WO2019096487A1

WO2019096487A1 - An iron providing induction heating

Info

Publication number: WO2019096487A1
Application number: PCT/EP2018/076787
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pinar YAVUZ; Oguzhan KAYA; Onur Cetin; Suleyman Alper YESILCUBUK; Yilmaz Can TEZGEL; Emre Yavuz TURK
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2017-11-15
Filing date: 2018-10-02
Publication date: 2019-05-23
Also published as: TR201718015A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to an iron (1) comprising a body (2), and a soleplate (3) that is produced from a ferromagnetic material and that almost completely covers the bottom surface of the body (2).

Description

AN IRON PROVIDING INDUCTION HEATING

The present invention relates to an iron that provides induction heating.

Irons are used for removing wrinkles on the washed laundry. The irons generally operate with the electricity supplied from the mains through a cable. The electric energy is converted to the thermal energy on the iron and the soleplate of the iron is enabled to be heated. The soleplates of the irons generally reach temperatures between 100°C and 200°C. The wrinkles are enabled to be removed by contacting the hot soleplate to the fabrics. The fact that the irons are connected to the mains via a cable makes the ironing process inconvenient. Therefore, in the state of the art, irons that can operate wirelessly are developed. Generally, the irons that can operate wirelessly are heated by means of a station. The station uses the electricity supplied from the mains. The supplied electricity energizes the induction coils provided in the station and the soleplate of the iron is enabled to be heated. However, the temperature of the soleplate drops over time after being separated from the station. Thus, the user has to place the body onto the station regularly and this causes loss of time. Furthermore, in cases when the soleplate is heated by an external ferromagnetic plate, the soleplate does not have a homogeneous heat distribution and this may cause the fabric to be ironed to be locally overheated or even burned.

In the state of the art European Patent Document No. EP2024557, a wireless iron is disclosed that provides induction heating.

The aim of the present invention is the realization of an iron where ease of use is provided.

The iron realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof comprises a body, a ferromagnetic soleplate, a thin film heater that is disposed in the body and that enables the soleplate to be heated or kept hot, and a battery that enables the thin film heater to be energized. The ferromagnetic soleplate is heated by induction and the pre-heating is performed. During the ironing process, the film heater is energized by means of the battery and the soleplate is enabled to be kept hot. Moreover, the iron can be heated using only the thin film heater by means of a high-capacity battery in cases such as power outages.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a non-conducting material that covers almost the entire surface of the soleplate of the iron is used. Thus, the users are protected from being harmed in possible electric leakages. In a version of this embodiment, the non-conducting material on the soleplate of the iron is selected as eloxal. Thus, while the electrical insulation is provided, the heat losses are minimized by means of the high heat conductance of the eloxal.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the thin film heater is coated onto the entire surface of the non-conducting material. Thus, the soleplate is enabled to be heated homogeneously.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the temperature of the soleplate is monitored and the soleplate is enabled to be kept hot by activating the thin film heater at regular intervals. Thus, the iron can be used without the need for heating the soleplate by placing the iron onto the station after the pre-heating process.

In different embodiments of the present invention, for charging the battery, a connection socket that is disposed on the body and/or a secondary coil that is arranged on the body and that enables the battery to be charged wirelessly by means of induction is/are provided. Thus, the iron can be charged by means of a charger or the coil that performs the pre-heating of the soleplate.

The station whereon the iron is placed comprises a coil that enables the ferromagnetic soleplate to be induced. The user enables the soleplate to be heated by placing the iron onto the station. In another embodiment of the station, the station comprises a connection housing corresponding to the connection socket on the iron and enabling the battery to be charged when the circuit is closed. In another embodiment of the station, the battery is charged by inducing the secondary coil by means of the coil on the station. Thus, the station can be used both for heating the iron and charging the battery.

The ironing board on which the ironing process is performed comprises a coil provided under the ironing surface and the pre-heating of the soleplate is realized by means of the coil that induces the soleplate. The ironing board further enables the battery of the iron to be charged by means of the coil. In different versions of the ironing board, a connection housing that corresponds to the connection socket of the iron is provided and thus, the battery is enabled to be charged.

By means of the iron of the present invention, in the pre-heated iron, the temperature of soleplate is prevented from decreasing during the ironing process. The thin film heater enables the entire soleplate to be heated homogeneously and to be kept at the desired temperature and ease of use is provided for the user. Moreover, thanks to the fact that the thin film heater is more efficient as compared to other known heaters, the heating process is performed more quickly. Furthermore, the iron is enabled to be kept ready to use by enabling the battery in the iron to be charged when on the station or on the ironing board.

