Garment Steamer Nozzle and Garment Steamer

Abstract

This solution discloses a garment steamer nozzle, including a panel and a cover. The cover has several through-holes running from front to back. The panel has a steam ring groove, and the front opening of each of the cover's process holes is located within the enclosure of the steam ring groove. A front sealing ring is abutted between the panel and the cover; the enclosure of the front sealing ring corresponds to the enclosure of the steam ring groove. A limiting ring protrudes from the front end of the cover to limit the movement of the front sealing ring. This solution also discloses a garment steamer using the aforementioned nozzle. The advantages of this solution are: 1. Direct contact between the panel and the heat source allows for rapid panel heating; 2. The front sealing ring creates a gap between the panel and the cover, helping to improve the panel's heating speed; 3. The rear sealing ring prevents steam escape and heat loss; 4. The screw assembly offers more convenient installation efficiency and easier parts processing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of fabric ironing equipment, specifically a garment steamer nozzle and a garment steamer that uses the garment steamer nozzle. Background Technology

[0002] Chinese patent document CN222205826U disclosed a garment steamer nozzle on December 20, 2024, belonging to the field of garment steamer structure. It includes a nozzle body and a nozzle cover. The nozzle cover has a welding rib on the side facing the nozzle body, and the nozzle body has a welding surface on the side facing the nozzle cover that is directly opposite the welding rib. By setting the welding rib and welding surface inside the garment steamer nozzle, the bolt structure on the outer surface of the nozzle can be avoided, improving the aesthetics and extending the service life of the nozzle. This solves the problem in the prior art where garment steamer nozzles are assembled with bolts, which affects the service life of the nozzle.

[0003] In practical applications, this existing technology reveals a problem: during use, steam is output from the handle assembly, passes through steam vents on the lid, and then sprays onto the clothing through steam holes on the panel. The steam is blocked by the fabric of the clothing and bounces back onto the panel. The panel is made of stainless steel and is tightly held in place by a fitting structure with the rear lid. The lid is made of plastic with poor thermal conductivity, and in the first few minutes of use, the lid temperature cannot rise effectively, resulting in a consistently low panel temperature. When the low-temperature panel encounters the hotter rebounding steam, a large amount of condensation forms, often locally wetting the clothing. This problem usually only improves significantly after the garment steamer has been used continuously for a considerable period, allowing the lid temperature to rise and consequently the panel temperature to increase significantly. However, garment steamers are generally used by households and individuals with a small number of garments, and there is rarely an opportunity for continuous use until body temperature rises; therefore, the condensation problem remains quite prominent. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the above problems, this invention provides a garment steamer nozzle that effectively eliminates condensation. Furthermore, this invention also provides a garment steamer that utilizes this nozzle.

[0005] To achieve the first objective of this invention, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A garment steamer nozzle, comprising a panel and a cover.

[0006] The cover has several process holes running through it from front to back.

[0007] Preferably, the panel is provided with a vapor ring groove, and the front opening of the process hole in the cover is located within the enclosed area of ​​the vapor ring groove.

[0008] Preferably, the front sealing ring is positioned between the panel and the cover; the enclosure range of the front sealing ring corresponds to the enclosure range of the vapor ring groove.

[0009] Preferably, a limiting ring is provided on the front end face of the cover to limit the front sealing ring.

[0010] Preferably, the cover also includes a handle assembly; the rear end of the cover and the handle assembly are sealed with a rear sealing ring.

[0011] Preferably, the panel, cover and rear sealing ring are fastened together with fasteners.

[0012] Preferably, the fastener is a set of double-headed screws.

[0013] Preferably, the rear sealing ring is provided with a rear sealing ring positioning hole corresponding to the position of the fastener.

[0014] Preferably, it also includes a back cover, and the panel, cover body, handle assembly and the mating part of the cover body are all snapped into the back cover.

[0015] To achieve the second objective of the invention, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a garment steamer that uses the garment steamer nozzle described above.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this plan are:

[0017] 1. Place the panel directly in contact with the heat source to allow the panel to heat up quickly;

[0018] 2. Use the front sealing ring to create a gap between the panel and the cover to help improve the panel's heating speed;

[0019] 3. The rear sealing ring prevents steam from escaping and causing heat loss;

[0020] 4. The double-headed screw assembly offers more convenient installation efficiency and the parts processing technology is also more convenient. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the spray head of the garment steamer of this utility model;

[0022] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the parts of the garment steamer nozzle of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the nozzle of the garment steamer from another perspective.

