Steamer

Abstract

To provide a steamer in which water supply means for supplying water into a tank of a steamer body from a tank on a table and water delivery means for delivering water to a vaporization chamber from the tank of the steamer body are shared and provided on the steamer body.SOLUTION: A steamer 1 of the invention has a steamer body 2 and a table 4 on which the steamer body 2 is placed. The steamer body 2 has a tank assembly 14 for storing liquid, a vaporization chamber 10 to vaporize the liquid, and an electric pump 28 to supply the liquid to the vaporization chamber 10 from the tank assembly 14. The table 4 has a water storage tank 64 for storing the liquid. The electric pump 28 supplies the liquid into the tank assembly 14 from the water storage tank 64.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a steamer that ejects steam onto textile products such as clothing to remove wrinkles.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a steam iron described in Patent Document 1 is known as a steam iron that ejects steam to remove wrinkles from clothing. The steam iron (1) described in Patent Document 1 includes a tank (40) that stores water for generating steam, and a pump (50) that sends the water stored in the tank (40) to a vaporization chamber (31).

[0003] Generally, a steamer ejects steam onto clothing or the like hung on a hanger to remove wrinkles. In that case, since the steamer is used in a lifted state, if the capacity of the tank provided in the steamer is large, when the water is full, the steamer becomes heavy due to the weight of the water, and there is a problem that the hand holding the steamer gets tired.

[0004] To solve this problem, if the capacity of the tank is reduced, it is possible to prevent the steamer from becoming extremely heavy even when it is full of water, but there is a problem that the time the steamer can be used with a single water supply becomes short.

[0005] On the other hand, Patent Document 2 proposes a cordless iron in which a main water tank (7) is provided in an iron stand (4), and when the iron body (3) is set on the iron stand (4), the water stored in the main water tank (7) is automatically sent to a small tank (5) provided in the iron body (3).

[0006] The cordless iron described in Patent Document 2 is provided with a motor pump (8) in the iron stand (4), and when the iron body (3) is set on the iron stand (4), the motor pump (8) is driven to send the water in the main water tank (7) to the small tank (5).

[0007] By miniaturizing the tank (40) of the steam iron (1) described in Patent Document 1 and combining the technology of the iron stand (4) described in Patent Document 2, the above problems can be solved.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0008]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0009] However, since the iron stand (4) described in Patent Document 2 is provided with a motor pump (8), when trying to increase the capacity of the main water tank (7), there is a problem that the size of the iron stand (4) becomes large.

[0010] Therefore, the present invention provides a steamer provided in a steamer body by sharing a water supply means for supplying water from a tank of a stand to a tank of the steamer body and a water supply means for sending water from the tank of the steamer body to a vaporization chamber.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] The steamer of the present invention includes a steamer body and a stand on which the steamer body is placed. The steamer body has a first tank for storing a liquid, a vaporization chamber for vaporizing the liquid, and an electric pump for supplying the liquid from the first tank to the vaporization chamber. The stand has a second tank for storing a liquid, and the electric pump is characterized by supplying the liquid from the second tank to the first tank.

Effects of the Invention

[0012] According to the steamer of the present invention, the tank capacity of the pedestal can be increased without increasing the outer shape of the pedestal.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the steamer of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Not all of the configurations described below are essential requirements of the present invention.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the steamer 1 heats and vaporizes water, which is a liquid, and ejects steam to the outside. It includes a plug unit 3 that supplies commercial power from a household outlet to the steamer main body 2, and a pedestal 4 on which the steamer main body 2 is detachably placed.

[0016] The steam generator main body 2 is provided at the lower part with a metal base 6 in which a heater 5 is embedded as a heating means. The base 6 has a configuration in which a base plate 8 serving as a hanging surface member is provided on the bottom surface of a base substrate 7 made of a die-cast molded product, and is closely fixed to the base substrate 7 by a fastening member 9 fixed to the base plate 8. Inside the base 6, a steam chamber, that is, a vaporization chamber 10 is formed in the vicinity of the heater 5, and a plurality of steam holes 11 communicating with the vaporization chamber 10 are formed to open in the base plate 8 forming the lower surface of the base 6.

