WO2023080277A1

WO2023080277A1 - Steam generator using planar heating element

Info

Publication number: WO2023080277A1
Application number: PCT/KR2021/015955
Authority: WO
Inventors: 김근하; 김진두; 이동우; 이영국
Original assignee: 플라텔 주식회사; 김근하
Priority date: 2021-11-04
Filing date: 2021-11-04
Publication date: 2023-05-11

Abstract

A steam generator for a clothes care apparatus is disclosed. A steam generator for a clothes care apparatus, according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a first housing, which is made from a metal material, has an inlet formed at one side thereof, and forms a water storage space therein while the upper portion thereof is open; a second housing, which has an outlet at one side thereof, and is coupled to the upper portion of the first housing so as to guide the discharge of steam generated in the water storage space; and a planar heating element integrally coupled to the rear surface of the first housing so as to heat a rear region, and the steam generator is provided at one side of the clothes care apparatus so as to evaporate the water flowing into the water storage space.

Description

Steam generator using a plane heating element

The present invention discloses a steam generating device using a planar heating element.

In general, a clothes management device is a device that performs various tasks while storing clothes, and includes devices that perform various types of tasks such as drying clothes for drying wet clothes and refreshing for recycling clothes.

The clothes care device includes several components for performing the above functions, and generally operates while circulating air in a space where clothes are stored when performing functions such as drying clothes or refreshing clothes.

Recently, a steam supply device capable of generating and spraying steam is included. In the case of spraying steam on clothes with a steam supply device, the same effect as ironing clothes wrinkled by wearing and drying, etc., and a sterilization effect like boiling can be seen due to high-temperature steam.

In addition, in many cases, the clothes management device includes a hot air supply device to supply hot air to a space where clothes are stored, and performs a refresh process together with a steam supply device. As an example of such a clothes management device, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1498035 introduces a clothes treatment device and a steam generating assembly.

1 is a perspective view showing a steam generator according to the prior art. In general, a steam generating device is installed inside a cabinet of a clothes management device and sprays steam into a space where clothes are accommodated. The steam generator 10 for this purpose includes a water storage tank 11 for storing water, a water supply port 12 provided on one side of the water storage tank to receive water from the outside, and a steam discharge pipe for discharging generated steam to the clothing receiving space. (13), a heating module 14 for heating the water stored in the reservoir and a drain port 15 for discharging the remaining water in the reservoir. Here, the heating module 14 is composed of a sheath heater, a heating pipe is disposed inside the water storage tank 11, and

terminals

14a and 14b for power supply are exposed to the outside.

Since the heating pipe is disposed inside the water storage tank, the water storage tank must be formed to a certain size and at least the amount of water that the heating pipe is submerged in must be stored in such a conventional steam generator. In fact, conventional steam generators are designed to have a storage tank with a capacity of around 2000 mL and a storage volume of 1260 mL.

In addition, the conventional steam generator has a disadvantage in that it takes a lot of time to heat the water inside the water tank to a temperature capable of generating steam. This is because the water is heated while the reservoir is filled with a relatively large amount of water, so it must be heated for a long time.

In addition, since the conventional steam generator cannot evaporate all the water inside the water storage tank, there is a disadvantage in that water remaining inside the water storage tank after steam is generated must be separately treated.

In addition, since the supply and evaporation of water are performed in separate processes in the conventional steam generator, steam generation takes a long time, and steam generation and interruption, that is, the amount of steam generation cannot be precisely controlled.

Meanwhile, steam generators are applied to various types of home appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, smart ovens, and smart rice cookers in addition to clothing management devices.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a steam generator that can be miniaturized by using a planar heating element to minimize the capacity of the water tank.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a steam generator capable of shortening the steam generation time by generating steam simultaneously with supplying water.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a steam generator that does not separately treat the remaining water by minimizing the amount of water remaining after steam generation.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a steam generator capable of precisely controlling the generation and interruption of steam.

A steam generator according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems is a first housing made of a metal material having an inlet on one side and an open upper portion to form a water storage space therein, and an outlet on one side. A second housing is formed and coupled to the upper portion of the first housing to induce discharge of steam generated in the water storage space, and a planar heating element integrally coupled to the rear surface of the first housing to heat the rear area. So, it is configured to evaporate the water flowing into the water storage space.

A steam generator according to another embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems is a plate-shaped first housing made of metal, an inlet is formed on one side and an outlet is formed on the other side, and a water storage space is formed therein. While forming, a second housing coupled to the front surface of the first housing, and a planar heating element integrally coupled to the rear surface of the first housing to heat the rear surface area, to evaporate water flowing into the water storage space. It consists of

Here, the second housing may be composed of a plastic injection molding.