[0024] The components include: panel 1, front sealing ring 2, cover 3, rear sealing ring 4, handle assembly 5, rear cover 6, panel steam hole 11, steam ring groove 12, panel side countersunk hole 13, front sealing ring inner recess 21, cover steam through hole 31, cover process hole 32, cover side countersunk hole 33, rear sealing ring positioning hole 41, rear cover fastener mounting hole 51, female countersunk bolt 511, and male countersunk bolt 512. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0026] For ease of description, the location of the panel will be defined as the front and the location of the back cover as the rear in the following description.

[0027] In the nozzle assembly design of a steam ironing device, the steam generating mechanism vaporizes liquid water in a water storage container using an electric heating element. The generated superheated steam is then directionally transported through a high-temperature resistant polymer material guiding pipe system to the internal cavity structure of the handheld operating component. The front end of this cavity is mechanically fastened to a panel assembly for sealing. The panel assembly consists of a panel and a cover. The panel is typically made of thin sheet metal formed by stamping, creating an array of steam jet holes with a specific geometric distribution. The cover is a solid material made of high-temperature resistant polymer material, with several steam passages corresponding to the steam jet holes. The panel fits snugly over the front end of the cover, and steam flows only through these steam passages and exits from the front end of the panel.

[0028] Thermodynamic path analysis of traditional spray nozzle design shows that after the high-temperature steam completes the ironing process, some steam molecules lose momentum due to collisions with the fabric fibers, forming a reverse-moving steam flow. This reverse flow, along with the continuously forward-flowing steam, creates a turbulent mixing zone at the front end of the panel. Here, the panel surface temperature is significantly lower than the steam saturation temperature due to the influence of ambient thermal convection. According to Newton's law of cooling in heat transfer, when high-temperature steam (typically in the range of 120-180℃) comes into contact with a low-temperature surface (panel temperature approximately 40-60℃), the steam molecules undergo inelastic collisions with the solid wall, accelerating the phase transition from gas to liquid phase.

[0029] From a materials science perspective, there is a significant contradiction between the thermal conductivity characteristics and the steam flow path of traditional nozzle designs: the control panel is made of metal (such as aluminum or stainless steel), which has a high thermal conductivity coefficient, but its surface temperature is close to the ambient temperature in the initial operating state; the rear cover is made of low thermal conductivity materials such as plastic and is mechanically fastened to the control panel to form an assembly. Steam is only delivered to the control panel through a pre-set straight-through steam hole on the cover. This path design leads to the following thermodynamic problems:

[0030] Within a short working cycle (typically 1-3 minutes after startup), the metal panel cannot rapidly heat up through intermittent heat transfer from the steam. Although the metal itself has good thermal conductivity, the steam only contacts the panel through a limited number of steam holes, and the low thermal conductivity of the cover prevents the conduction of steam heat from the handle cavity to the rear of the panel, creating a "localized heating" effect. Simultaneously, the contact between the rebounding steam and the front of the panel is an unsteady-state heat transfer process: high-temperature steam (120-180℃) bounces off the fabric and undergoes a rapid heat exchange with the still-warm metal panel (initial temperature approximately 20-40℃). According to Fourier's law of heat conduction, the temperature difference between the panel's low initial temperature and the high temperature of the rebounding steam causes the steam to rapidly release sensible heat. When the steam temperature drops to the saturation temperature at the current pressure, phase change condensation occurs.

[0031] Furthermore, the high thermal inertia of the metal panel (large mass, high specific heat capacity) further slows down its heating rate, while the low thermal conductivity of the cover limits the efficiency of heat transfer from the handle cavity to the panel, ultimately resulting in a significant temperature gradient in the front area of ​​the panel (the panel temperature is 30-50°C lower than the steam temperature). This temperature difference directly causes the rebound steam to quickly reach saturation on the panel surface, forming liquid water droplets, which is the core material-thermodynamic contradiction that makes traditional nozzles prone to condensation.

