JPH0451760Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the invention] [Purpose of the invention] (Field of industrial application) The invention is designed to supply water stored in a water tank to a vaporization chamber of an iron base, and to generate steam in this vaporization chamber. Regarding steam iron,
Especially regarding the structure of the water tank.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, as described in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 59-16598, water in the water tank is allowed to fall naturally into the vaporization chamber of the iron base through a nozzle provided at the bottom of the water tank. A steam iron is known in which the steam generated in the vaporization chamber is ejected from a spout at the bottom of the iron base through a steam passage in the iron base.

By the way, in conventional steam irons of this kind, the internal space of the water tank is fully connected even at the bottom, but the bottom of the water tank is horizontal, or the nozzle part is the lowest part. If the water tank is not well-balanced, all of the water in the tank cannot be used, so in order to increase the capacity as much as possible, the bottom of the water tank was designed to be horizontal. However, since the nozzle installed at the bottom of the water tank has a considerable height as a component, there is a wasted space below the bottom of the water tank, and the bottom of the water tank becomes a mere skirt. The internal volume of the water tank was much smaller than its external size.

Furthermore, in the steam iron described in the above publication, the interior of the water tank is partitioned into a space chamber facing the nozzle and a space chamber other than the nozzle so that a large water head is formed above the nozzle. Although a structure with partition walls has been adopted,
The bottom of the water tank is generally horizontal. By the way, the steam iron described in the above-mentioned publication is designed so that water collects in the space facing the nozzle when changing the position from standing with the rear side down to using it with the bottom side down. The partition wall is vertical or has a structure that is inclined upward from the space chamber facing the nozzle to the other space chambers. However, with this structure, the effect of collecting water can only be obtained when changing the posture as described above.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) As mentioned above, with the conventional steam iron,
Since the bottom surface inside the water tank was completely horizontal, a wasted space was created below the water tank, which limited the capacity of the water tank. In addition, with conventional steam irons that have a partition wall to increase the water head in the water tank, the partition wall is, for example, vertical, so that it can only be used when changing the position from the upright position to the use position. However, the effect of collecting water could not be obtained.

The present invention was developed in consideration of the above circumstances, and it is possible to collect water at the outlet to the vaporization chamber in the water tank even during use, and to increase the capacity of the water tank. The purpose is to provide a steam iron that can

[Structure of the idea]

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an iron base that has a heater and a vaporization chamber, and has a spout opening in the bottom surface that communicates with the vaporization chamber;
In a steam iron equipped with a water tank provided on the iron base and having an outlet at the bottom communicating with the vaporization chamber and containing water therein, the inside of the water tank is A partition wall that partitions the water tank into a first space chamber facing the outlet and a second space chamber is provided so as to be inclined from the bottom surface of the water tank toward the first space chamber, and is provided above the partition wall. is provided with a communication portion that communicates the first space chamber and the second space chamber with each other, and the bottom surface of the second space chamber is lower than the bottom surface of the first space chamber. be.

(Function) In the steam iron of the present invention, when ironing, water in the water tank is supplied to the vaporization chamber of the iron base through the outlet, and in this vaporization chamber, it is heated by the heater of the same iron base and becomes steam. This steam is ejected from the spout at the bottom of the iron base onto the object to be ironed, such as clothes. In particular, when the water level in the water tank is lower than the top of the partition wall, when the method of moving the steam iron from the second space chamber to the first space chamber and then reversing the method, Due to inertia, water tends to move from the second spatial chamber to the first spatial chamber in the water tank, but the partition wall between the two spatial chambers moves from the bottom of the water tank toward the first spatial chamber. Due to the slope, the water in the second chamber easily climbs over the partition wall and flows into the first chamber facing the outlet via a communication section above the partition wall. In this way, even if the bottom surface of the second spatial chamber is lower than the bottom surface of the first spatial chamber, water is supplied from the second spatial chamber to the first spatial chamber and also flows into the first spatial chamber. Most of the water is blocked by the partition wall and hardly flows back into the second space. Especially the steam iron
When the water is moved in the direction from the first space chamber to the second space chamber and then reversed, the water tries to move from the first space chamber to the second space chamber due to inertia. Since the wall is inclined toward the first spatial chamber, water in the first spatial chamber is reversed when it hits the partition wall, and less water flows into the second spatial chamber.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the steam iron of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 11 denotes an iron base, and a handle 13 is attached to the iron base 11 via a blocking plate 12, and a cassette-type water tank 14 is detachably attached to the front side of the handle 13. ing.

