Safety protection steam generator

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of safety protection steam generator, comprising: boiler shell, with inner cavity, and with inner cavity communication inlet liquid pipeline, exhaust pipeline;Heating assembly, be set on the outer wall of the bottom plate of boiler shell, for heating bottom plate, and heat is transferred to the liquid flowing into inner cavity by bottom plate, to generate steam;Temperature controller, be set in the outer wall center area of bottom plate, for detecting the temperature of bottom plate, and according to the temperature of bottom plate control heating assembly's operating state;Solenoid valve, be set in exhaust pipeline;Pressure relief valve, be set on boiler shell, and with inner cavity communication;The utility model reduces the structural complexity degree of boiler shell and steam generator on the one hand, is favorable to reduce production manufacturing difficulty, on the other hand, because corresponding assembly hole is saved, it is unnecessary to additionally consider corresponding sealing problem, also improve the safety protection performance of steam generator.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of household appliance technology, and in particular to a safety protection steam generator. Background Technology

[0002] A garment care machine is a common small household appliance that uses heat to iron out wrinkles in clothing, making it smoother and cleaner. During the process, the machine continuously heats water in a steam generator to produce ample steam, which is then delivered to the garments through a steam pipe.

[0003] However, in the process of implementing the existing technology, the inventors discovered:

[0004] Existing steam generators often have pressure relief valves to release pressure promptly when the internal pressure is overloaded. However, if the spring fails or is damaged, the pressure relief valve may fail to open properly. When the internal pressure of the steam generator exceeds its tolerance range, it can cause the steam generator to rupture.

[0005] Furthermore, existing steam generators often have heating elements installed inside their internal cavity, and a temperature control switch connected to the internal cavity is mounted on the shell structure to detect the gas temperature inside, as in existing patent CN220287393U. This configuration undoubtedly requires corresponding mounting holes in the steam generator shell, which not only increases the complexity of the steam generator's structure and the difficulty of manufacturing, but also requires additional consideration of the sealing problem at the mounting holes, which is detrimental to improving the safety protection performance of the steam generator during long-term service. Utility Model Content

[0006] In view of this, the present invention aims to propose a safety protection steam generator to solve the problems of existing steam generators having heating elements and temperature control switches connected to the inner cavity, resulting in a large number of assembly holes on the shell and a complex structure, which is not conducive to improving the safety protection performance of the steam generator during long-term service.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of this utility model is implemented as follows:

[0008] A safety-protected steam generator includes: a boiler shell having an inner cavity, and an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe communicating with the inner cavity; a heating assembly disposed on the outer wall of the bottom plate of the boiler shell for heating the bottom plate and transferring heat to the liquid flowing into the inner cavity through the bottom plate to generate steam; a temperature controller disposed in the central area of ​​the outer wall of the bottom plate for detecting the temperature of the bottom plate and controlling the operating state of the heating assembly according to the temperature of the bottom plate; a solenoid valve disposed in the outlet pipe; and a pressure relief valve disposed on the boiler shell and communicating with the inner cavity.

[0009] Furthermore, the steam generator includes: a sensor, the sensing chamber of which is connected to the inner cavity, for linearly monitoring the temperature and / or pressure in the inner cavity; and a control module, electrically connected to the sensor and the solenoid valve respectively, for controlling the opening and closing state of the solenoid valve according to the temperature and / or pressure in the inner cavity.

[0010] Furthermore, the sensor includes a temperature sensor, which is disposed at the top and / or bottom of the boiler casing.

[0011] Furthermore, the control module includes a timing unit, which is used at least to time the working time of the heating component.

[0012] Furthermore, the temperature controller is connected in series with the heating component.

[0013] Furthermore, the steam generator includes: a pressure switch, which is disposed at the top of the boiler shell and communicates with the inner cavity, for controlling the operating state of the heating component according to the pressure in the inner cavity; the pressure switch is connected in series with the heating component.

[0014] Furthermore, the steam generator includes: a first water level probe, which is disposed on the top of the boiler shell, and the probe of the first water level probe is disposed in the inner cavity for detecting the water level in the inner cavity.

[0015] Furthermore, the probe of the first water level probe is a titanium metal probe.

[0016] Furthermore, the steam generator includes a second water level probe, which is disposed on the top of the boiler shell, and the probe of the second water level probe is disposed in the inner cavity; the probe length of the second water level probe is less than the probe length of the first water level probe; the probe of the second water level probe is a titanium probe.

[0017] Furthermore, the solenoid valve includes a first steam outlet and a second steam outlet. The first steam outlet is connected to the ironing plate of the garment care machine via a steam pipe, and the second steam outlet is connected to the garment hanger of the garment care machine via a steam pipe.

