Portable ironing apparatus with additive diffusion device

Abstract

An ironing apparatus comprising a handle (2) and a steam discharge head (3) connected to said handle (2), said steam discharge head (3) comprising a treatment face (30) provided with at least one steam outlet aperture (33), said treatment face being intended to be vertically opposed to a garment to be ironed, said steam discharge head (3) further comprising an additive diffusion device (7) and a heating body (6) comprising a flash chamber (63), the steam generated by said flash chamber (63) escaping towards said at least one steam outlet aperture (33) through a steam distribution circuit (66), characterized in that said steam distribution circuit (66) comprises a deflection circuit (67) comprising said additive diffusion device (7), said deflection circuit being intended to extract a portion of the steam flow generated by said flash chamber (63) in order to incorporate an additive therein before the steam flow is discharged through said at least one steam outlet aperture (33).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of portable ironing equipment, which includes a handle and a steam exhaust head connected to the handle, wherein the steam exhaust head includes a treatment surface having at least one steam outlet hole for vertically facing the garment to be ironed. More specifically, the invention relates to an ironing device comprising an additive diffusion device and a heating element including a flash chamber. Background Technology

[0002] A portable ironing device is known from document CN207277040U, which includes a handle and a steam exhaust head connected to the handle. The steam exhaust head includes a treatment surface with steam outlet holes and a cavity for receiving absorbent material impregnated with fragrance.

[0003] However, this equipment cannot effectively diffuse the additives, and the diffusion of the additives is closely related to the contact between the treated surface and the garment to be treated.

[0004] A portable ironing device is also known from document CN205420870U, which includes a treatment surface with a steam outlet hole, wherein the treatment surface can be covered with a strip of cloth for dispersing additives, so that the additives are diffused with the steam flow.

[0005] However, this structure cannot allow the additives to diffuse evenly and constantly over time, because the diffusion of the additives gradually decreases as steam passes through the fabric strips. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The objective of this invention is to overcome this shortcoming by providing a portable ironing device in which the amount of additive diffused with steam can be better controlled. Specifically, the object of this invention is to provide a device capable of diffusing additives in a small and controlled manner.

[0007] Therefore, the subject of this invention is an ironing device comprising a handle and a steam exhaust head connected to the handle, the steam exhaust head including a treatment surface having at least one steam outlet hole for vertically facing the garment to be ironed, the steam exhaust head further including an additive diffusion device and a heating element including a flash chamber, wherein steam generated in the flash chamber escapes through a steam distribution circuit toward the at least one steam outlet hole, characterized in that the steam distribution circuit includes a deflection circuit including the additive diffusion device, the deflection circuit being used to capture a portion of the steam flow generated in the flash chamber so as to incorporate an additive therein before the steam flow exits through the at least one steam outlet hole.

[0008] This feature allows for better control over the amount of additive emitted with the steam, an amount directly related to the size of the deflection circuit. Specifically, by extracting only a portion of the steam generated in the flash chamber for mixing with the additive, the maximum amount of additive that can diffuse with the steam can be better controlled, thus avoiding excessive diffusion of the additive.

[0009] The device may also have one or more of the following features, individually or in combination.

[0010] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the deflection circuit includes a steam flow control device.

[0011] This feature further improves the control of additive diffusion by allowing control over the steam flow through the deflection loop.

[0012] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the steam flow control device includes means for regulating the cross-section of steam passing through the deflection circuit.

[0013] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the steam flow control device is a valve comprising a valve body extending through a deflection circuit.

[0014] This structure has the advantages of being simple and economical to implement.

[0015] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the additive diffusion device includes a reservoir for receiving liquid additives such as essential oils.

[0016] The advantage of using this type of essential oil additive is that it is readily available and offers a very wide range of fragrance options.

[0017] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the volume of the reservoir is less than 200 mm. 3 .

[0018] The advantage of this feature is that it limits the amount of additive that can be introduced into the device to just a few drops, thereby avoiding the diffusion of excessive amounts of additive.

[0019] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the reservoir is formed by a cup disposed in a recess, the recess including a filling opening closed by a stopper, the cup being mounted to be translatably movable between a filling position and an operating position, wherein, without the stopper, the cup returns to the filling position by a return spring, and the cup returns to the operating position by the stopper.

