JPH04354983A - Electric iron - 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]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ironing device in which water is supplied to an iron for removing wrinkles from clothing by placing the iron on a stand.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, this type of ironing device has adopted a structure as shown in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 58-29498, and more specifically, it has a structure as shown in FIG. . That is, water is supplied into the iron body 4 by providing a water tank 2 and a placing part 3 on the stand 1 and placing the iron body 4 on the above-mentioned placing part 3.

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, with such a structure, water is supplied to the iron body using the water head pressure of the water tank 2 by communicating the iron body 4 with the water tank 2. A problem arises in that the time required to supply a predetermined amount of water to the iron body 4 is not constant. In other words, as the water level in the water tank 2 changes, the water head pressure also changes, and as a result, the water supply rate also changes.

[0004]Also, as a means to solve this problem, a method of forcibly supplying water using a water supply device such as a pump device can be considered, but when the tank of the iron main body 4 becomes full of water, the iron main body 4 Water inlet 5 and stand 1
There was a problem in that water leaked from the connection part with the water supply port 6 which was projected onto the mounting part 3.

Moreover, if the water supply device continues to operate even when the water is full, not only will the water supply device be overloaded, but
There was also the risk of damaging connections and seals.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention provides an iron that can reliably detect when the tank of the iron body is full of water, eliminate the frequent drive of the water supply device, and prevent damage and pressure leakage to connections and seals due to overload. The primary objective is to obtain a device.

A second object is to provide an ironing device that can more reliably detect whether the tank of the iron body is full even during long-term use.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above first object, the present invention provides a pair of electrodes for detecting the amount of water in the tank of the iron main body, and one electrode is arranged in a direction closer to the bottom of the tank than the other electrode. It is placed close to.

Further, in order to achieve the second object, the present invention provides a pair of electrodes for detecting the amount of water in the tank of the iron main body, and surrounds at least one of the electrodes, and A cylindrical portion is provided that partially protrudes and extends from the top surface of the tank toward the bottom surface of the tank.

0010

[Function] With the above configuration, the ironing device of the present invention has a pair of electrodes that detect the amount of water in the tank of the iron body even if the water surface of the tank of the iron body is rippled when the iron body is placed on the stand. The electrode that is placed closer to the bottom of the tank than the other electrode is already underwater, and the frequency of the electrode touching or leaving the water surface is halved, increasing the probability of detecting the full water position. be.

[0011] Furthermore, by providing a cylindrical portion that surrounds at least one of the pair of electrodes and extends from the top surface of the tank toward the bottom surface of the tank with a portion of the electrode protruding, it is possible to The electrode part inside the cylinder part does not come into contact with water, and it is possible to suppress the adhesion of water scale to the electrode due to long-term use.

[0012] As a result, even if the amount of water does not touch the electrodes, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection in which the water scale is judged to be full due to the permeability of water scale.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 4, reference numeral 10 denotes an iron body, a base 13 forming a vaporizing chamber 12 covered with a lid 11, a heater 14 that heats the base 13, a thermistor that detects the temperature of the base 13, etc. Detection means 1
5. A tank 17 connected to the vaporization chamber 12 via a water conduit 16; an inlet 1 for supplying water to the tank 17;
8. A valve device 19 that opens and closes the inlet 18, a temperature signal processing means 21 composed of a plurality of electronic components that processes the output signal of the temperature detection means 15 and outputs it to a signal terminal (not shown), and the heater. It has a power supply pin 22 connected to 14.

Reference numerals 23a and 23b are a pair of electrodes for detecting the amount of water in the tank 15, and are attached so as to protrude downward from the top surface of the tank 17. In addition, one electrode 23
The electrode a is arranged closer to the bottom of the tank 17 than the other electrode 23b.

This detection method detects the difference in resistance between the electrodes 23a and 23b when they are in the air and when they are in contact with the water surface to detect full water. That is, when there is little water, the resistance between the electrodes is large, and a predetermined amount of water enters the electrode 23a.
, 23b touch the water surface, it is detected that the inter-electrode resistance becomes small, and the water level is detected.