[0017] A rod-shaped gripping portion 12 is provided at the upper end portion of the steam generator main body 2, and a cavity H is provided between the gripping portion 12 and the abdomen 13 of the steam generator main body 2. The cavity H is formed in an oval shape that is long in the front-rear direction in a side view, and is formed such that a hand can be inserted into the cavity H to grip the gripping portion 12 by hand. The abdomen 13 refers to a flat portion facing the gripping portion 12.

[0018] From the front side to the lower side of the abdomen 13, a tank assembly 14 corresponding to a main body side tank (first tank) for storing water is provided. The tank assembly 14 is all composed of a resin tank cover 15 and a tank base 16, and a liquid storage space 17 is formed inside the tank assembly 14 by attaching and fixing the tank base 16 so as to cover the bottom opening of the tank cover 15.

[0019] The steam generator main body 2 is provided at the front portion of the tank assembly 14 and is provided with a drain port 18 that directly communicates with the liquid storage space 17 of the tank assembly 14. Opposite to this drain port 18, a drain port lid 19 that enables the drain port 18 to be manually opened and closed is provided at the front portion of the handle 11. By raising the drain port lid 19 to the front side to open the drain port 18, unnecessary water remaining in the tank assembly 14 can be discharged from here. It should be noted that water can also be supplied from the drain port 18 to the liquid storage space 17.

[0020] The drain opening cover 19 has a lid portion 20 that forms part of the outer shell of the steamer main body 2, and a lid packing 21 provided inside the lid portion 20. The lid packing 21 functions as a sealing member that seals the drain opening cover 19 and the drain opening 18. The lid packing 21 is fixed to the lid portion 20 with screws 22. Further, a replacement hole 23 that communicates the liquid storage space 17 with the outside is formed in the lid portion 20. The replacement hole 23 is closed by a film member 24 that has both waterproofness and air permeability.

[0021] A finger hook portion 25 is formed at the lower end portion of the lid portion 20, and by inserting a finger into the space S between the finger hook portion 25 and the recess 26 formed in the steamer main body 2, the drain opening cover 19 can be lifted forward. The drain opening cover 19 can be configured to be removable from the steamer main body 2.

[0022] Inside the steamer 1, an electric pump 28 for flowing water is disposed in an upper storage space 27 formed behind the tank cover 15. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the electric pump 28 has a suction port portion 29 that sucks water inside, and a discharge port portion 30 that discharges water from the inside.

[0023] A suction pipe 32 and a water flow pipe 33 described later are connected to the suction port 29 via a suction-side switching means 31. Also, a discharge pipe 35 and a water supply pipe 36 are connected to the discharge port 30 via a discharge-side switching means 34. The suction-side switching means 31 switches the pipe through which water flows between the suction pipe 32 and the water flow pipe 33, and the discharge-side switching means 34 switches the pipe through which water flows between the discharge pipe 35 and the water supply pipe 36. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, when the suction pipe 32 is opened by the suction-side switching means 31, the water flow pipe 33 is closed and water flows in the suction pipe 32. As shown in FIG. 5, when the water flow pipe 33 is opened by the suction-side switching means 31, the suction pipe 32 is closed and water flows in the water flow pipe 33. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, when the discharge pipe 35 is opened by the discharge-side switching means 34, the water supply pipe 36 is closed and water flows in the discharge pipe 35. As shown in FIG. 5, when the water supply pipe 36 is opened by the discharge-side switching means 34, the discharge pipe 35 is closed and water flows in the water supply pipe 36.

[0024] The suction pipe 32 is connected to the tank assembly 14 and is the first flow path for flowing the water stored in the liquid storage space 17 to the suction port 29 of the electric pump 28. The water flow pipe 33, a connection mechanism 46 described later, and the base pipe 71 are the second flow path for flowing the water stored in the water storage tank 64 to the suction port 29 of the electric pump 28, with the base pipe 71 being connected to the water storage tank 64. The discharge pipe 35 is connected to the vaporization chamber 10 and is the third flow path for flowing water from the discharge port 30 of the electric pump 28 to the vaporization chamber 10. The water supply pipe 36 is connected to the tank assembly 14 and is the fourth flow path for flowing water from the discharge port 30 of the electric pump 28 to the liquid storage space 17.