[0032] Experimental data shows that under standard operating conditions (steam flow rate 0.5-1.2 g / s), the traditional nozzle design causes approximately 15-25% of the steam mass to undergo a phase change at the front of the panel, forming liquid water droplets with diameters ranging from 0.1-2 mm. These droplets flow along the panel surface under gravity and eventually come into contact with the fabric being ironed, causing wetting. This design flaw significantly affects the ironing efficiency of the equipment, especially when processing synthetic fibers or thin fabrics, where water residue is particularly prominent.

[0033] From a systems engineering perspective, this problem stems from insufficient optimization of the thermal management system. The existing design fails to effectively coordinate the coupling relationship between steam transfer efficiency, surface thermal control mechanisms, and fluid dynamics characteristics, resulting in a significant enthalpy drop loss during energy conversion.

[0034] The examples below are effective ways to solve this problem.

[0035] Example 1

[0036] Example 1 is a garment steamer nozzle structure based on thermal management optimization. For example... Figure 1As shown, the nozzle consists of a handle assembly 5, a panel assembly, and a rear cover 6. The handle assembly 5 has a hollow cavity inside, with its lower end sealed to the steam generating mechanism. The cavity can be equipped with guide ribs or spiral channels to guide the steam for uniform distribution. The upper front end is fixed to the panel assembly, and the rear end is closed by the rear cover 6, forming a complete steam transmission channel. The panel assembly has a layered composite structure, with the panel 1 and the cover 3 sealed together mechanically and using necessary sealing rings. Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, panel 1 is made of 304 stainless steel sheet (thickness 0.3-0.5mm) and is stamped. An annular steam groove 12 (groove depth 1.5-2.0mm, protrusion direction is backward) is provided at the center of its end face to constrain the steam flow path. Ten panel steam holes 11 (5 holes per row, hole diameter 1.0-1.5mm) are evenly distributed on the steam groove 12. The hole axis can be at an angle of 5-10° with the normal direction of the panel to optimize the steam injection angle. The cover 3 is a hexagonal sheet-like solid, injection molded from high-temperature resistant engineering plastic (the specific material can be selected by those skilled in the art as needed, and a heat distortion temperature ≥260℃ is recommended) to ensure structural stability in a high-temperature steam environment; its surface has a cover steam passage hole 31 (the hole diameter is the same as the steam hole 11 on the panel, with a tolerance of ±0.05mm) at the position corresponding to the steam ring groove 12, and a groove (depth 1.0-1.2mm, nested with the steam ring groove 12 to enhance sealing) is provided at the position corresponding to the steam ring groove 12; in addition, the cover 3 also has 8-12 cover process holes 32 (hole diameter 0.8-1.0mm, evenly distributed in the edge area), the hole axis is perpendicular to the cover plane, and there is no corresponding opening on the panel 1 at the front end, forming a "steam bypass" channel.

[0037] After steam is output from the steam generator, it enters the panel assembly area through the cavity of the handle assembly 5. The flow is divided into two paths: about 70-80% of the steam is ejected forward through the straight channel formed by the steam passage 31 of the cover and the steam hole 11 of the panel, directly acting on the clothing fabric and using kinetic energy to penetrate the fabric fibers to achieve efficient ironing; the remaining 20-30% of the steam reaches the rear end face of the panel 1 through the process hole 32 of the cover, and undergoes forced convection heat exchange with the stainless steel panel to quickly increase the panel temperature.

[0038] This embodiment significantly increases the heat exchange area and heat exchange time of the panel by using auxiliary steam flow. Experimental data shows that the panel temperature can rise to 80-100℃ within 30 seconds after startup, close to the steam saturation temperature (100℃). At this time, the temperature difference between the rebound steam and the panel drops to 20-40℃, and the panel temperature is higher than the steam dew point temperature, effectively suppressing condensation (the condensation rate drops from 15-25% in the traditional design to below 5%, which is verified by infrared thermal imaging).

[0039] This structure, through steam distribution design, material thermal property matching, and thermodynamic optimization, achieves condensation suppression (significantly reducing fabric wetting), improved ironing efficiency (ironing time reduced by approximately 20-30%), and enhanced material compatibility (handle surface temperature ≤45℃, compliant with IEC 60335-2-3 safety standards), providing a structural foundation for an efficient and dry ironing experience.

[0040] Example 1 is the basic example of this solution. All subsequent examples are improvements and optimizations based on this solution.

[0041] Example 2

[0042] In this embodiment, a front sealing ring 2 is added at the assembly interface between the panel 1 and the cover 3, and a rear sealing ring 4 is added at the connection interface between the rear end of the cover 3 and the handle assembly 5, forming a double-layer sealing structure, which significantly improves the sealing reliability of the steam transmission channel.