[0020] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, in the filling position, the cup prevents steam flowing in the deflection circuit from escaping through the filling opening.

[0021] This feature reduces the risk of users being burned by steam escaping through the filling opening when they operate the device and forget to put the stopper back in the filling hole.

[0022] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the stopper includes a pushing element that pushes the cup to an operating position when the stopper closes the filling opening. The pushing element is in the form of a grid resting on the upper edge of the cup.

[0023] The advantage of this type of grille is that it is simple and economical to manufacture, and it allows steam to circulate at the top of the cup. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The objects, aspects, and advantages of the invention can be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments of the invention, presented as non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a device according to a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A side view of the heating element and processing surface of the equipment; Figure 3 yes Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the heating element equipped in the device; Figure 4 yes Figure 1 An exploded three-dimensional view of the processing surface equipped with the equipment; Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A longitudinal sectional view of the heating element and processing surface of the equipment; Figure 6 It is along Figure 2 A sectional view along line VI-VI, with the plug in the closed position and the valve in the open position; Figure 7 It is similar to Figure 6 The view has no closure. Figure 8 This is a detailed image of the sealing plug. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The figures only show elements necessary for understanding the invention. For ease of reading, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same elements in different figures.

[0026] Please note that in this document, the terms “horizontal,” “vertical,” “lower,” “upper,” “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,” “longitudinal,” and “lateral” used to describe the device refer to the device when it is laid flat on its base.

[0027] Figure 1An ironing device is shown, comprising a portable housing made of plastic, the housing including a base 1, a handle 2 and a steam exhaust head 3 disposed on the base 1, the base 1 including a flat lower surface on which the ironing device can be stably rested in a substantially vertical position.

[0028] The base 1 of the ironing device includes a power cord 10 that allows it to be connected to the household power grid, and a button (not visible in the figure) is provided on the back of the steam exhaust head 3 to allow the ironing device to be powered on.

[0029] Base 1 includes electric pump 4. Figure 1 As shown in dashed lines, the operation of the electric pump is controlled by a trigger 5 located on top of the handle 2, which activates a switch (not shown) connected to the electronic control board of the pump 4 in a manner known per se. The pump 4 is supplied with liquid by a reservoir 11 arranged in the base 1, which is advantageously removable from the ironing equipment for easy refilling.

[0030] The steam exhaust head 3 has an elongated shape extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the handle 2, and includes a longitudinal end with a treatment surface 30 for vertically facing the garment to be ironed.

[0031] Preferably, the processing surface 30 includes a rectangular metal heating plate 31 at its center, the heating plate 31 being surrounded by a non-heated peripheral surface 32 covered with fabric. The processing surface 30 also has a steam outlet hole 33 formed by a groove extending around the entire heating plate 31, the groove being disposed between the heating plate 31 and the peripheral surface 32.

[0032] More specifically, Figure 2 As shown, the steam exhaust head 3 surrounds a heating element 6 having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. The heating element 6 includes, for example, an aluminum casting and a resistance heating element 60, such as a resistor, which is bent into a U-shape and integrated into the casting.

[0033] The heating element 6 includes a front surface that is in thermal contact with the heating plate 31, which is fastened to two contact posts 62 protruding from the front surface of the heating element 6, such as... Figure 4 As shown. In this way, the heating plate 31 is heated by heat conduction through the two contact posts 62 of the heating body 6.

[0034] The heating element 6 also includes a cover 61 that rests on the casting in a sealed manner, and a flash chamber 63 defined by the casting and the cover 61. More specifically, the casting includes a peripheral wall on which the cover 61 rests, the peripheral wall laterally defining the flash chamber 63.

[0035] Advantageously, via thermostat 9 (in Figure 2(As can be seen in the image) The power supply to the resistance heating element 60 is adjusted to a set temperature, for example, between 110°C and 150°C, which is measured at the center of the flash chamber 63.

[0036] The cover 61 includes a water inlet chamber 68, which includes two water inlets 68A near the front end of the flash chamber 63 leading to the flash chamber 63. The water inlet chamber is connected to the pump 4 via a fluid delivery conduit (not shown).

[0037] The flash chamber 63 includes a bottom wall 64 forming an evaporation surface, on which liquid injected into the flash chamber 63 through two water injection holes 68A evaporates.