An iron realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:

Figure 1 - is the schematic view of an iron.

Figure 2 - is a schematic view of a station.

Figure 3 - is the schematic view of an ironing board.

The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

Iron
Body
Soleplate
Thin film heater
Battery
Non-conducting material
Connection socket
Secondary coil
Station
Coil
Connection housing
Ironing board
Ironing surface
Leg

The iron (1) comprises a body (2), and a soleplate (3) that is produced from a ferromagnetic material and that almost completely covers the bottom surface of the body (2). The pre-heating is realized by heating the soleplate (3) of the iron (1) by heating the soleplate (3) produced from the ferromagnetic material by induction. The user can use the iron (1) after the pre-heating process. The soleplate (3) that loses heat has to be heated by induction in order to be reheated. The soleplate (3) may be covered with a material that decreases friction so as to enable the iron (1) to slide over the fabric.

The iron (1) of the present invention comprises a thin film heater (4) that is arranged in the body (2) and that enables the soleplate (3) to be heated, and at least one battery (5) that energizes the thin film heater (4). In order to maintain the temperature of the preheated soleplate (3) during the ironing process, the thin film heater (4) is energized by means of the battery (5) so as to heat the soleplate (3) and maintain the temperature of the soleplate (3). The thin film heater (4) can be coated over the soleplate (3) or can be used as in the embodiments explained below. Thin film heater (4) is produced from a material with high electrical resistance. Thus, the electricity that passes through the thin film heater (4) is converted to the thermal energy. Consequently, the iron (1) is enabled to be heated by means of the thin film heater (4) in case of power outage. The battery (5) that enables the thin film heater (4) to be energized is positioned preferably in the handle of the iron (1) or in the body (2) at a position away from the soleplate (3) so as not to be affected by the temperature of the soleplate (3). By using the battery (5) with a sufficient capacity, the soleplate (3) is enabled to be kept hot even if the iron (1) is used for a long period of time.

By energizing the thin film heater (4) during the preheating process of the iron (1), the preheating process can be completed more quickly. Thus, the soleplate (3) is heated by induction and also by means of the thin film heater (4). The thin film heater (4) can be used only for keeping the soleplate (3) hot or for supporting the preheating process as per the user preference.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the iron (1) comprises a non-conducting material (6) adjacent to almost the entire top surface of the soleplate (3). In order to provide safety during the usage of the iron (1), the top surface of the soleplate (3) is coated with a non-conducting material (6) or a non-conducting material (6) that almost completely covers the top surface of the soleplate (3) is disposed. In a version of this embodiment, the non-conducting material (6) is the eloxal that is electrically non-conducting, but has a high thermal conductivity. By using the eloxal as the non-conducting material (6) on the soleplate (3), the user is protected from being harmed due to possible electrical leakages. In this embodiment, the thin film heater (4) enables the soleplate (3) to be heated by heating the non-conducting material (6) that is the eloxal.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the thin film heater (4) is coated onto almost the entire surface of the non-conducting material (6). In all embodiments of the present invention, the thin film heater (4) can be in the form of ITO, FTO, AZO, graphene or silver nanofiber and can be coated onto the non-conducting material (6) in the desired thickness by the known coating methods such as PCD or CVD. The heating process is realized by providing low resistance busbars on the thin film heater (4).

In another embodiment of the present invention, the thin film heater (4) enables the temperature of the soleplate (3) to be increased by being supplied by the battery (5) when the temperature of the soleplate (3) decreases by a predetermined limit temperature value. After the ferromagnetic soleplate (3) is heated to the desired temperature by preheating, the temperature of the soleplate (3) decreases during the ironing process. The temperature of the soleplate (3) is monitored by means of a sensor (not shown in figures) and when the temperature decreases by a temperature value predetermined by the producer, the thin film heater (4) is energized by the battery (5) and the soleplate (3) is enabled to be heated. For example, if the temperature of the soleplate (3) is set to 150°C, the thin film heater (4) is activated when the temperature of the soleplate (3) drops to 140 or 145°C during the ironing after the preheating and the temperature of the soleplate (3) is enabled to be raised back to 150°C.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the iron (1) comprises a connection socket (7) that is provided on the body (2) and that enables the battery (5) to be charged. The user may use a charger or places, if possible, the iron (1) onto a station (9) or an ironing board (12) and provide the connection of the connection socket (7) to a connection housing (11) available thereon and charge the battery (5). Thus, the battery (5) is enabled to be charged when the iron (1) is not in use.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the iron (1) comprises a secondary coil (8) that is provided on the body (2) and that enables the battery (5) to be charged wirelessly. By means of the secondary coil (8), the battery (5) is enabled to be charged during the preheating of the soleplate (3). The battery (5) can also be charged when the preheating is not performed.