[0018] Furthermore, the boiler shell includes an upper shell and a lower shell, and the upper shell and the lower shell are connected by argon arc welding.

[0019] Furthermore, the steam generator includes: a fuse connected in series with the heating component; and a power detection module for monitoring the power of the heating component.

[0020] Compared with existing technologies, the safety protection steam generator described in this utility model has the following advantages:

[0021] The safety protection steam generator described in this utility model sets the heating components and temperature controller on the outer wall of the boiler shell bottom plate, eliminating the need to open assembly holes related to the heating components and temperature controller on the boiler shell. This reduces the structural complexity of the boiler shell and steam generator, which is beneficial to reducing manufacturing difficulty. On the other hand, since the corresponding assembly holes are eliminated, there is no need to consider the corresponding sealing issues, which is also beneficial to ensure the safety protection performance of the steam generator during long-term service.

[0022] Furthermore, this application implements multi-dimensional monitoring of the steam generator based on operating temperature, operating pressure, and operating time, and sets up multiple safety measure modules on the steam generator to avoid safety accidents caused by the failure of a single module, thereby further improving the safety protection performance of the steam generator. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this utility model, are used to provide a further understanding of the utility model. The illustrative embodiments of the utility model and their descriptions are used to explain the utility model and do not constitute an undue limitation of the utility model. In the drawings:

[0024] Figure 1 This is an isometric view of a safety protection steam generator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a bottom view of a safety protection steam generator according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0026] Figure 3 This is another structural schematic diagram of a safety protection steam generator according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0027] Figure 4This is another bottom view of a safety protection steam generator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a front view of the first water level probe and the second water level probe described in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0029] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0030] 1. Boiler shell; 11. Upper shell; 12. Lower shell; 13. Liquid inlet pipeline; 2. Heating assembly; 3. Temperature controller; 4. Sensor; 5. Solenoid valve; 51. First steam outlet; 52. Second steam outlet; 6. Pressure switch; 7. Pressure relief valve; 8. First water level probe; 9. Second water level probe; 101. Pressure relief port; 102. Fuse. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The inventive concepts of this disclosure will be described below using terminology commonly used by those skilled in the art to convey the essence of their work to others skilled in the art. However, these inventive concepts may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0032] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in these embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0033] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0034] To address the problems in existing steam generators where heating elements and temperature control switches connected to the cavity are installed inside, resulting in a large number of mounting holes and a complex structure that hinders the improvement of safety performance during long-term service, this embodiment proposes a safety-protected steam generator, as shown in the attached figure. Figure 1-5 As shown, the steam generator includes:

[0035] The boiler shell 1 has an inner cavity, and an inlet pipe 13 and an exhaust pipe communicating with the inner cavity;

[0036] Heating component 2 is disposed on the outer wall of the bottom plate of the boiler shell 1, for heating the bottom plate and transferring heat to the liquid flowing into the inner cavity through the bottom plate to generate steam;

[0037] Temperature controller 3 is located in the central area of ​​the outer wall of the base plate, and is used to detect the temperature of the base plate and control the operating status of the heating component 2 according to the temperature of the base plate;

[0038] Solenoid valve 5 is installed in the exhaust pipeline;

[0039] The pressure relief valve 7 is installed on the boiler shell 1 and communicates with the inner cavity.

[0040] Compared with the prior art, this application sets the heating component 2 and the temperature controller 3 on the outer wall of the bottom plate of the boiler shell 1, eliminating the need to open assembly holes related to the heating component 2 and the temperature controller 3 on the boiler shell 1. On the one hand, this reduces the structural complexity of the boiler shell 1 and the steam generator, which is conducive to reducing the difficulty of production and manufacturing. On the other hand, since the corresponding assembly holes are eliminated, there is no need to consider the corresponding sealing issues, which is also conducive to ensuring the safety protection performance of the steam generator during long-term service.