[0038] The evaporation chamber includes a steam output channel 65 disposed on the peripheral wall, and the channel 65 is disposed at the rear of the flash chamber 63 opposite to the processing surface 30.

[0039] The ironing equipment also includes a plurality of deflecting walls 69 extending into the flash chamber 63, located between the area where water is injected onto the bottom wall 64 and the passage 65 for steam output. These deflecting walls 69 form baffles configured to deflect the steam flow generated in the flash chamber 63 and retain any water droplets that the steam flow may carry.

[0040] The heating element 6 also includes a steam distribution circuit 66 in which the steam flow from the flash chamber 63 will flow. According to the embodiment shown in the figure, the steam distribution circuit 66 is disposed around the flash chamber 63.

[0041] The steam distribution circuit 66 is fluidly connected to the flash chamber 63 via the steam output channel 65 and to the steam outlet port 33 via a straight groove-shaped orifice 34 located on the front side of the heating element 6. The steam distribution circuit 66 is thus configured to supply steam to the steam outlet port 33. Specifically, steam leaving the flash chamber 63 through the channel 65 can flow into the steam distribution circuit 66 on either side of the flash chamber 63 for subsequent diffusion through the steam outlet port 33.

[0042] according to Figure 6 The steam distribution circuit 66 also includes a deflection circuit 67, into which a portion of the steam flow generated in the evaporation chamber can be transferred to inject a liquid additive, preferably an essential oil, into which the steam flow extracted from the deflection circuit 67 is re-injected into the steam distribution circuit 66 upstream of the steam outlet orifice 33.

[0043] For this purpose, the deflection circuit 67 includes an additive diffusion device 7, which includes an essential oil reservoir 70 sealed by a removable stopper 72, accessible from the housing of the device.

[0044] The reservoir 70 advantageously has the form of a cup, which is mounted to be able to translate within a recess 71 extending transversely to a conduit of the deflection circuit 67. The recess 71 has an opening 73 at its upper end, which is closed by a removable stopper 72. A return spring 74 is provided to return the cup 70 to the filling position, as... Figure 6 As shown, the cup 70 abuts against a flange located at the edge of the opening 73, preventing steam circulating in the conduit of the deflection circuit 67 from escaping through the opening 73.

[0045] At this filling location, the cup 70 has a cavity 75 located directly below the opening 73, allowing the user to deposit a drop of essential oil within it. Preferably, the volume of the cavity 75 of the cup 70 is limited to less than 0.2 cm³. 3 Within its volume, the amount of essential oil that can be placed in the device is limited to a few drops. In the illustrated example, cavity 75 has a circular circumferential wall with a diameter of 9 mm and a height of 3 mm.

[0046] according to Figure 8 The lower end of the stopper 72 is provided with a pushing element 76. When the stopper 72 closes the opening 73, the pushing element 76 pushes the cup 70 to the operating position, such as... Figure 6 As shown. The actuating element 76 is advantageously formed by a grille 76 having a grille opening 76A that allows steam to circulate through the grille 76.

[0047] In this operating position, the steam circulating in the conduit of the deflection circuit 67 passes through the grid opening 76A of the grid 76 and skims over the essential oil present in the cup 70, such as... Figure 6 As indicated by the arrows, these droplets carry essential oils. These droplets are then injected into the steam distribution circuit 66 through a pipe 67A passing through the front of the heating element 6. The pipe 67A leads to a distribution chamber 35 located behind the heating plate 31 and upstream of the steam outlet orifice 33. Figure 4 As shown.

[0048] Preferably, the holes of the grille 76 are located in the central region of the grille 76, forming a solid ring around the periphery of the grille 76. This ring rests on the upper edge of the cup 70 and has a smaller diameter relative to the diameter of the circular cavity 75, causing the ring to protrude from the peripheral wall of the cavity 75 and form a lip that prevents essential oil from flowing back into the conduit of the deflection circuit 67 when the device is tilted.

[0049] In a particular embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, the deflection circuit 67 further includes a steam flow control device consisting of a valve 8, which allows adjustment of the cross-sectional area 65 of the steam passage in the deflection circuit 67 to regulate the steam flow circulating in the deflection circuit, thereby regulating the amount of additive injected into the steam stream discharged through the steam outlet orifice 33.