[0043] The front sealing ring 2 is made of heat-resistant elastic material, such as fluororubber FKM or perfluororubber FFKM, with a heat distortion temperature ≥200℃ and excellent resistance to steam aging, ensuring long-term operation without failure in high-temperature steam environments. The front sealing ring 2 is an elongated ring shape, perfectly matching the inner contour of the steam ring groove 12 on the panel 1, ensuring a tight seal between the sealing interface and the main steam flow path (steam ring groove 12), preventing steam leakage from the main flow area. To enhance the sealing effect, the front end face of the cover 3 is provided with an annular limiting ring 33, with a protrusion height of 1.0-1.5mm and a width of 2.0-2.5mm. The front sealing ring 2 is fitted around the limiting ring, forming a "limiting-sealing" composite structure. Furthermore, the inner surface of the front sealing ring 2 is provided with several inwardly facing front sealing ring recesses 21 (as shown in the figure, semi-circular grooves, spaced 3-5mm apart), and the outer surface of the limiting retaining ring 33 is provided with a similarly shaped recess. The two are "shape-coupled" through an interference fit (interference amount 0.1-0.2mm), which significantly increases the contact pressure at the sealing interface. This design not only prevents the sealing ring from shifting during assembly or operation, but also reduces steam leakage by increasing the contact area (contact area increased by about 30-40%).

[0044] In this embodiment, all the process holes 32 of the cover are located within the area enclosed by the limiting ring 33 (i.e., the inner area of ​​the steam ring groove 12), forming a "concentrated heating zone". This layout ensures that the auxiliary steam flow (steam through the process holes 32 of the cover) only acts on the middle area of ​​the panel 1 (accounting for about 50% of the total area of ​​the panel), rather than the edge area. Since the panel 1 is made of stainless steel, heat is rapidly diffused from the middle area to the edge through heat conduction. Within 20-30 seconds after startup, the temperature of the middle area can reach 80-90℃, and the temperature of the edge area can reach 60-70℃, with a temperature difference of ≤20℃, avoiding the uneven temperature problem of "hot in the middle and cold at the edge" in traditional designs (the temperature difference at the edge in traditional designs can reach 40-50℃).

[0045] The rear sealing ring 4 is also made of heat-resistant elastic material (the same material as the front sealing ring 2). Its shape perfectly matches the outer contour of the rear end of the cover 3, and its outer diameter is fitted with the inner diameter of the handle assembly 5 with a clearance of 0.05-0.1mm, ensuring that the sealing interface fits tightly with the front end of the cavity of the handle assembly 5. To prevent the sealing ring from shifting during assembly, the rear sealing ring 4 is provided with 6 rear sealing ring positioning holes 41 (the hole diameter is consistent with the fastener diameter, tolerance ±0.05mm), corresponding to 6 sets of fasteners (such as M3 screws, spaced 10-12mm) for the cover 3 and the handle assembly 5. After the fasteners pass through the positioning holes 41, the cover 3 and the handle assembly 5 are fixed by threaded connection, while the rear sealing ring 4 is pressed between the two, forming a double guarantee of "mechanical fastening - elastic sealing".

[0046] This embodiment achieves the following technological breakthroughs through a double-layer sealing structure and optimized process hole layout: the synergistic effect of the front sealing ring 2 and the rear sealing ring 4 reduces the steam leakage rate to below 1% of the traditional design, ensuring that all steam energy is used for heating and injection, reducing heat loss (thermal efficiency improved by approximately 15-20%); the centralized layout of the process holes 32 in the cover body, combined with the high thermal conductivity of the stainless steel panel, significantly improves the overall temperature uniformity of the panel (temperature difference ≤20℃), shortens the heating time in the central area to 20-30 seconds (compared to 60-90 seconds in the traditional design), and quickly reaches the temperature required to suppress condensation (≥80℃); the limiting ring 3 of the front sealing ring 2... 3. The positioning hole 41 of the rear sealing ring 4 and the inner concave part cooperate with the fastener, which solves the problem of easy displacement and large assembly deviation of the traditional sealing ring (the assembly deviation is reduced from ±0.5mm in the traditional design to ±0.1mm), and improves the consistency and durability of the product (after 5000 start-stop cycle tests, the sealing performance has not decayed); the rapid increase and uniform distribution of panel temperature further reduces the rebound steam condensation rate to below 3% (5% in Example 1), and with the high-speed jet of the main steam flow (15-20m / s), the synergistic effect of "high-efficiency ironing - no water stains" is achieved, which is especially suitable for fine ironing of thin fabrics (such as chiffon and silk).