There is a heater 16 inside the iron base 11.
is buried. In addition, the above iron base 11
A vaporizing chamber 17 that opens upward is formed in the upper part of the vaporizing chamber 17.
It is blocked by. Furthermore, a cover 19 that covers the lid body 18 from above is attached to the iron base 1.
1 by screws 20. On the other hand, the vaporization chamber 1 is located at the bottom of the iron base 11.
A steam passage 21 that communicates with the steam passage 7 and opens downward is formed, and a bottom plate 22 that closes the lower opening of the steam passage 21 is fixed with screws 23. A plurality of jet ports 24 are formed in the bottom plate 22 so as to face the steam passage 21 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the tank 14 is made up of a tank base 31 and a tank cover 32, which are made of a synthetic resin material such as polycarbonate or polypropylene and are approximately U-shaped in plan view. The tank base 31 has a substantially plate-like shape, while the tank cover 32 has a box-like shape with an open bottom. It is joined. A water inlet 33 is formed in the upper front part of the water tank 14, and water is injected into the water tank 14 through the water inlet 33, and water that is no longer needed in the water tank 14 is disposed of. An opening/closing lid 34 is attached to the water inlet 33 so as to be openable and closable.

Further, an outlet 36 is formed in the front of the tank base 31, and the outlet 36 is provided with a valve device 37 that opens when the water tank 14 is attached to the front end of the handle 13. . This valve device 37 includes a valve body 40 that is vertically movably supported by a support portion 38 that is integrally erected on the tank base 31 and that is constantly urged downward by a spring 39.
A sealing packing 41 attached to this valve body 40 connects to a ring-shaped joint 4 that is airtightly attached to the outlet port 36 of the water tank 14 when the water tank 14 is not attached.
2. On the other hand, the heat shield plate 12
A protrusion 44 that presses the valve body 40 of the water tank 14 to open the outflow port 36 when the water tank 14 is installed is integrally provided on a water passage joint 43 provided therein. Also,
At the periphery of the inlet 45 formed in the heat shield plate 12 so that the protrusion 44 is located in the center, a ring-shaped joint packing 47, which is constantly urged upward by a joining spring 46, is airtight. The joint packing 47 is pressed against the joint 42 from below to maintain the airtightness of the joint between the water tank 14 and the water passage joint 43.

Furthermore, an outlet 3 of the water tank 14 is provided at the rear of the water passage joint 43 via the water passage joint 43.
A nozzle 51 communicating with 6 is provided. The lower part of the nozzle 51 passes through the lid 18 and faces the vaporization chamber 17 below, and a drip opening 52 is formed at the lower end of the nozzle 51.

In this way, since the water flow joint 43, joint packing 47, nozzle 51, etc. are arranged below the water tank 14, a certain distance is required between the iron base 11 and the water tank 14. Become. Further, in order to prevent the water tank 14 from deteriorating due to heat from the iron base 11, a heat insulating space is required between the tank base 31 and the heat shield plate 12.