A steam generator according to another embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems is a plate-shaped first housing made of metal, a second housing having an outlet formed on one side to induce steam discharge, A planar heating element that is integrally coupled to the rear surface of the first housing and heats the rear area, and an inlet is formed on one side, is integrally formed with the first housing in the rear area, and has an open top to provide a storage space therein. and a third housing formed thereon, wherein the second housing is coupled to an upper portion of the third housing to induce discharge of steam generated in the storage space, thereby evaporating water flowing into the storage space.

Here, the second housing and the third housing may be integrally configured as a plastic injection molding product.

In the steam generator of this embodiment, the planar heating element may be directly formed on the rear surface of the first housing, including a base substrate made of an insulating material and a heating electrode formed on the base substrate.

In the steam generator of this embodiment, the planar heating element may be formed by attaching an insulating film having a heating electrode to the rear surface of the first housing.

As described above, in the steam supply device of the present embodiment, since instant heating is possible using the planar heating element disposed on the rear surface of the water tank, steam generation time can be shortened.

In addition, since the steam supply device of this embodiment can generate steam simultaneously with the supply of water, it is possible to minimize the water storage capacity, which is advantageous for miniaturization.

In addition, the steam supply device of this embodiment has an effect of reducing manufacturing cost by minimizing the use of relatively expensive SUS materials.

In addition, in the steam supply device of the present embodiment, by integrally forming the heating module and the injection molding product through insert molding, damage to the heating module is prevented and heat transfer efficiency is improved.

1 is a perspective view showing a steam generator according to the prior art;

2 is a perspective view showing a steam generator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a bottom perspective view showing the steam generator of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the steam generator of Figure 1;

5 is a cross-sectional view showing a steam generator according to another embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a cross-sectional view showing a steam generator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The technical problems achieved by the present invention and its practice will be clarified by the preferred embodiments described below. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It should be understood that the differences in the present embodiment, which will be described later, are not mutually exclusive. That is, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, specific shapes, structures, and characteristics described may be implemented in relation to one embodiment in another embodiment, and the location of individual components within each disclosed embodiment. or arrangement, it should be understood that like reference numerals in the drawings refer to the same or similar function throughout the various aspects, length, and while exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described as described above, various modifications have been made. Other embodiments may be performed by those skilled in the art. All of these modifications and other embodiments are to be considered and included in the appended claims without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

2 is a perspective view showing a steam generator according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view showing the steam generator of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the steam generator of FIG.

Referring to these drawings, the steam generator 100 of this embodiment includes a first housing 110 that temporarily stores or stores incoming water, and a first housing 110 coupled to an upper opening of the first housing 110 ( 110) and a heating module 130 coupled to the bottom of the first housing 110.

The first housing 110 functions as a storage tank for temporarily storing water by forming a tubular shape having a predetermined capacity and having an open top. The first housing 110 for this forms a water storage space (S) in which water is stored.

In addition, the first housing 110 may be made of a metal material having excellent thermal conductivity and heat resistance, and may be made of, for example, stainless steel (SUS: Steel use Stainless). The first housing 110 is configured to have an inlet 111 through which water flows into one side and an open top so that the heated water naturally evaporates upward. A running water supply pipe (not shown) for supplying water from a separately provided water storage tank (not shown) may be coupled to the inlet 111 . A drain hole 112 may be formed on the bottom surface of the other side of the first housing 110, and a drain pipe (not shown) for artificially discharging water may be coupled to the drain hole 112.

In addition, the first housing 110 may have a circular or quadrangular cylindrical shape, and may have various shapes depending on the structure of the clothes management device to which the steam generating device 100 is mounted. While the upper portion of the first housing 110 is opened, a flange 113 to which the second housing 120 is coupled may be formed along an edge.

The first housing 110 may have a small capacity. In the steam generator 100, the first housing 110 occupies most of the entire size of the steam generator. In this embodiment, the first housing 110 is configured to minimize the amount of stored water, is advantageous for the miniaturization of

In addition, a temperature sensing member (not shown) for preventing overheating by sensing the temperature inside the first housing 110 may be coupled to one outer side of the first housing 110 . The temperature sensing member may be made of, for example, a bimetal, and may be used as information for controlling the driving of the heating module 130 or the supply of water according to the temperature sensed by the temperature sensing member.

The second housing 120 is coupled to the upper opening of the first housing 110 to guide the discharge of steam generated in the first housing 110 . The second housing 120 is made of an insulating material with excellent heat resistance, and may be made of, for example, plastic injection molding.