The station (9) whereon the iron (1) is placed comprises at least one coil (10) that enables the ferromagnetic soleplate (3) to be heated. The user enables the soleplate (3) to be heated by placing the iron (1) onto the station (9).

In another embodiment of the present invention, the station (9) comprises a connection housing (11) that aligns with the connection socket (7) and that enables the battery (5) to be charged when the iron (1) is placed onto the station (9). By means of the connection housing (11), the battery (5) that energizes the thin film heater (4) is enabled to be charged when the iron (1) is placed onto the station (9). In a version of this embodiment, during the charging of the battery (5), the current supplied to the coil (10) on the station (9) is interrupted and the station (9) is enabled to charge only the battery (5).

In another embodiment of the present invention, the coil (10) on the station (9) induces the secondary coil (8) on the iron (1) and enables the battery (5) to be charged. Thus, the coil (10) enables the soleplate (3) to be heated by means of induction and the battery (5) to be charged by inducing the secondary coil (8).

The ironing board (12) whereon the ironing process is realized comprises an ironing surface (13), legs (14) that enable the height of the ironing surface (13) to be adjusted, and at least one coil (10) that is provided under at least a part of the ironing surface (13) and that enables the ferromagnetic soleplate (3) to be heated. The iron (1) is placed onto the ironing board (12), and the coil (10) induces and heats the ferromagnetic soleplate (3). In a version of this embodiment, the battery (5) is enabled to be charged by inducing the secondary coil (8) in the iron (1) by means of the coil (10) in the ironing board (12). In another version of this embodiment, the ironing board (12) comprises a connection housing (11) that has a matching form with the connection socket (7) of the iron (1) and aligns with the connection socket (7) when the iron (1) is placed onto the ironing surface (13), and the battery (5) is enabled to be charged by means of the connection housing (11).

By means of the iron (1) of the present invention, the iron (1) that is preheated by means of the ferromagnetic soleplate (3) thereof is enabled to be heated by means of the thin film heater (4) provided in the soleplate (3) such that the need for performing preheating again is eliminated. Thus, the users are prevented from losing time by waiting for the iron (1) to be reheated.

Claims

An iron (1) comprising a body (2), and a soleplate (3) that is produced from a ferromagnetic material and that almost completely covers the bottom surface of the body (2), characterized by a thin film heater (4) that is arranged in the body (2) and that enables the soleplate (3) to be heated, and at least one battery (5) that energizes the thin film heater (4).
An iron (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by a non-conducting material (6) that is arranged adjacent to almost the entire top surface of the soleplate (3).
An iron (1) as in Claim 2, characterized by the non-conducting material (6) that is eloxal.
An iron (1) as in Claim 2 or 3, characterized by the thin film heater (4) that is coated onto almost the entire surface of the non-conducting material (6).
An iron (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the thin film heater (4) that enables the temperature of the soleplate (3) to be increased by being supplied by the battery (5) when the temperature of the soleplate (3) decreases by a predetermined limit temperature value.
An iron (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by a connection socket (7) that is provided on the body (2) and that enables the battery (5) to be charged.
An iron (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by a secondary coil (8) that is provided on the body (2) and that enables the battery (5) to be wirelessly charged.
A station (9) whereon the iron (1) is placed for preheating, comprising at least one coil (10) that enables the ferromagnetic soleplate (3) to be heated by induction.
A station (9) as in Claim 8, characterized by a connection housing (11) that aligns with the connection socket (7) and that enables the battery (5) to be charged when the iron (1) in Claim 6 is placed thereon.
A station (9) as in Claim 8 or 9, characterized by the coil (10) that enables the battery (5) to be charged by inducing the secondary coil (8) on the iron (1) in Claim 7.
A station (9) as in Claim 9, that stops the heating of the soleplate (3) by interrupting the current supplied to the coil (10) during the charging of the battery (5).
An ironing board (12) comprising an ironing surface (13), legs (14) that enable the height of the ironing surface (13) to be adjusted, characterized by at least one coil (10) that is provided under at least a part of the ironing surface (13) and that enables the ferromagnetic soleplate (3) to be heated.
An ironing board (12) as in Claim 12, characterized by the coil (10) that enables the battery (5) to be charged by inducing the secondary coil (8) on the iron (1) as in Claim 7.
An ironing board (12) as in Claim 12 or 13, characterized by a connection housing (11) that aligns with the connection socket (7) and that enables the battery (5) to be charged when the iron (1) as in Claim 6 is placed thereon.