heat-
An infrared ray generator disposed under the main body and generating the infrared ray;
And a heating plate disposed under the infrared ray generator and generating heat by the infrared rays. 3. The method of claim 2,
The main body includes:
A case-shaped body portion disposed on the heat generating portion and having an inner space,
A controller disposed in the body and adapted to regulate a temperature of the heating unit;
And a handle coupled to the body portion. The method of claim 3,
Wherein,
Further comprising a cutoff unit for cutting off the power when the movement of the user or object is not detected by the motion sensor for a predetermined time. The method of claim 3,
The iron further comprises:
Further comprising a fabric discriminating sensor for recognizing a fabric disposed on the body portion or the heating portion to be ironed. 6. The method of claim 5,
The fabric discrimination sensor comprises:
Wherein the iron is disposed on the heating plate so as to abut the fabric to be ironed to recognize the cloth. 6. The method of claim 5,
The fabric discrimination sensor comprises:
Wherein the heating unit is disposed on a bottom surface of the body, and the heating unit is spaced apart from each other with the fabric discrimination sensor interposed therebetween. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein,
A discriminating unit for discriminating the type of cloth to be ironed from the information recognized by the cloth discriminating sensor,
Further comprising a setting unit for setting the ironing temperature for each type of cloth when the kind of cloth is discriminated. The method of claim 3,
The iron further comprises:
Further comprising one or more image devices disposed in the body or the heating unit to photograph the cloth at predetermined time intervals. 10. The method of claim 9,
The video apparatus includes:
Wherein the heating device is disposed adjacent to the heating portion and the focal point of the imaging device is directed downward. 10. The method of claim 9,
The video apparatus includes:
An iron connected to the Internet and capable of transmitting images in real time. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein,
Further comprising a video comparing unit for comparing the phase changes of the cloth captured at a predetermined time interval by the video apparatus to determine the progress of the ironing. The method of claim 3,
The iron further comprises:
Further comprising a cooling unit disposed in the body and configured to eject the coolant in the direction of the cloth to be ironed. 14. The method of claim 13,
The cooling unit includes:
A storage unit disposed in the body and storing the coolant;
And a charger disposed adjacent to the reservoir and connectable to the outside for charging the coolant. 15. The method of claim 14,
The iron further comprises:
Further comprising one or more spray holes disposed in the body portion or the heating portion and connected to the storage portion so that the coolant can be sprayed. The method of claim 15, wherein
And the injection hole is disposed on a bottom surface of the heating plate. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein,
Further comprising a coolant adjuster for adjusting coolant to be sprayed to the surface of the heating plate when the heating plate is overheated. The method of claim 3,
The body portion
Further comprising: a temperature control unit disposed in the body portion and capable of manually controlling power on / off and temperature. 19. The method of claim 18,
The body portion
Further comprising: a display disposed adjacent to the temperature control device for displaying power on / off, temperature, remaining amount of coolant, and time of using the iron.

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