The second housing 120 has an open lower end and may have a circular or square tubular shape corresponding to the first housing 110, and a flange 122 to be coupled to the first housing 110 is formed at an edge of the lower end. It can be. A fastening structure 123 to which screw fastening or the like can be applied may be formed on the flanges 122 of the first housing 110 and the second housing 120 . In addition, a packing member 114 may be interposed between the

flanges

113 and 122 of the first housing 110 and the second housing 120 .

In addition, the second housing 120 has a narrower diameter toward the top, and a discharge port 121 through which steam is discharged is formed in the central region of the upper end. Accordingly, the second housing 120 may have a shade or cone shape, and also functions as an upper cap of the steam generator 100.

The heating module 130 is coupled to the rear surface of the first housing 110 and heats the water inside the first housing 110 by applying instant high heat. The heating module 130 is composed of a planar heating element, and the planar heating element may be formed directly on the rear surface of the first housing 110 or adhered to the rear surface of the first housing 110. Rutenox may be applied as an example of the planar heating element directly formed on the rear surface of the first housing 110, and a heater film may be applied as an example of the planar heating element adhered to the rear surface of the first housing 110.

As shown in FIG. 3, the heating module 130 made of a planar heating element may be composed of a plurality of electrodes formed on the base substrate 131 of insulating material. That is, the heating module 130 is connected to the base substrate 131, a pair of pad electrodes 132 to which external power supply terminals are connected, and the pad electrode 132 are spaced apart from each other to the surface of the base substrate 131. It includes a pair of lead electrodes 133 extending along and a plurality of heating electrodes 134 having both ends connected to each lead electrode 133 and generating heat with power supplied through the lead electrodes 133. . Such a planar heating element has the advantage of being able to instantaneously heat the fuming electrode 134 to a high temperature.

The heating electrodes 134 form a band shape having a predetermined width and length, and each heating electrode 134 preferably has the same width and length. This is because heat must be generated at the same temperature in all areas when the same power is supplied, and when excessive heat is generated in a specific heating electrode, damage to the electrode may occur in the corresponding area.

As such, the heating module 130 composed of a planar heating element transfers high-temperature heat to the entire area of the rear surface of the first housing 110 at the same time to heat the water stored therein over a large area, thereby shortening the heating time. It works. Therefore, in the steam generator 100 of this embodiment, the first housing 110 functioning as a storage tank can be configured with a low capacity, and is designed to have a water storage capacity of 180 mL, for example.

Since the steam generator 100 of this embodiment can generate steam while continuously supplying a small amount of water to the inside of the first housing 110, water supply and steam generation are simultaneously performed. This is because instantaneous heating is possible because water is stored in the first housing 110 at a shallow depth and heated over the entire rear area of the large area.

In such a steam generating device 100, the first housing 110 has a small storage capacity of about 180 mL, and generates steam simultaneously with water supply, so that a large amount of steam can be generated. In addition, since water can be continuously supplied from the external storage tank in the steam generator 100 of this embodiment, steam can be continuously supplied regardless of the water storage capacity of the first housing 110 .

5 is a cross-sectional view showing a steam generator according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a steam generator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 5 , in the steam generator 100 of this embodiment, the first housing 110 is formed of a plate and is coupled while sealing the lower opening of the second housing 120 . That is, as shown, the first housing 110 has a plate shape having a predetermined area, a drain hole 112 may be formed on one side of the bottom surface, and the second housing 120 is coupled to the edge. A flange 113 is formed.

In the steam generator 100 of this embodiment, since the first housing 110 is plate-shaped and does not form a water storage space, the water storage space S is secured by the second housing 120. That is, the side wall of the second housing 120 further extends downward, and a flange 122 is formed at an edge thereof to be coupled to the flange 113 of the first housing 110 . Accordingly, a water storage space S in which water is stored is formed inside the second housing between the first housing 110 and the second housing 120 . Since the steam generator 100 of this embodiment has a small water storage capacity of about 180 mL, even if the first housing 110 has a plate shape, a sufficient water storage space S can be secured by the shape of the second housing 120. can At this time, an inlet 124 through which water flows may be formed in the second housing 120 .

In addition, the steam generator 100 of this embodiment can minimize the consumption of the first housing 110 made of SUS material, and thus has an advantageous effect in reducing manufacturing costs. That is, the plate on the plate is configured as the first housing 110, and the second housing 120, which is a plastic injection product, is configured to secure the water storage space S, so that the first housing 110 in the entire steam generator 100 ) is to minimize the area occupied by the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the steam generator 100 of this embodiment further includes a third housing 140. The third housing 140 has a cylindrical shape having a predetermined capacity and an open top, and functions as a storage tank for temporarily storing water. The third housing 140 for this forms a water storage space (S) in which water is stored.