Further, an opening/closing valve rod 55 for opening and closing the drip opening 52 of the nozzle 51 is supported by support portions 53 and 54 formed on the handle 13 and the heat shield plate 12, respectively, so as to be vertically movable. In addition, the heat shield plate 1
The supporting portion 54 of No. 2 is provided with a packing 56 airtightly joined to a position surrounding the nozzle 51 of the water flow joint 43, and the opening/closing valve rod 55 passes through this packing 56. On the other hand, a steam switching operation button 58 is supported in a recessed frame 57 formed in the upper part of the handle 13 so as to be able to move up and down, and a cam body 59 provided inside the operation button 58 is supported by a spring 60. The above opening/closing valve rod 55
The upper part of is connected. With one push of the operation button 58, the on-off valve rod 55 moves downward to close the drip port 52 and maintain this closed state, and with another push, the spring 6
0, the opening/closing valve rod 5 moves upward and opens the drip opening 5.
The structure is such that 2 is open.

The inside of the water tank 14 is divided into a first space chamber 66 on the front side having the outlet port 36 at the bottom, and a pair of left and right second space chambers 67 on the rear side. A plate-shaped partition wall 68 is provided. This partition wall 68 is inclined toward the first spatial chamber 66 from a position on the upper surface of the tank base 31, that is, the bottom surface inside the water tank 14, from a position rearward of the outlet 36 and the support portion 54. The rear edge of the partition wall 68 is integrally connected to the tank base 31, and the left and right edges of the partition wall 68 are connected to the left and right sides and the rear of the tank base 31. Peripheral wall 69 located slightly inside and erected integrally
For example, it is fixed by ultrasonic welding.
Further, in the water tank 14, above the partition wall 68, the first space chamber 66 and the second space chamber 67 are provided.
The tank cover 3 is designed such that a communication part 70 is formed to communicate with the tank cover 3 and the tank cover 3 is formed so that a lower part thereof is attached to the peripheral wall 69 with a slight gap therebetween.
2 is coupled on the tank base 31.

Further, a valve device 37 is provided at the bottom of the first space chamber 66 of the tank base 31, and a valve device 37 is provided at the bottom of the second space chamber 67.
The bottom surface of the second space chamber 67 is lower than the bottom surface of the first space chamber 66.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained.

When the opening/closing valve rod 55 closes the drip opening 52 of the nozzle 51, no steam is generated.

On the other hand, when the operation button 58 is pressed in a state where the drip port 52 is closed, the on-off valve rod 55 is raised, the drip port 52 is opened, and steam is generated. That is, during ironing, water from the water tank 14 attached to the handle 13 is supplied to the vaporization chamber 17 of the iron base 11 through the open outlet 36, the water flow joint 43, the nozzle 51, and its drip port 52. The steam is heated by the heater 16 in the vaporization chamber 17 to become steam, and this steam is ejected from the spout 24 on the bottom of the iron base 11 onto the object to be ironed, such as clothes, through the steam passage 21.

Next, the effect when the amount of water surrounding the water tank 14 decreases and the water level of this water is lower than the upper end of the partition wall 68 that partitions the first space chamber 66 and the second space chamber 67 will be explained. I will explain about it.

When the steam iron is reciprocated back and forth during ironing, as shown in Figure 3a, when the steam iron that was previously moving forward is reversed and moved backwards, the water flows out of the water tank 14 due to inertia. forward within, i.e. the second space chamber 6
7 toward the first space chamber 66. However, since the partition wall 68 between the two space chambers 66 and 67 is inclined from the bottom of the water tank 14 toward the first space chamber 66, the water in the second space chamber 67 flows through the partition wall 68. easily overcome,
It flows into the first spatial chamber 66 facing the outlet 36 through the communication portion 70 above the partition wall 68 .

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3b, when the steam iron, which had been moved backward, is reversed and moved forward, the water tends to move backward in the water tank 14 due to inertia. However, as described above, since the partition wall 68 is inclined toward the first space chamber 66, the water in the first space chamber 66 flows toward the partition wall 6.
8, it will be returned in the opposite direction, making it difficult to flow into the second spatial chamber 67.

Therefore, due to the back and forth movement of the steam iron during ironing, water unilaterally flows into the first space chamber 66 from the second space chamber 67, and the water flows into the first space chamber 66 from the second space chamber 67. The water level in the space chamber 66 rises, and steam can be stably supplied.