[0041] The temperature controller 3 is connected in series with the heating component 2 and is used to protect the heating component 2 by cutting off its power when the temperature of the bottom plate reaches a first preset temperature threshold. Preferably, since the heating component 2 directly heats the bottom plate, the temperature of the bottom plate is at most around 100°C when there is water in the boiler shell 1. When there is no water in the boiler shell 1, the bottom plate will dry-burn and heat up rapidly. Preferably, the temperature controller 3 will cut off the power to the heating component 2 when it detects that the temperature near the center of the bottom plate reaches 300°C. That is, the power-off trigger temperature of the temperature controller 3 is 300°C. At the same time, since this application is mainly for the steam generator used in the garment care machine, the heating component 2, as the heat source, will first heat up to 300°C. However, since the temperature controller 3 is located near the center of the bottom plate, it will take some time for the center of the bottom of the boiler to reach 300°C through heat conduction from the heat source. During this time, the ironing plate of the garment care machine is usually also heating up. According to the applicant's actual experimental data, within the heating time when the temperature of the base plate reaches the first preset temperature threshold, the temperature reached by the heating plate within the same heating time will not damage clothing made of materials with the lowest melting point. Therefore, this application not only provides timely power-off protection, but even in the more extreme case of power-off protection, the clothing care machine using the steam generator described in this application will not damage the clothing.

[0042] For the pressure relief valve 7, a spring-loaded pressure relief valve or other type of mechanical pressure relief valve is preferred. It is used to release the internal pressure of the boiler when the pressure inside the boiler (i.e., the inner cavity) reaches a preset safe pressure value, so as to avoid safety accidents caused by excessive internal pressure. The boiler shell 1 is provided with a pressure relief port 101, and the pressure relief valve 7 is connected to the pressure relief port 101 and communicates with the inner cavity through the pressure relief port 101.

[0043] In addition, the steam generator includes:

[0044] Sensor 4, the sensing cavity of sensor 4 is connected to the inner cavity, and is used to linearly monitor the temperature and / or pressure in the inner cavity;

[0045] The control module is electrically connected to the sensor 4 and the solenoid valve 5 respectively, and is used to control the opening and closing state of the solenoid valve 5 according to the temperature and / or pressure in the inner cavity.

[0046] It should be noted that the sensor 4 can be a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, or both. This application preferably uses a temperature sensor as the sensor 4; however, it can also be a pressure sensor, because the internal pressure of the boiler is linearly related to the internal temperature. That is, when the steam temperature reaches the operating temperature or the internal pressure of the boiler reaches a preset value, it means the steam pressure has reached the operating pressure, thus controlling the solenoid valve 5 to open. At this time, the sensor 4, together with the solenoid valve 5 and the pressure relief valve 7, can serve as a double safety net in terms of pressure; if one module fails, the other will act as a backup.

[0047] Preferably, the sensor 4 is a temperature sensor. This application proposes two placement options for the temperature sensor: one is to place it on the top of the boiler shell 1, allowing it to contact the steam and detect the steam temperature; the other is to place it on the bottom of the boiler shell 1, directly contacting the liquid inside the temperature sensor and detecting the liquid temperature. This application suggests placing the sensor 4 on the bottom of the boiler shell 1 to reduce detection errors. Of course, temperature sensors can also be placed on both the top and bottom of the boiler shell 1.

[0048] The control module is used to generate a valve opening control command when the internal temperature of the boiler reaches a second preset temperature threshold, so as to control the solenoid valve 5 to open and output steam.

[0049] Furthermore, the control module is also used to protect the heating component 2 by cutting off power when the internal temperature of the boiler reaches a third preset temperature threshold. It should be noted that the aforementioned protection mechanism where the temperature controller 3 cuts off power to the heating component 2 when the temperature of the base plate reaches the first preset temperature threshold corresponds to a scenario where the steam generator is in a dry-burning state without water. However, here, when the internal temperature of the boiler reaches the third preset temperature threshold, the control module cuts off power to the heating component 2, corresponding to a scenario where the steam generator is continuously heated by internal steam, leading to high-temperature and high-pressure explosion.

[0050] Furthermore, the control module is also used to cut off the power to the steam generator body / clothes care system when the internal temperature of the boiler reaches a third preset temperature threshold. This can also provide timely safety protection for the steam generator body / clothes care system, especially when the steam inside the steam generator is under high temperature and high pressure, to avoid unnecessary damage to the steam generator body, clothes care system, and clothing.

[0051] Compared to existing technologies, the temperature sensors in current steam generators typically only monitor the internal steam temperature of the boiler. When the steam temperature reaches the operating temperature, they control the solenoid valve to open. This application, however, uses sensor 4 in conjunction with solenoid valve 5 and a control module to achieve both normal operation of the steam generator and power-off protection for heating component 2. This dual protection—power-off protection for heating component 2 via temperature controller 3 and power-off protection for heating component 2 via sensor 4, solenoid valve 5, and control module—creates a double safety net for the steam generator's temperature safety. If one module fails, the other serves as a backup, significantly improving the steam generator's safety performance.

