JPH0366399A - Steam generator for ironing - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION The present invention relates to a steam generator for irons used in general households.

Conventional technology Conventionally, the steam generator for this type of iron was
A push-out water pump is installed as part of the water conveyance unit that connects the water tank and the vaporization chamber, and the push-out water pump can be operated manually or electrically using a small solenoid. It was common.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a conventional structure using a small solenoid.

That is, a push-out water pump 3 is provided on the plunger of a small solenoid 2 provided in the main body 1, and the small solenoid 2 and water pump 3 are connected to a water tank 4 and a vaporizing chamber 6 provided in an iron base 5. It is constructed as a part of the water guiding unit 7 that constitutes a waterway connecting the waterways. In this configuration, when the small solenoid 2 is energized, the water pump 3 is pushed downward, and water is vigorously jetted into the vaporization chamber 6 against the spring pressure of the ball valve 8, generating a power shot (powerful steam). do. When the power supply to the small solenoid 1 and nonoid 2 is stopped, the water pump 3 is pushed upward by the action of the spring 9, and the water in the water tank 4 is discharged from a resin ball whose specific gravity is slightly higher than that of water. Check valve 10
is pushed up and sucked up into the water pump 3. Also,
If the small solenoid 2 continues to be energized, the water pump 9 will remain depressed, and the bottle 11 attached to the tip of the water pump will keep the ball valve 8 depressed, so water will flow into the water tank 4. It is possible to generate so-called normal steam by dripping small amounts into the vaporizing chamber 6 using only the water pressure inside. In the figure, 12 is a heater and 13 is a control circuit.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, since this type of structure uses a push-out type water pump 3, the water cannot be sucked.

Check valves on both discharges10. A valve structure such as a ball valve 8 is required, which complicates the structure of the water guiding unit 7 and inevitably increases the number of parts. Furthermore, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 5, the small solenoid 2 requires a large current to drive, which inevitably generates a large amount of heat, resulting in a rapid temperature rise. Irons are used in principle at high temperatures, and the ambient temperature inside the main body 1 is also quite high (60-70°C).
Therefore, the use of drive parts such as solenoids that experience a rapid rise in temperature poses a major problem in itself.

Also, if we consider the stage in which water is injected into the water tank 4 and set in the main body 1 when trying to use the iron, as mentioned above,
Since the ball valve 8 is closed when the iron is not energized, air is trapped in the water guiding unit 7, and water does not enter the water pump 1 if this condition is maintained.

Therefore, even if you try to use the Power Shot right away, water will not be sent until the trapped air is pushed out by the water pump 3, and you will have to perform several dry shots before you can actually use the Power Shot. There was a problem that it had to be done. This problem is the same even if it is a manual type.

Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide a water guide unit that has a simple structure and is easy to use, with a drive portion that generates little heat.

The second purpose is to make it possible to immediately generate a power shot without having to hit the iron several times even when trying to use the power shot at the beginning of using the iron.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above-mentioned first object, the present invention incorporates a screw type pump and a water flow valve in the water conveyance unit, and controls the generation of steam by controlling the rotation of the screw type pump. It is something that can be controlled.

In addition, in order to achieve the second object, the present invention provides a part of the water channel of the water conveyance unit with an air release hole and an on-off valve with a float that engages with the hole, so that air is not trapped in the water conveyance unit and water is not trapped inside the water conveyance unit. The atmosphere opening hole is configured to be closed when the atmosphere is full.

Function The steam generator for ironing of the present invention has a simplified structure by using a screw type pump using a small motor as a driving part, and does not require a large current like a solenoid as a driving current. It generates less heat, and by controlling the rotation of a small motor, the steam generation state can be adjusted steplessly from normal steam to increased steam to power shot.

In addition, Power Shot's dry firing prevention mechanism, which has an atmosphere opening hole and an on-off valve with a float that engages with the air vent in a part of the water channel of the water channel, opens to the atmosphere when there is no water in the water channel unit I. Therefore, the water in the water tank can be easily guided into the water conveyance unit by the pressure of the water level, and when the water becomes full, the atmosphere opening hole can be reliably closed by the action of the float installed in the on-off valve. There is no need to worry about leakage.

Embodiment Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 14 denotes an iron base in which a heater 15 and a vaporizing chamber 16 are built-in. Reference numeral 17 denotes a water conveyance unit that transports water stored in a water tank 18 to a vaporization chamber 16.
It constitutes a waterway that leads to 19 is a pump case provided in the water guiding unit 17, 20 is a screw type pump housed in the pump case 19, and 21 is a small DC motor for rotating the screw type pump 20. Here, the water supply port at the tip of the screw pump 20 is arranged at the lowest part of the water channel of the water guide unit 17 so that water can be supplied most efficiently. 22 is a water flow valve attached to the drain port of the screw type pump 20, and when the small DC motor 21 is not rotating and the screw type pump 20 is not operating, the valve is closed by the action of a spring. When the small DC motor 21 is energized and the screw pump 20 is operated, the discharge pressure of the screw pump 20 opens the water channel.