[0047] In summary, through optimized design of the sealing system and precise control of the thermal management strategy, Example 2 not only improves the reliability of the equipment but also further enhances the ability to suppress condensation, providing structural support for the high-performance and high-stability application of garment steamer nozzles.

[0048] Same as Example 1.

[0049] Example 3

[0050] This embodiment optimizes the fasteners and fixing structures in Embodiment 2.

[0051] The fastener is a set of countersunk bolts, including a female countersunk bolt 511 and a male countersunk bolt 512. The male countersunk bolt 512 has a long shank with external threads. The female countersunk bolt 511 has a blind hole with internal threads. The female countersunk bolt 511 and the male countersunk bolt 512 can be axially fastened together by the threads. In this example, six hexagonal countersunk holes 13 are designed on the panel 1. The rear end of the panel countersunk holes 13 protrudes backward with a hexagonal boss. The cover 3 also has corresponding countersunk holes 33. The rear end of the panel countersunk holes 13 fits into the countersunk holes 33 of the cover, forming a fit. The female countersunk bolt 511 has a countersunk hexagonal structure and can be fitted from front to back into the countersunk hole 33 on the side of the cover. The male countersunk bolt 512 passes from back to front through the pre-drilled rear cover fastener mounting hole 51 on the handle assembly 5, achieving a threaded connection with the female countersunk bolt 511. The threaded fastening of the countersunk bolt pair creates a bidirectional tightening effect, holding the panel 1, front sealing ring 2, cover 3, rear sealing ring 4, and handle assembly 5 in both directions. The countersunk bolt pair can also be used with flat washers or spring washers, which can be selected by those skilled in the art as needed. The advantage of using a countersunk bolt pair is the ease of parts processing. If other fasteners are used, it is easy to cause roughness or deformation and protrusion at the front end of the panel 1, requiring an additional processing step, and the processing effect is not ideal.

[0052] The back cover 6 has several clips, and the handle assembly 5 has corresponding latches. The panel assembly and handle assembly 5 are secured together using interlocking screws, and then further integrated using these snap-fit ​​structures. The handle assembly 5 also includes other parts; some of these parts need to be disassembled before snap-fit ​​installation. This part is irrelevant to this solution and will not be elaborated upon.

[0053] Same as Example 4.

[0054] Example 5

[0055] Example 5 is a garment steamer that uses the garment steamer nozzle from Example 4 (illustration omitted).

[0056] Same as Example 4.

Claims

1. A garment steamer nozzle, comprising a panel (1) and a cover (3), characterized in that, The cover (3) has several process holes (32) running through it from front to back. A steam ring groove (12) is provided on the panel (1), and the front opening of the process hole (32) of the cover is located within the enclosed area of ​​the steam ring groove (12); The front sealing ring (2) is abutted between the panel (1) and the cover (3); the enclosing range of the front sealing ring (2) corresponds to the enclosing range of the vapor ring groove (12); The panel (1) is made of stainless steel.

2. The garment steamer nozzle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The front end face of the cover (3) is provided with a limiting ring that limits the front sealing ring (2).

3. A garment steamer nozzle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, It also includes a handle assembly (5); the rear end of the cover (3) is sealed with a rear sealing ring (4) between it and the handle assembly (5).

4. The garment steamer nozzle according to claim 3, characterized in that, The panel (1), cover (3) and rear sealing ring (4) are fastened together with fasteners.

5. A garment steamer nozzle according to claim 4, characterized in that, The fastener is a set of hammer-in screws.

6. A garment steamer nozzle according to claim 4, characterized in that, the rear... The sealing ring (4) is provided with a rear sealing ring positioning hole (41) corresponding to the position of the fastener (51).

7. A garment steamer nozzle according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes a back cover (6), and the panel (1), cover (3), handle assembly (5) and the mating part of the cover (3) are all snapped into the back cover (6).

8. A garment steamer, characterized in that, The garment steamer nozzle as described in claim 1 is used.

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