24 surrounds the electrode 23a and
This is a cylindrical portion that extends from the top surface of the tank with a part of the cylindrical portion a protruding, and a recessed portion 24a is formed in the end surface of the cylindrical portion as shown in FIG.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a stand on which the iron body 10 is placed, a plurality of power supply terminals 26 each connected to the signal terminal and power supply pin 22 of the iron body 10, and a water supply connected to the valve device 19 of the iron body 10. valve device 27,
A water storage tank 28 for storing water, a water supply device 29 comprising a pump or the like for supplying the water stored in the water storage tank 28 to the tank 17, and a heater 14 in response to an output signal from the temperature signal processing means 21. a control means 31 composed of a plurality of electronic components for controlling energization of the base 13; and a temperature setting means 32 for setting the base 13 to an arbitrary temperature.
, a set temperature display means 33 for displaying the set temperature state with an LED or the like;
It has a mounting part 34 which is placed downward and tilted.

The valve device 19 and water supply valve device 27 described above will now be described in detail. First, the valve device 19 opens the opening 3
2, a ball A34 that is freely movable in the water channel A33, and a ball A34 that allows the opening 32 to move freely within the water channel A33.
It is constructed by a spring A35 that is biased to close by a spring A35.

On the other hand, the water supply valve device 27 includes a packing 36 for sealing the connection with the water channel A33, a water channel B38 having a small hole 37, a ball B39 disposed freely in the water channel B38, and the small hole 37. a spring B40 that is biased to be closed by the ball B39;
, an opening/closing shaft 41, and a shaft guide 42 that movably holds this opening/closing shaft 41. The outer diameter of the opening/closing shaft 41 is smaller than the inner diameter of the small hole 37 of the water channel B38, and is configured to be movable within the small hole 37.

In this configuration, when the iron main body 10 is removed from the stand 25, as described above,
The opening 32 of the water channel A33 is closed by a ball A34. Similarly, the small hole 37 of the waterway B38 is also connected to the ball B.
It is blocked by 39.

[0021] Here, the iron body 10 is placed on the stand 25.
When placed on the mounting portion 34, the opening/closing shaft 41 overcomes the resistance of the spring A35 and the spring B40 to separate the balls A34 and B39 from the opening 32 and the small hole 37, respectively, so that a water passage is formed. become.

Next, the operation of the configuration of this embodiment will be explained. First, when performing ironing, place the iron main body 10 on the placement part 34 of the stand 25, turn on the power, and operate the temperature setting means 32 of the stand 25 to set the base 13 to a desired temperature. Then, in accordance with the output of the temperature detection means 15, the temperature signal processing means 21 outputs a signal to the control means 31 via the signal terminal. In response to this signal, the heater 14 is energized to the power supply pin 22 and the power supply terminal 2.
6, and the base 13 is raised to the set temperature.

On the other hand, when the power is turned on, the control means 31
checks the resistance value between the electrodes, and if the resistance is at a large level, it is determined that the tank 17 in the iron body 10 does not contain a predetermined amount of water, and the water supply device 29 is driven, and the valve device 1
9. The water channel of the water supply valve device 27 is connected to the opening 3 by the opening/closing shaft 41.
2 and the small hole 37 are open, the water in the water storage tank 28 flows through the water supply valve device 27, the valve device 19, and the inlet 18.
It is sent to tank 17 through. Then, when a predetermined amount of water is supplied to the tank 17 and both electrodes touch the water surface, the resistance between the electrodes becomes a small level, and it is determined that the tank is full, and the water supply device 29 stops.

Next, when the iron main body 10 is removed from the mounting portion 34 and ironing is performed, the water in the tank 17 is sent to the vaporization chamber 12 through the water conduit 16, where it is vaporized and turned into steam. It is ejected from the bottom of the base 13. Further, even if the iron main body 10 is removed from the mounting portion 34 while the water supply device 29 is in the operating state, water will flow out from the water supply valve device 27 because the water channel is blocked by the ball B39 as described above. Moreover, the control means 31 allows the iron main body 10 to be placed on the placing portion 3.
4 is detected, and the drive of the water supply device 29 is stopped.

Further, when the iron main body 10 is placed on the inclined placing part 34 again to sort the clothes and prepare for the next ironing, the signal terminal, the power supply pin 22 and the power supply terminal 26, and the valve device 19 are removed. and the water supply device 27 are respectively connected, and as described above, the heater 14 is energized and the tank 17 of the iron main body 10 is replenished with water until it is full. That is, every time the iron main body 10 is placed, water is supplied to the full level, so that stable steam can always be obtained during ironing.