Next, the operation of the configuration of this embodiment will be explained. First, as shown in FIG. 1, when the water tank 18 filled with water is set and the heater 15 is energized, the iron base 14 is heated and the water in the water tank 18 is transferred to the water channel of the water guide unit 17. and reaches the water supply port at the tip of the screw pump 20. However, in this state, since the water valve 21 is closed, air is trapped in the drain port at the top of the screw pump 20, and water does not flow into the vaporization chamber 16. , so the iron is in a so-called dry iron state in which no steam is generated. When power is started to be applied to the small DC motor 21 and the screw type pump 20 rotates as shown in FIG. The water is pumped up to the provided drainage port, and the water flow valve 22 is pushed down by the discharge pressure, and the water flows into the vaporization chamber 16. Here, when the voltage applied to the small DC motor 21 is relatively low, the rotation speed of the screw pump 20 is also low and the amount of water pumped is small, so water is supplied to the vaporization chamber 16 little by little. It is possible to create a so-called normal steam condition. As the voltage applied to the small DC motor 21 increases, the vaporization chamber 16 increases.
The amount of water supplied to vaporization chamber 1 gradually increases, and the increased amount of steam is interrupted.When the voltage is further increased, vaporization chamber 1
The supply of water to No. 6 is close to spouting, and a so-called power shot (powerful steam) can be generated.

In this embodiment, an example is shown in which a DC motor is used as the small motor, but of course an AC motor may also be used.

Next, an embodiment of a power shot dry firing prevention mechanism in which a shut-off valve with a float is provided in a part of the water channel of the water guiding unit will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

In FIG. 3, 23 is a pump case equipped with an atmosphere opening hole 24 together with the screw type pump 20;
Reference numeral 25 designates an on-off valve with a float that engages with the atmosphere opening hole 24 and is provided in the waterway. The operation of this on-off valve 25 with a float will be explained based on FIGS. 3 and 4.

The state indicated by A on the left side in FIG. 4 shows the state in which the iron is first used, and the water tank 18 has not yet been set. 1. When the water tank 18 is set in this state, water flows through the water channel in the water guide unit 17 to the water supply port at the tip of the screw pump 20.

Here, if there is no atmosphere opening hole 24 like in this embodiment,
Air is trapped near the upper drain port of the screw pump 20, and water that has reached the water supply port cannot flow to the top of the screw pump 20. Therefore, even if you try to generate powerful steam like a power shot from the beginning of using the iron, the power shot will not be able to be generated for a while after the small DC motor 21 operates until the air trapped inside is exhausted. Become. This is the so-called blank firing state.

However, in the case of this embodiment, since the atmosphere vent hole 24 is provided, the air above the screw type pump 20 can be discharged to the outside of the waterway through the atmosphere vent hole 24, as shown in FIG. 4A. The water that has reached the water supply port of the screw pump 20 can smoothly flow upward, and no air is trapped in this part. On the other hand, when water fills up to the upper drain port of the screw pump 20 in this way,
The state shown in FIG. 4B is reached, and the float-equipped on-off valve 25 is pushed upward by the action of the float and closes the atmosphere release hole 24, so water no longer leaks to the outside from this hole, and the screw type The entire inside of the pump 20 is filled with water, and a power shot can be reliably generated from the beginning of using the iron.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention has a screw-type pump and a water flow valve built into the water conveyance unit, so the structure is simple and trouble-free, and the assembly is easy. Because it is a pump-up screw type pump rather than a push-out type water pump, the steam generation state can be adjusted steplessly by controlling the rotation of the small motor that is the driving source. be. Furthermore, since the drive source is a small motor, heat generation can be significantly reduced compared to conventional solenoid drives, making it extremely practical.

In addition, in the present invention, since a part of the water channel of the water guide unit is provided with an air release hole and an on-off valve with a float, air is trapped inside the water guide unit (at the top of the screw-type pump) when the iron is first used. There is no need to repeat blank shots for a while when using a power shot as in the past, and the power shot can be generated efficiently from the beginning, making it extremely useful.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a steam generator equipped with an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the same operation, and Fig. 3 is a power supply equipped with an atmosphere vent and a shut-off valve with a float. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the shot prevention mechanism, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the same operation, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional iron. 14... Iron base, 15... Heater 16
... Vaporization chamber, 17... Water introduction unit, 18... Water tank 20... Screw type pump, 21... Small motor, 22... Water flow valve, 24... Atmospheric release hole, 25・
...Opening/closing valve with float.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Equipped with a heater, an iron base with a built-in vaporization chamber, a water tank for storing water for steam generation, and a water guide unit that constitutes a waterway from the water tank to the vaporization chamber, and the water guide unit includes It has a built-in screw-type pump driven by a motor and a water flow valve that opens the water channel using the discharge pressure of this screw-type pump, and controls the flow of water for steam generation by controlling the rotation of the screw-type pump. A steam generator for ironing. (2) A part of the water channel of the water conveyance unit is provided with an atmosphere opening hole and an on-off valve with a float that engages with this hole, and when the vicinity of the atmosphere opening hole is filled with water, the buoyancy of the float causes the atmosphere opening to open. 2. A steam generator for ironing according to claim 1, wherein said steam generator is configured to be closed.