[0025] On the front side of the gripping portion 12 located at the upper part of the steamer body 2, as an operation body capable of manual operation, there are respectively arranged a temperature setting / switching button 37 that also serves to set the temperature of the base 6 and turn the power on and off, and a temperature display lamp 38 with a plurality of LEDs arranged to display the set temperature by the temperature setting / switching button 37 and whether the temperature of the base 6 has reached the set temperature.

[0026] At the lower part of the holding part 12, a steam button 39 for setting the flow rate of the steam ejected from the steam hole 12 is arranged. When the steam button 39 is pushed, the electric pump 28 is driven so that the steam with the flow rate set based on the operation signal from the steam button 39 is ejected to the outside of the steamer main body 2 through the steam hole 12.

[0027] On the substrate 40 arranged inside the holding part 12, a temperature setting / turn-off button 37, a temperature display lamp 38, a heater 5 that is a load of the steamer main body 2, an electric pump 28, a control device 41 for controlling the operations of the temperature display lamp 38, a power generation device 42, a power supply circuit 43, etc. are mounted.

[0028] When the control device 41 is supplied with operating power from the power supply circuit 43, it controls and drives the temperature display lamp 38 according to the set temperature based on the operation signal from the temperature setting / turn-off button 37 and the temperature of the base 6 based on the detection signal from the temperature detection means (not shown). At this time, the temperature display lamp 38 is also supplied with operating power from the power supply circuit 43 and is turned on or blinks. Also, when the control device 41 is supplied with operating power from the power supply circuit 43, it controls the drive of the electric pump 28 so that the steam with the flow rate set based on the operation signal from the steam button 39 is ejected to the outside of the steamer main body 2 through the steam hole 12. At this time, the electric pump 28 is also supplied with operating power from the power supply circuit 43 and is configured to operate according to the set steam flow rate.

[0029] The power generation device 42 includes a primary battery or a secondary battery for power supply. Preferably, when commercial power is supplied to the steamer main body 2 in the off state when each part of the steamer main body 2 is not operating, the power generation device 42 may be configured by a power storage unit combining the secondary battery and the charging circuit so that the charging circuit can automatically charge the secondary battery using the commercial power.

[0030] When the power supply circuit 43 is in a cordless state where commercial power from the plug unit 3 is not supplied to the steam cleaner main body 2, it receives the power generated by the power generation device 42 and sends out the operating power necessary to operate the temperature display lamp 38, the control device 41, etc. mounted on the substrate 40 through wiring (not shown) respectively. At the same time, it also sends out the operating power necessary to operate the electric pump 28 to the electric pump 28 through another wiring (not shown) routed inside the steam cleaner main body 2. Part or all of the functions of such a power supply circuit 43 may be incorporated into the power generation device 42.

[0031] A concave plug receiving portion 44 is formed at the rear end portion of the steam cleaner main body 2. The plug receiving portion 44 is provided with a pair of power receiving terminals 45 that can be electrically connected to the power supply terminals (not shown) of the plug unit 3.

[0032] At the rear end portion of the steam cleaner main body 2 and below the plug receiving portion 44, a male connecting portion 47 that constitutes a connecting mechanism 46 between the suction pipe 32 and the flowing water pipe 33 provided on the mounting base 4 is provided. The male connecting portion 47 is watertightly connected to the rear end portion of the suction pipe 32. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the male connecting portion 47 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and inside, a spherical valve member 48 and a compression coil spring 49 as biasing means for biasing the valve member 48 are provided. The valve member 48 is biased by the compression coil spring 49 and closes the front end opening 50 of the male connecting portion 47.

[0033] The plug unit 3 mainly includes a flexible power cord 51 and a power supply plug 52 provided at the base end of the power cord 51. Although not shown, a power plug that can be inserted into and removed from a household outlet is provided at the tip of the power cord 51. In this embodiment, the power supply plug 52 with the power cord 51 can be attached to and detached from both the steam cleaner main body 2 and the mounting base 4.