At this time, even if the water surface of the tank 17 of the iron body 10 is rippled due to the impact when the iron body 10 is placed on the stand 25, the pair of electrodes 23a for detecting the amount of water in the tank 17 , 23b, the electrode 23a, which is placed closer to the bottom of the tank 17 than the other electrode 23b, is already in the water, and the two electrodes 23a, 23b are removed in a short time until the ripples on the tank water surface subside.
The degree to which the water supply device 29 touches or leaves the water surface, that is, the water is judged to be full even when it is not, is halved, which eliminates the need to frequently drive the water supply device 29, and prevents connections and seals from being overloaded. Damage and pressure leaks can be prevented.

Furthermore, by providing the cylindrical portion 24 that surrounds the electrode 23a and extends from the top surface of the tank 17 toward the bottom surface of the tank with a portion of the electrode 23a protruding,
When placed, the electrode portion inside the cylindrical portion 24 does not come into contact with water, thereby suppressing the adhesion of limescale due to long-term use. As a result, even though the amount of water does not touch the electrode, the surface of the electrode becomes permeable and the resistance between the electrodes is reduced to a low level. In other words, it is possible to prevent false detections where the water is judged to be full. .

Furthermore, a recess 2 is formed on the end surface of the cylindrical portion 24.
4a is formed, the formation of a water film on the end face can be suppressed to prevent false detection and more reliable full-water detection can be achieved.

[0029]

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the ironing device of the present invention has a pair of irons that can detect the water level in the tank of the iron body even if the water surface of the tank of the iron body is rippled when the iron body is placed on the stand. By arranging one of the electrodes closer to the bottom of the tank than the other electrode, the degree to which the electrode touches or separates from the water surface is halved, so the water supply system can be driven more frequently. It also prevents damage and pressure leaks to connections and seals due to overload.

Furthermore, by providing a cylindrical portion that surrounds at least one of the pair of electrodes and extends from the top of the tank toward the bottom of the tank with a portion of the electrode protruding, the inside of the cylindrical portion is It suppresses the adhesion of limescale on the electrode part due to long-term use, and prevents false detection of water being judged to be full due to the permeability of limescale even though the amount of water does not touch the electrode.
This allows for more reliable detection of full water.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

[Fig. 1] A sectional view of a main part of an ironing device showing an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Detailed cross-sectional view of the main parts enlarged

[Figure 3] (a) is a cross-sectional view of the water supply valve device (b) is a cross-sectional view of the main part (c) is a cross-sectional view of the water supply valve part

[Figure 4] An enlarged perspective view of the main parts

[Figure 5] Cross-sectional view of main parts of a conventional ironing device

[Explanation of symbols] 10 Iron body 12 Vaporization chamber 13 Base 14 Heater 17 Tank 19 Valve device 22 Power supply pin 23a Electrode 23b Electrode 24 Cylindrical portion 25 Stand 26 Power supply terminal 27 Water supply valve device 28 Water storage tank 29 Water supply device 34 Placement section

Claims (3)

[Claims] Claim 1: An iron body having a base heated by a heater, a vaporization chamber formed in the base, a tank connected to the vaporization chamber, an inlet connected to the tank, and a mounting plate on which the iron body is placed. a water storage tank for storing water to be supplied to the tank; a water supply device for supplying water in the water storage tank to the tank of the iron body; a stand having a water supply port connected to an inlet of the iron body; An ironing device equipped with a pair of electrodes that detect the amount of water in the main body's tank, with one electrode placed closer to the bottom of the tank than the other. Claim 2: An iron body having a base heated by a heater, a vaporization chamber formed in the base, a tank connected to the vaporization chamber, an inlet connected to the tank, and a holder on which the iron body is placed. a water storage tank for storing water to be supplied to the tank; a water supply device for supplying water in the water storage tank to the tank of the iron body; a stand having a water supply port connected to an inlet of the iron body; Equipped with a pair of electrodes for detecting the amount of water in the tank of the main body, at least a cylindrical part surrounding one of the electrodes and extending from the top of the tank toward the bottom of the tank with a part of the electrode protruding. Ironing equipment. 3. The ironing device according to claim 2, wherein a recess is provided in an end surface of the cylindrical portion.