In the third housing 140, an inlet 141 through which water flows is formed on one side and a drain hole 142 may be formed on the bottom surface of the other side, and the upper part is opened so that the heated water naturally evaporates upward. It consists of In addition, the third housing 140 may have a circular or quadrangular cylindrical shape, and a flange 143 to which the second housing 120 is coupled may be formed along an edge while an upper portion is open.

The third housing 140 is made of an insulating material with excellent heat resistance and heat insulation, and may be made of, for example, plastic injection molding. Also, the third housing 140 may be integrally formed with the plate-shaped first housing 110 by insert molding. That is, the third housing 140 is formed by insert molding using the first housing 110 as an insert material.

In this way, the first housing 110 having the heating module 130 is configured to be inserted into the third housing 140 made of plastic, so that the heating module 130 can be protected. In the heating module 130 , electrodes may be directly formed on the surface of the first housing 110 via the insulating base member 131 , or an insulating film formed with the electrodes may be attached. In this case, since the electrode is exposed to the outside, it may be damaged due to interference with other parts during assembly or the like. However, when the heating module 130 is inserted into the third housing 140 as in this embodiment, damage due to external impact or interference is prevented.

In addition, in the steam generator 100 of this embodiment, since the first housing 110 is inserted into the third housing 140, separation of the heating module 130 contacting the first housing 110 can be prevented. . That is, when the heating module 130 is formed of a heater film, it is attached to the rear surface of the first housing 110 to transfer heat. At this time, the heat is transferred without loss only when the heater film is in perfect contact with the rear surface of the first housing 110, but if a gap occurs between them, the heat transfer efficiency is rapidly reduced. However, as in the present embodiment, when the first housing 110 is inserted into the third housing 140, the second housing 120 adheres the heating module 130 to the rear surface of the first housing 110 to increase heat transfer efficiency. improve

In addition, in the steam generator 100 of this embodiment, the first housing 110 is inserted into the third housing 140, thereby improving heating efficiency. Since the third housing is made of a plastic material having thermal insulation properties, the heat generated from the heating module 130 is transferred to the inside through the first housing 110 while minimizing heat dissipation to the outside, thereby improving heating efficiency. there will be

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the second housing 120 and the third housing 140 are assembled as separate components, but integrally formed as one component is also possible.

As described above, since the steam supply device of the present embodiment enables instantaneous heating using the planar heating element, the steam generation time can be drastically reduced.

In addition, since the steam supply device of the present embodiment can generate steam simultaneously with the supply of water by instantaneous heating, the water storage capacity can be minimized, which is advantageous for miniaturization.

In addition, the steam supply device of this embodiment has an effect of preventing damage to the heating module and improving heat transfer efficiency by integrally forming the heating module and the injection-molded product through insert molding.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described as described above, various modifications and other embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art. All of these modifications and other embodiments are to be considered and included in the appended claims without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention. In particular, the steam generating device of this embodiment exemplifies a configuration applied to a clothes management device, but may be applied to various products such as washing machines and dishwashers as needed.

Claims

A first housing made of metal having an inlet on one side and having an open upper portion to form a water storage space therein;

a second housing having a discharge port formed on one side and coupled to an upper portion of the first housing to induce discharge of steam generated in the water storage space; and

A planar heating element integrally coupled to the rear surface of the first housing to heat the rear surface area; including,

A steam generator for evaporating water flowing into the water storage space.
A plate-shaped first housing made of metal;

a second housing having an inlet formed on one side and an outlet formed on the other side, and coupled to the front surface of the first housing while forming a storage space therein; and,

A planar heating element integrally coupled to the rear surface of the first housing to heat the rear surface area; including,

A steam generator for evaporating water flowing into the water storage space.
According to claim 1 or 2,

The second housing is composed of a plastic injection molding, the steam generator.
A plate-shaped first housing made of metal;

A second housing having a discharge port formed on one side to induce discharge of steam;

a planar heating element that is integrally coupled to the rear surface of the first housing and heats the rear surface area; and,

A third housing having an inlet formed on one side, integrally formed with the first housing in the rear area, and having an open top to form a water storage space therein,

The second housing is coupled to the upper portion of the third housing to induce discharge of steam generated in the water storage space,

A steam generator for evaporating water flowing into the water storage space.
According to claim 4,

The second housing and the third housing are integrally configured as a plastic injection molding product.
According to any one of claims 1, 2 or 4,

The planar heating element is directly formed on the rear surface of the first housing, including a base substrate of an insulating material and a heating electrode formed on the base substrate.
According to any one of claims 1, 2 or 4,

The planar heating element is formed by attaching an insulating film on which a heating electrode is formed to a rear surface of the first housing.