[0034] The power supply plug 52 is provided with a changeover switch 53 for manually fixing or releasing the fixing of the power supply plug 52 to the plug receptacle 44 of the steamer main body 2. The changeover switch 53 is provided on the upper surface side of the power supply plug 52 so as to be slidable back and forth. When the power supply plug 52 is mounted on the mounting base 4, in the cordless state where the plug unit 3 is removed from the steamer main body 2, in order to use the steamer main body 2, the changeover switch 53 is moved forward to one side to release the fixing between the steamer main body 2 and the power supply plug 52. On the contrary, when the power supply plug 52 is removed from the mounting base 4 and the plug unit 3 is attached to the steamer main body 2 in the state with a cord, in order to use the steamer main body 2, the changeover switch 53 is moved backward to the other side to fix the power supply plug 52 to the steamer main body 2. At this time, the front portion of the power supply plug 52 is mounted on the plug receptacle 44 of the steamer main body 2, but the rear portion of the power supply plug 52 including the changeover switch 53 is exposed without being surrounded by the plug receptacle 44, so that the user can manually operate the changeover switch 53 at any time. Further, inside the power supply plug 52, the power supply terminals that contact the power receiving terminals 45 of the steamer main body 2 are arranged, and a pair of power supply holes 54 through which the power receiving terminals 45 are inserted to contact the power supply terminals are formed in the power supply plug 52.

[0035] The mounting base 4 includes a main body mounting portion 61 formed to be inclined with respect to the mounting surface P for mounting the front of the steamer main body 2 obliquely upward, a concave plug accommodating portion 62 provided behind the main body mounting portion 61, and a cord drawing-out portion 63 provided at the rear portion of the mounting base 4 for drawing out the power cord 51 to the outside of the mounting base 4 when the power supply plug 52 is mounted in the plug accommodating portion 62. When the power supply plug 52 is inserted from the open front side of the plug accommodating portion 62, the power supply plug 52 is fitted and held in the plug accommodating portion 62. On the contrary, when the power supply plug 52 is pulled out forward from this state, the fitting between the power supply plug 52 and the plug accommodating portion 62 is released.

[0036] Inside the placing table 4, a water storage tank 64 corresponding to the tank on the placing table side (the second tank) is provided. At the front part of the main body placing portion 61, a water supply port 65 for taking water in and out of the water storage tank 64 is formed, and this water supply port 65 is opened and closed by a lid body 66. At the front part of the main body placing portion 61 where the water supply port 65 is located, a finger insertion portion 67 for inserting a finger is formed in a concave shape. By inserting a finger into this finger insertion portion 67 and lifting the lid body 66, the water supply port 65 can be opened. The lid body 66 can be configured to be removable from the placing table 4. In this embodiment, the capacity of the water storage tank 64 is formed to be larger than the capacity of the tank assembly 12, but the two can be set to a desired capacity, such as making the capacities of the tank assembly 12 and the water storage tank 64 the same.

[0037] The lid body 66 is provided with a packing 68, and the water supply port 65 is hermetically closed by the lid body 66. A replacement hole 69 for communicating the water storage tank 64 with the outside is formed in the lid body 66. The replacement hole 69 is closed by a film member 70 having both waterproofness and air permeability. In addition, the water supply port 65 can be configured to be attachable to the mouth part of a container capable of containing a liquid (water) such as a plastic bottle, and when the water stored in the water storage tank 64 decreases, water is supplied from the container to the water storage tank 64.

[0038] A base inner pipe 71 is connected to the lower rear end portion of the water storage tank 64. The base inner pipe 71 extends inside the placing table 4 and is connected to a female connection portion 73 that constitutes a connection mechanism 46 provided on the rear inner wall portion 72 of the placing table 4. The female connection portion 73 has a connection receiving portion 74 for inserting a male connection portion 47 provided on the steamer main body 2, and a protrusion portion 75 provided inside the connection receiving portion 74. The protrusion portion 75 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the water flowing in the base inner pipe 71 can flow inside. A water passing hole 76 is formed by opening at the tip portion of the protrusion portion 75.

[0039] When water is supplied from the water supply port 65 to the water storage tank 64 and the steam generator main body 2 is placed on the pedestal 4 with water stored in the water storage tank 64, the male connection part 47 is connected to the female connection part 73, and the protruding part 75 is inserted into the male connection part 47 from the tip opening 50. The protruding part 75 inserted into the male connection part 47 presses and moves the valve member 48 against the biasing force of the compression coil spring 49, thereby opening the tip opening 50. As shown by the arrow W in Fig. 7, the water flowing inside the protruding part 75 flows into the male connection part 47 from the water passage hole 76, flows inside the male connection part 47, and then flows into the flowing water pipe 33.