Moreover, as described above, water flows from the second spatial chamber 67 to the first spatial chamber 66 due to inertial force, and the water that flows into the first spatial chamber 66 is blocked by the partition wall 68. Since almost no backflow flows into the second space chamber 67, even though the bottom surface of the second space chamber 67 is lower than the bottom surface of the first space chamber 66, there is no flow from the second space chamber 67 to the outflow port 36. Water is supplied to the first space chamber 66 where there is a space.

Also, as shown in Figure 4a, if the steam iron is placed in an upright position with its back facing down,
A part of the water in the first space chamber 66 flows into the second space chamber 67, but there is water in the first space chamber 66 between the partition wall 68 and the inner bottom surface of the water tank 14. remains.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4b, when the steam iron is returned to a horizontal use state with its lower surface facing down to generate steam from this standing position, the first space chamber 66 where the outlet 36 is located. Since water remained as described above, water can be immediately supplied to the nozzle 51 to generate steam. Furthermore, by reciprocating the steam iron back and forth, water flows into the first space chamber 66 as described above, raising the water level and stabilizing steam generation.

As described above, according to the above configuration, the reciprocating movement during ironing causes the outlet 36 to flow into the vaporizing chamber 17.
The water level in the first space chamber 66 can be raised, and steam can be generated stably at all times.

Furthermore, this allows the water in the first space chamber 67 to be removed without leaving any water in the second space chamber 67 unused.
The bottom surface of the second space chamber 67 can be made lower than the bottom surface of the water tank 6, and the effective capacity of the water tank 14 can be increased. That is, in the past, the water tank as a whole had a raised bottom due to the nozzle and outlet parts, but with this steam iron, even if the bottom of the second space chamber 67, which does not have a nozzle, is lowered, This second space chamber 67
By being able to supply water to the first space chamber 66 from the outside, a larger amount of water can be poured into the water tank 14 having the same external dimensions.

Furthermore, the partition wall 68 is a flat tank base 3.
1 by ultrasonic welding, the molding die can be simplified.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, the water tank is not limited to a cassette type that can be attached to and removed from the iron body, such as a handle, but may also be a fixed type.

[Effect of idea]

According to the present invention, a partition wall that partitions the inside of the water tank into a first space chamber and a second space facing the outlet to the vaporization chamber is provided inside the water tank. The first space chamber is slanted toward the first space, and both spaces are connected above the partition wall, and the bottom of the second space is lower than the bottom of the first space, making it easier to iron when ironing. By reciprocating the steam iron, water can be supplied from the second space chamber to the first space chamber, and the water level in this first space chamber facing the outlet is raised to stabilize steam generation. In addition to being able to make the water more compact, the water in the second space chamber is not left unused.
As described above, it is possible to lower the bottom of this second space, eliminating wasted space below the water tank, and increasing the effective capacity of the water tank.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway side view showing an embodiment of the steam iron of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the same water tank, Figs. 3 a, b, and 4 a, b are FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the operation, with a portion of the same as above in cross section. 11...Iron base, 14...Water tank,
16... Heater, 17... Vaporization chamber, 24... Jet outlet, 36... Outflow port, 66... First space chamber, 6
7... Second space room, 68... Partition wall, 70...
Communication part.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] An iron base having a heater and a vaporizing chamber and having a spout opening at the bottom that communicates with the vaporizing chamber, and an iron base having an outlet provided on the iron base and communicating with the vaporizing chamber at the bottom. and a water tank in which water is stored, and a partition wall inside the water tank that partitions the inside of the water tank into a first space chamber and a second space chamber facing the outlet. are provided so as to be inclined from the bottom surface of the water tank toward the first space chamber, and the first space chamber and the second space chamber are provided above the partition wall.
A steam iron characterized in that a connecting portion is provided to communicate the space chambers with each other, and the bottom surface of the second space chamber is lower than the bottom surface of the first space chamber.