[0052] The control module includes a timing unit for timing the working time of the heating component 2. When the working time of the heating component 2 exceeds a preset time threshold, the heating component 2 is powered off for protection. Furthermore, the control module is also used to timing the working time of the steam generator body / care system. When the working time of the steam generator body / care system exceeds a preset time threshold, the steam generator body / care system is powered off for protection.

[0053] As can be seen from the previous examples such as the correlation between the dry burning time of the steam generator and the heating time of the hot plate, and the high temperature and high pressure explosion caused by continuous internal steam heating, monitoring the working time of the heating component 2, the working time of the steam generator body, and the working time of the nursing system is another dimension of safety testing.

[0054] Therefore, combined with the safety protection technology of the steam generator in terms of temperature and pressure in this application, this application can also provide safety protection for the steam generator in terms of temperature and pressure in the time dimension. If the relevant temperature and pressure sensor acquisition part malfunctions or the contact sticks, there is still a safety guarantee in the time dimension to ensure that the steam generator can be powered off due to heating timeout.

[0055] For the solenoid valve 5, the solenoid valve 5 is connected in a through manner to the boiler shell 1. The solenoid valve 5 is preferably a normally closed solenoid valve. Since the steam generator of this application is mainly used in a garment care machine, the solenoid valve 5 is preferably a one-inlet-two-way valve, that is, in addition to the inlet, the solenoid valve 5 includes a first steam outlet 51 and a second steam outlet 52. The first steam outlet 51 is connected to the ironing plate of the garment care machine through a steam pipe to provide steam to the ironing plate, and the second steam outlet 52 is connected to the garment hanger of the garment care machine through a steam pipe to provide steam to the hanger for ironing sleeves.

[0056] The steam generator includes:

[0057] Pressure switch 6 is located at the top of the boiler shell 1 and communicates with the inner cavity, and is used to control the operating status of the heating component 2 according to the pressure in the inner cavity.

[0058] Specifically, the pressure switch 6 is connected in series with the heating component 2. When the pressure in the inner cavity reaches the second preset pressure value, the heating component 2 is powered off for protection. This application provides safety protection for the inner cavity pressure through the pressure relief valve 7, the linkage between the pressure switch 6 and the heating component 2, and the control of the sensor 4 in conjunction with the solenoid valve 5 and the control module. These three elements form a multi-layered safety protection system for the steam generator in terms of pressure. If any module fails, the other module will serve as a backup safety guarantee, greatly improving the safety protection performance of the steam generator.

[0059] The steam generator includes:

[0060] The fuse 102 is connected in series with the heating component 2. When the temperature of the heating component 2 is too high, it will cut off the power to protect the heating component 2.

[0061] A first water level probe 8 is disposed on the top of the boiler shell 1, and its probe is disposed in the inner cavity to detect the water level in the inner cavity. Furthermore, the first water level probe 8 is configured to: first detect the current water level; and when the water level is lower than the working standard, control the electromagnetic pump to operate and replenish water into the boiler shell 1. Preferably, the probe of the first water level probe 8 is a titanium probe, which can effectively reduce the formation of scale and further delay the corrosion of the probe by scale.

[0062] The power detection module is used to monitor the power of the heating component 2 and control the operation status of the steam generator body / clothing care system according to the power status of the heating component 2. Specifically, when the power of the heating component 2 decreases (i.e., the heating component 2 is de-energized due to the power-off condition of the above protection, resulting in a decrease in the power of the heating component 2), the steam generator body / clothing care system is protected against power-off.

[0063] Furthermore, considering the needs of different garment care conditions, the steam generator includes a second water level probe 9, which is located on the top of the boiler shell 1. The probe of the second water level probe 9 is positioned inside the inner cavity to detect the water level within the cavity. The second water level probe 9 is also configured to: first detect the current water level; if the water level is lower than the working standard, control the electromagnetic pump to replenish water into the boiler shell 1. The probe length of the second water level probe 9 is less than the probe length of the first water level probe 8. Typically, inside the boiler cavity, the contact point of the second water level probe 9 is higher than that of the first water level probe 8. Therefore, the second water level probe 9 can be used for situations requiring more water, such as the care of cotton and linen fabrics that are difficult to iron; the first water level probe 8 can be used for situations requiring less water, such as the care of chiffon fabrics that are easier to iron. Preferably, the probe of the second water level probe 9 is a titanium probe, which can effectively reduce scale formation and further delay scale corrosion of the probe.

[0064] The boiler shell 1 includes an upper shell 11 and a lower shell 12, which are connected by argon arc welding. In this application, when the relevant modules in the dimensions of temperature, pressure, and time all fail (i.e., in the rare and extreme case where the boiler has to explode), the boiler shell 1 can deform to a certain extent, thereby absorbing some energy. This energy absorption can reduce the impact force during pressure release, helping to reduce the power of the explosion and slow down the speed and range of the explosion sputtering; or, a gap may first appear at the argon arc weld joint to release pressure at a specific point, reducing the power of the explosion and slowing down the speed and range of the explosion sputtering.