[0050] Valve 8 includes a valve body 80 that can be in a closed position, wherein the valve body 80 closes the deflection conduit and prevents steam circulation. Valve body 80 can also be in various open positions, one of which is... Figure 6 As an example, valve body 80 allows steam flow into deflection circuit 67.

[0051] The operation of such a device will now be described.

[0052] When a user wishes to use the device to diffuse the additive mixed with steam onto clothing, they simply fill the device's water tank, open stopper 72, add a few drops of essential oil to cup 70, and then cup 70 is in the steam-filled position. Figure 6 The filling position is shown.

[0053] Then, he put the stopper 72 back in place, causing the grille 76 to push the cup 70 towards... Figure 6 The operation location is shown.

[0054] The user then operates trigger 5 on the device, which starts pump 4 and sends water into the inlet chamber on cover 61. The water then flows through two inlets and is sprayed onto the bottom wall 64, where it immediately evaporates. The resulting steam then escapes through steam distribution circuit 66 to steam outlet port 33.

[0055] If valve body 80 of valve 8 is not in the closed position, a portion of the steam generated in flash chamber 63 escapes through deflection circuit 67, in which the steam passes over the essential oil present in cup 70 by flowing through grid 76. The steam then carries droplets of essential oil and is sent to distribution chamber 35, where it mixes with the main steam flow that has already passed through orifice 34, without passing through deflection circuit 67.

[0056] If the user wishes to adjust the amount of essential oil present in the steam discharged from the steam outlet 33, this can be easily achieved by changing the setting of valve 8 to increase or decrease the amount of steam passing through deflection circuit 67, thereby increasing or decreasing the percentage of steam containing additives.

[0057] This device also has the advantage of preventing users from being scalded by steam escaping from the filling opening 73 of the cup 70 if they mistakenly fail to replace the stopper 72 while using the device. In fact, without the stopper 72, the return spring 74 automatically returns the cup 70 to the filling position, where it closes the opening 73, preventing steam from escaping through the opening 73, or allowing only a very small amount of steam to escape through the opening 73.

[0058] Of course, the present invention is by no means limited to the embodiments described and illustrated above, which are merely given as examples. In particular, some modifications may be made in the configuration of various elements or by substitution with equivalent techniques, which do not depart from the protection scope of the present invention.

[0059] Therefore, in the embodiment variant not shown, the heating plate may have its own resistive element, independent of the heating resistance of the heating element surrounding the evaporation chamber.

Claims

1. An ironing device comprising a handle (2) and a steam exhaust head (3) connected to the handle (2), the steam exhaust head (3) including a treatment surface (30) having at least one steam outlet hole (33) for vertically facing the garment to be ironed, the steam exhaust head (3) further including an additive diffusion device (7) and a heating element (6) including a flash chamber (63), wherein steam generated in the flash chamber (63) escapes through a steam distribution circuit (66) toward the at least one steam outlet hole (33), characterized in that, The steam distribution circuit (66) includes a deflection circuit (67) which includes the additive diffusion device (7). The deflection circuit is capable of extracting a portion of the steam flow generated in the flash chamber (63) to incorporate the additive therein before the steam flow is discharged through the at least one steam outlet orifice (33). The deflection circuit includes a steam flow control device.

2. The ironing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The steam flow control device includes means for adjusting the cross-sectional area (65) of the steam passage in the deflection circuit (67).

3. The ironing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The steam flow control device is a valve (8), which includes a valve body (80) extending through the deflection circuit (67).

4. The ironing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The additive diffusion device (7) includes a reservoir for receiving liquid additives.

5. The ironing device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The liquid additive is an essential oil.

6. The ironing device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The volume of the liquid reservoir is less than 200 mm. 3 .

7. The ironing device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The reservoir is formed by a cup (70) disposed in a recess (71), the recess including a filling opening (73) closed by a stopper (72), the cup (70) being mounted to be able to translate between a filling position and an operating position, the cup returning to the filling position by a return spring (74) when the stopper (72) is not present, and the cup returning to the operating position by the stopper (72).

8. The ironing device according to claim 7, characterized in that, At the filling position, the cup (70) prevents the steam circulating in the deflection circuit (67) from escaping through the filling opening (73).

9. The ironing device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The stopper (72) includes a pushing element that pushes the cup (70) to the operating position when the stopper (72) closes the filling opening (73), and the pushing element takes the form of a grid (76) supported on the upper edge of the cup (70).

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