[0040] When the connection detection means (not shown) detects that the male connection part 47 and the female connection part 73 are connected, an opening signal is sent from the control device 41 to the suction side switching means 31 and the discharge side switching means 34, and the flowing water pipe 33 and the water supply pipe 36 are opened, allowing water to flow inside the flowing water pipe 33 and the water supply pipe 36. Also, a closing signal is sent from the control device 41 to the suction side switching means 31 and the discharge side switching means 34, closing the suction pipe 32 and the discharge pipe 35 so that water does not flow from the electric pump 28 into the suction pipe 32 and the discharge pipe 35. Furthermore, a drive signal is sent from the control device 41 to drive the electric pump 28, and the suction force of the electric pump 28 acts on the flowing water pipe 33 side, sucking the water in the water storage tank 64, and the water flows in the order of the base pipe 71, the connection mechanism 46, the flowing water pipe 33, and the suction port part 29. Also, the discharge force of the electric pump 28 acts on the water supply pipe 36 side, and the water discharged from the electric pump 28 flows in the order of the discharge port part 30 and the water supply pipe 36 and then flows into the liquid storage space 17 of the tank assembly 14.

[0041] When a full water detection means (not shown) detects that the liquid storage space 17 is full of water, a drive stop signal is sent from the control device 41 to stop the drive of the electric pump 28, and the water supply to the tank assembly 14 stops. Also, when a remaining water detection means (not shown) detects that the water volume in the water storage tank 64 is below a predetermined amount, a drive stop signal is sent from the control device 41 to stop the drive of the electric pump 28, and the suction of water from the water storage tank 64 stops. Further, when the steam generator body 2 is removed from the mounting base 4 and the connection detection means fails to detect the connection between the male connection portion 47 and the female connection portion 73, a drive stop signal is sent from the control device 41 to stop the drive of the electric pump 28. Also, an opening signal is sent from the control device 41 to the suction side switching means 31 and the discharge side switching means 34 to open the suction pipe 32 and the discharge pipe 35, and a closing signal is sent from the control device 41 to the suction side switching means 31 and the discharge side switching means 34 to close the flowing water pipe 33 and the water supply pipe 36.

[0042] When the steam button 39 is pushed, a drive signal is sent from the control device 41 to drive the electric pump 28. The suction force of the electric pump 28 acts on the suction pipe 32 side, the water in the liquid storage space 17 is sucked, and the water flows in the order of the suction pipe 32 and the suction port portion 29. Also, the discharge force of the electric pump 28 acts on the discharge pipe 35 side, and the water discharged from the electric pump 28 flows in the order of the discharge port portion 30 and the discharge pipe 35 and flows into the vaporization chamber 10.

[0043] In this way, when the steam generator body 2 is placed on the mounting base 4, water is automatically supplied from the water storage tank 64 to the tank assembly 14. Also, no matter what posture the steam generator body 2 is in, by pushing the steam button 39, the water stored in the liquid storage space 17 can be sent to the vaporization chamber 10, and steam can be ejected from the steam hole 11. In this embodiment, when the steam generator body 2 is placed on the mounting base 4, water is automatically supplied from the water storage tank 64 to the tank assembly 14. However, an operating means (not shown) for operating the suction side switching means 31 and the discharge side switching means 34 may be separately provided on the steam generator body 2, and water may be supplied from the water storage tank 64 to the tank assembly 14 by operating the operating means with the steam generator body 2 placed on the mounting base 4.

[0044] As described above, the steamer 1 of the present embodiment includes a steamer main body 2 and a pedestal 4 on which the steamer main body 2 is placed. The steamer main body 2 has a tank assembly 14 that stores a liquid, a vaporization chamber 10 that vaporizes the liquid, and an electric pump 28 that supplies the liquid from the tank assembly 14 to the vaporization chamber 10. The pedestal 4 has a water storage tank 64 that stores the liquid. The electric pump 28 supplies the liquid from the water storage tank 64 to the tank assembly 14. By using the electric pump 28, which is a supply means for supplying the liquid from the tank assembly 14 to the vaporization chamber 10, to supply the liquid from the water storage tank 64 to the tank assembly 14, it becomes unnecessary to provide a liquid supply means on the pedestal 4, and the capacity of the water storage tank 64 disposed inside the pedestal 4 can be increased without increasing the outer shape of the pedestal 4.

