JPH0245920B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Technical field of invention] The present invention relates to a steam iron.

[Technical background of the invention]

Generally, a steam iron has a heater embedded in the base, a vaporizing chamber and an ejection hole communicating with the vaporizing chamber, and water is dripped into the vaporizing chamber from a water tank through a drip nozzle. It is ejected as steam from the nozzle, and
A thermostat installed in the base controls the power supply to the heater to maintain the base at a set temperature.

[Problems with background technology]

In the steam iron as described above, the amount of steam that can be vaporized in the vaporization chamber of the base is largely influenced by the temperature of the base. In other words, when the base temperature is high, the amount of steam vaporized is large, but when the base temperature is low, the amount of vaporized steam decreases, and the same amount of water is supplied to the vaporization chamber as when the base temperature is high. If this continues, there is a problem that the water that is not completely vaporized will turn into water droplets and come out of the nozzle.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems by automatically controlling the amount of steam according to the temperature of the base and preventing water droplets from coming out even when the base temperature is low. This is the purpose.

[Summary of the invention]

The steam iron of the present invention includes a base having a heater and a vaporizing chamber and an ejection hole communicating with the vaporizing chamber via a steam passage, and a water tank that supplies water to the vaporizing chamber through a drip nozzle. , characterized in that it is provided with an on-off valve that changes the opening area of the steam passage that communicates the vaporization chamber and the ejection hole, and a thermally responsive member that operates the on-off valve, wherein the on-off valve is actuated by the thermally responsive member, and the temperature The opening area of the steam passage can be changed depending on the situation.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 is a base, and a heater 2 is embedded within this base 1. Further, a vaporizing chamber 3 is formed on the upper surface of the base 1, and an ejection hole 4 is formed on the lower surface of the base 1. The vaporizing chamber 3 and each steam passage 5, 6 are covered with a steam cover 7. An auxiliary base plate 1a is attached to the lower surface of the vaporizing chamber 3 of the base 1, and the ejection holes 4 are formed around the auxiliary base plate 1a.

A heat shielding cover 8 is provided on the base 1, and a water tank 9 and a handle 10 are attached to the heat shielding cover 8.

A water inlet 11 is provided at the front upper part of the water tank 9, and a drip nozzle 12 facing above the vaporization chamber 3 is provided at the bottom of the water tank 9.
A valve rod 13 is supported vertically movably through the water tank 9 with respect to the dripping nozzle 12.
A cam-type operating body 14 is connected to the upper end of 3. By operating this operating body 14 with its knob 15, the valve rod 13 is moved up and down, and the dripping nozzle 12 is opened and closed at its lower end. ” and “dry”
You can now select the state of

Further, an on-off valve 16 is provided at the bottom of one of the steam passages 6 so as to be movable up and down, and this on-off valve 16 is supported on a coiled bidirectional shape memory alloy 17 as a thermally responsive member. , the lower end of this shape memory alloy 17 is attached on the auxiliary base plate 1a.

Further, a thermostat 18 is mounted on the base 1 to control the supply of electricity to the heater 2 to maintain the temperature of the base 1 at a set temperature.

Next, the operation will be explained.

Water is stored in a water tank 9, and the heater 2 is energized to heat the base 1 and the vaporization chamber 3. On this occasion,
If the thermostat 18 is at a high temperature (e.g. about 190
℃), when the heater 2 is energized, the base 1, the auxiliary base plate 1a, the vaporization chamber 3, and the shape memory alloy 17 are heated by heat transfer. It is heated to such an extent that it deforms in the direction of shrinkage, moves the on-off valve 16 downward, and opens the steam passage 6. In this state, when the valve rod 13 is raised to open the drip nozzle 12,
Water in the water tank 9 flows from the dripping nozzle 12 to the vaporization chamber 3.
The water is dripped into the interior, becomes steam, passes through each steam passage 5, 6, and is ejected from the ejection hole 4.

In this case, the amount of steam, that is, the amount of water dripped, is approximately determined by the hole diameter of the dripping nozzle 12, the water pressure of the water tank 9 applied to the dripping nozzle 12, and the steam pressure generated in the vaporization chamber 3.
Therefore, if the hole diameter of the dripping nozzle 12 and the water pressure are constant, the dripping amount will decrease if the steam pressure in the vaporization chamber 3 is high, and increase if it is low.

Next, while maintaining the above steam injection state, set the thermostat 18 to a low temperature (for example, about 120°C).
When set to , the temperature of the base 1, the auxiliary base plate 1a, the vaporization chamber 3, and the shape memory alloy 17 decreases, and the vaporization ability of the vaporization chamber 3 also decreases. Then, the shape memory alloy 17 is cooled below the Ms point and deformed in the direction of extension, and the on-off valve 16 moves upward to close the steam passage 6. As a result, the steam pressure within the vaporization chamber 3 increases, and the reverse pressure applied to the drip nozzle 12 increases. Therefore, the balance of water pressure and steam pressure in the water tank 9 changes,
The amount of dripping is reduced, ie the amount of steam is reduced in line with the vaporization capacity.

In this way, by changing the opening area of the steam passages 5 and 6 as a whole, the amount of steam can be changed. It does not come out and can be used safely.

In the above embodiment, a bidirectional shape memory alloy 17 is used as the thermally responsive member that drives the opening/closing valve 16, but a unidirectional shape memory alloy or bimetal may be combined with a spring material to open/close the valve. The valve 16 may also be driven.

Note that the water tank may be of either a fixed type or a removable type.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, by automatically varying the opening area of the steam passage according to the temperature of the base, the dripping amount can be controlled and the dripping amount can be adjusted according to the vaporization capacity, and even when the base temperature is low, the nozzle hole It does not release water droplets and is safe to use.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The figure is a longitudinal side view showing an embodiment of the steam iron of the present invention. 1...Base, 2...Heater, 3...Vaporization chamber, 4...Blowout hole, 5, 6...Steam passage, 9...Water tank, 1
2...Dripping nozzle, 16...Opening/closing valve, 17...Shape memory alloy as a thermally responsive member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A base including a heater and a vaporizing chamber and an ejection hole communicating with the vaporizing chamber via a steam passage, and a water tank that supplies water to the vaporizing chamber via a drip nozzle. A steam iron, characterized in that it is provided with an on-off valve that changes the opening area of a steam passage that communicates the vaporizing chamber and the ejection hole, and a thermally responsive member that operates the on-off valve. 2. The steam iron according to claim 1, wherein the thermally responsive member is thermally connected to the base. 3. The steam iron according to claim 1, wherein the thermally responsive member is made of a shape memory alloy.