JPH0448074B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application This invention relates to an iron for general household use.

Conventional technology Irons using conventional electronic control circuits are
It looked like the picture.

That is, when the power cord 1 is plugged into an outlet, the heater is not energized, and the display means 2 indicating the temperature setting position is illuminated at the "off" position. Then, by operating the temperature setting means 3 once by the user, the temperature can be set to "low", "medium",
It can be changed to "high" and "off" in sequence, and if it is returned to the "off" state after using the iron, it will remain in that state until the power cord 1 is unplugged from the outlet. be.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, with this configuration, if you forget to unplug the power cord from the outlet after using the iron, the "off" light will just turn on, making it difficult to notice and causing problems for a long time. It may be left unattended for some time. In this case, not only does the control circuit consume unnecessary power, but the control circuit malfunctions due to noise coming in from the AC power supply, external noise, etc., and in the worst case, even though it is set to "off", There were problems such as the heater turning on.

Therefore, the present invention is designed to notify the user of the situation if the user forgets to unplug the power cord from the outlet after using the iron.

Means for Solving the Problems The technical means of the present invention for solving the above problems includes a base heated by a heater, a handle attached to the base, and a sensor for detecting the temperature of the base. a temperature sensor, a temperature setting means for arbitrarily setting the temperature of the base, an energization control function that compares and processes the detection output of the temperature sensor and the output from the temperature setting means to control energization to the heater; A control circuit has a timer function that starts timing when the temperature setting means is set to the "off" setting that stops power supply to the heater, and a control circuit that has a timer function that starts timing when the temperature setting means is set to "off" to stop power supply to the heater. LED working after hours,
It is equipped with a warning means such as a buzzer.

Effect The effect of this technical means is as follows.
That is, when the user finishes ironing and the temperature setting is turned off, this signal is input to an electronic control circuit using a microcomputer or the like.
This signal causes a timer in the electronic control circuit to start operating, and when a predetermined time has elapsed, the output of the electronic control circuit operates the notification or display means.

As a result, the user notices that the power cord is not unplugged from the outlet, and by unplugging it, wasteful power consumption and equipment malfunction can be prevented.

Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings. In FIGS. 1 to 3, 4 is a base in which a heater 5 is embedded, and 6 is a handle provided above this base 4. A control circuit 7 compares and processes the temperature set by the temperature setting means 8 and the output of the temperature sensor 14 attached to the base 4 using the microcomputer 9. This control circuit 7 also has a timer function that starts operation when the temperature setting means 8 is set to "off". 10
is a display means consisting of an LED or the like that indicates the set temperature, and usually lights up to indicate each stage from "off", which does not energize the heater 5, to "high", where the base temperature reaches about 200°C. Reference numeral 11 denotes a notification means such as a buzzer, which normally emits several electronic sounds when the temperature of the base 4 reaches a set temperature and becomes usable. Reference numeral 12 denotes a state determination sensor that determines whether the iron is stationary or being moved. 13 is a power cord that supplies power to the heater 5 and the control circuit 7.

The microcomputer 9 mentioned above will now be described in detail. The microcomputer 9 receives this signal and starts the operation of the timer, and if this state continues, it starts the notification means 11 or the display means 10 at a predetermined time T. programmed to work. In this case, the operation of the notification means 11 or the display means 10 is a continuous notification sound or a blinking display so that it can be distinguished from the normal appropriate temperature notification sound or lighting display. It is also possible to operate the notification means 11 and the display means 10 at the same time. Furthermore, the display means 10 may be provided as a dedicated display member 10' separate from the temperature display LED.

Next, the operation of the configuration of this embodiment will be explained. First, when ironing is performed, the temperature setting means 8 sets the temperature to an arbitrary temperature, for example, "high" to start energizing the heater 5, and the temperature of the base 4 starts to rise. From then on, the control circuit 7 detects the temperature of the base 4 based on the output of the temperature sensor 14, and in order to maintain the temperature of the base 4 within the "high" temperature range set by the temperature setting means 8, an electromagnetic switch, etc. energization to the heater 5 is controlled by. This allows the user to iron the clothes. When ironing is finished, the temperature setting means 8 returns the temperature setting to "off". Here, as shown in the timing diagram of FIG. 3, the heater control signal is turned OFF and at the same time the control circuit 7
The timer starts working. Then, when a preset predetermined time T has elapsed, the microcomputer 9 sends a notification means 11 such as a buzzer or the like.
This is to operate a display means 10 such as an LED. Furthermore, ironing may be performed due to the residual heat of the base 4 after the temperature setting is set to "off", but assuming such a case, if the signal of the status determination sensor 12 is repeatedly ON and OFF, That is, if the iron is being moved, it is also possible to reset the predetermined time T to zero using this signal. As a result, the notification means 11 or the display means 10 do not operate while ironing is being performed using the residual heat of the base 4, and when the iron becomes stationary and the predetermined time T has elapsed, the notification means 11
Alternatively, the display means 10 can be operated.

Further, the predetermined time T from when the temperature setting is turned "off" until the notification means 11 or the display means 10 operates is set to be longer than the time required for the temperature of the base 4 to drop to a temperature that will not cause burns even if touched by hand. Then, by operating the notification means 11 or the display means 10, it is possible to notify the user that the base of the iron is safe to touch and can be stored. This can be done by setting the predetermined time T as described above, but it is also possible to use the signal from the temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the base 4 to notify you when the temperature of the base 4 has fallen to a predetermined temperature. It is also possible to operate the means 11 and the display means 10.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention has an alarm means that operates when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the temperature setting is turned off. In addition to informing that the base temperature for the predetermined time is
By setting the time for the iron to cool down to a temperature that will not cause burns when touched, it will also notify you when it is time to put the iron away.
This not only prompts the user to unplug the power cord from the outlet, preventing wasteful power consumption caused by leaving the power on for long periods of time, but also prevents equipment from malfunctioning due to noise coming in from the AC power supply or external noise. This is to prevent such things.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a main part of an iron according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the same iron, FIG. 3 is a timing diagram showing the operation of the notification means and display means of the iron, and FIG. The figure is a side view of a conventional iron. 4... Base, 5... Heater, 7... Control circuit, 8... Temperature setting means, 10... Display means, 1
1...Notification means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A base that is heated by a heater, a handle attached to the base, a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the base, a temperature setting means that arbitrarily sets the temperature of the base, and a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the base. An energization control function that controls the energization of the heater by comparing and processing the detection output and the output from the temperature setting means;
and a control circuit having a timer function that starts timing when the temperature setting means is set to the "off" setting to stop power supply to the heater, and a control circuit that is linked to the timer function of the control circuit and operates to stop power supply to the heater by the temperature setting means. An iron equipped with a warning means such as an LED or a buzzer that operates after a predetermined period of time.