[0065] It should be noted that the protective power-off in this application can provide safety protection against both the potential accident of "boiler bursting due to excessive steam pressure" and the potential hazard of "dry burning due to low water level". Specifically, the "burst" prevention mainly provides multiple layers of protection through the coordinated linkage between sensor 4, solenoid valve 5, pressure switch 6, pressure relief valve 7, timing unit of the control module, and water level probe. For example, if the water level is low, the steam generation rate is fast, meaning that the steam pressure increases rapidly per unit time, and the low water level water continues to heat until the boiler bursts. Meanwhile, taking the first water level probe 8 as an example, the first water level probe 8 is configured to first detect the current water level. When the water level is lower than the working standard, it controls the electromagnetic pump to work and replenish water into the boiler shell 1 in time. It also works in conjunction with the electromagnetic valve 5, pressure switch 6, pressure relief valve 7, etc., to prevent the boiler from bursting due to excessive steam pressure. The prevention of "dry burning" is mainly achieved through the coordinated operation of components such as temperature controller 3 and fuse 102, which avoids the temperature from rising sharply due to "dry burning due to low water level" and also avoids the clothes from being burned by the hot iron plate due to excessive temperature.

[0066] Therefore, this application implements multi-dimensional monitoring of the steam generator based on working temperature, working pressure, and working time, and sets up multiple safety measure modules on the steam generator to avoid safety accidents caused by the failure of a single module, thereby improving the safety protection performance of the steam generator.

[0067] In this invention, any device that requires a steam generator, such as a garment care machine, may include the safety steam generator described in this embodiment. In addition, the garment care machine may also include conventional garment care machine structures such as ironing boards and hangers, which are all prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0068] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A safety-protected steam generator, characterized in that, The steam generator includes: The boiler shell (1) has an inner cavity, and an inlet pipe (13) and an exhaust pipe communicating with the inner cavity; Heating component (2) is disposed on the outer wall of the bottom plate of the boiler shell (1) for heating the bottom plate and transferring heat to the liquid flowing into the inner cavity through the bottom plate to generate steam; A temperature controller (3) is set in the central area of ​​the outer wall of the base plate to detect the temperature of the base plate and control the operating status of the heating assembly (2) according to the temperature of the base plate. A solenoid valve (5) is installed in the exhaust line; A pressure relief valve (7) is installed on the boiler shell (1) and communicates with the inner cavity.

2. The safety protection steam generator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The steam generator includes: Sensor (4), the sensing cavity of the sensor (4) is connected to the inner cavity, and is used to linearly monitor the temperature and / or pressure in the inner cavity; The control module is electrically connected to the sensor (4) and the solenoid valve (5) respectively, and is used to control the opening and closing state of the solenoid valve (5) according to the temperature and / or pressure in the cavity.

3. A safety-protecting steam generator according to claim 2, characterized in that, The sensor (4) includes a temperature sensor, which is disposed at the top and / or bottom of the boiler shell (1).

4. A safety-protecting steam generator according to claim 2, characterized in that, The control module includes a timing unit, which is used to time the working time of the heating component (2).

5. A safety-protecting steam generator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The temperature controller (3) is connected in series with the heating component (2).

6. A safety-protecting steam generator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The steam generator includes: A pressure switch (6) is installed on the top of the boiler shell (1) and communicates with the inner cavity. It is used to control the operating state of the heating component (2) according to the pressure in the inner cavity. The pressure switch (6) is connected in series with the heating component (2).

7. A safety-protecting steam generator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The steam generator includes: A first water level probe (8) is set on the top of the boiler shell (1), and the probe of the first water level probe (8) is set in the inner cavity to detect the water level in the inner cavity.

8. A safety-protecting steam generator according to claim 7, characterized in that, The probe of the first water level probe (8) is a titanium metal probe.

9. A safety-protecting steam generator according to claim 7, characterized in that, The steam generator includes a second water level probe (9), which is located on the top of the boiler shell (1) and the probe of the second water level probe (9) is located in the inner cavity; the probe length of the second water level probe (9) is less than the probe length of the first water level probe (8); the probe of the second water level probe (9) is a titanium metal probe.

10. A safety-protecting steam generator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The steam generator includes: A fuse (102) is connected in series with the heating assembly (2); A power detection module is used to monitor the power of the heating component (2).

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