[0045] Further, in the steamer 1 of the present embodiment, the electric pump 28 has a suction port 29 that sucks the liquid and a discharge port 30 that discharges the liquid. A suction pipe 32 through which the liquid flows from the tank assembly 14 to the suction port 29, a flowing water pipe 33 through which the liquid flows from the water storage tank 64 to the suction port 29, a connection mechanism 46, and an under-pedestal pipe 71, a discharge pipe 35 through which the liquid flows from the discharge port 30 to the vaporization chamber 10, a water supply pipe 36 through which the liquid flows from the discharge port 30 to the tank assembly 14, and a suction-side switching means 31 and a discharge-side switching means 34 that switch the flow path through which the liquid flows are provided. Therefore, by switching the flow path by the suction-side switching means 31 and the discharge-side switching means 34, it is possible to switch the flow path for supplying water from the water storage tank 64 to the tank assembly 14 and the path for sending water from the tank assembly 14 to the vaporization chamber 10.

[0046] Further, in the steamer 1 of the present embodiment, an operation means for operating the suction-side switching means 31 and the discharge-side switching means 34 is provided on the steamer main body 2. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not to supply water from the water storage tank 64 to the tank assembly 14 according to the user's intention.

[0047] In addition, when the steamer 1 of the present embodiment places the steamer main body 2 on the pedestal 4, the flow path is switched by the suction side switching means 31 and the discharge side switching means 34 so that liquid flows through the flowing water pipe 33, the connection mechanism 46, the pipe inside the pedestal 71, and the water supply pipe 36. Therefore, by placing the steamer main body 2 on the pedestal 4, water can be automatically supplied from the water storage tank 64 to the tank assembly 14.

[0048] In addition, the capacity of the water storage tank 64 of the steamer 1 of the present embodiment is larger than that of the tank assembly 14. Therefore, even when the capacity of the tank assembly 14 is reduced for the purpose of making the steamer main body 2 more compact and lighter, since the capacity of the water storage tank 64 is large, by placing the steamer main body 2 on the pedestal 4, water is supplied from the water storage tank 64 to the tank assembly 14, and steam can be ejected for a long time.

[0049] In addition, the steamer 1 of the present embodiment includes detection means for detecting that the tank assembly 14 is full of water. Therefore, when the tank assembly 14 is full of water, the water supply from the water storage tank 64 to the tank assembly 14 can be automatically stopped.

[0050] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, a so-called open handle type steamer in which the rear side of the gripping portion 12 is not connected may be used.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0051] 1 Steamer 2 Steamer main body 4 Pedestal 10 Vaporization chamber 14 Tank assembly (first tank) 28 Electric pump 29 Suction port portion 30 Discharge port portion 31 Suction side switching means (switching means) 32 Suction pipe (first flow path) 33 Flowing water pipe (second flow path) 34 Discharge side switching means (switching means) 35 Discharge pipe (third flow path) 36 Water supply pipe (fourth flow path) 46 Connection mechanism (second flow path) 64 Water storage tank (second tank) 71 Inner unit pipe (second flow path)

Claims

1. A steam cleaner body, and a stand on which the steam cleaner body is placed, characterized in that: the steam cleaner body has a first tank for storing liquid, a vaporization chamber for vaporizing the liquid, and an electric pump for supplying the liquid from the first tank to the vaporization chamber; the stand has a second tank for storing liquid; the electric pump supplies the liquid from the second tank to the first tank.

2. The electric pump has a suction port for sucking the liquid and a discharge port for discharging the liquid, characterized in that: a first flow path through which the liquid flows from the first tank to the suction port; a second flow path through which the liquid flows from the second tank to the suction port; a third flow path through which the liquid flows from the discharge port to the vaporization chamber; a fourth flow path through which the liquid flows from the discharge port to the first tank; and switching means for switching the flow paths through which the liquid flows. The steam cleaner according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises:

3. The steam cleaner according to claim 2, characterized in that operating means for operating the switching means is provided on the steam cleaner body.

4. The steam cleaner according to claim 2, characterized in that when the steam cleaner body is placed on the stand, the flow paths are switched by the switching means so that the liquid flows through the second flow path and the fourth flow path.

5. The steam cleaner according to claim 1, characterized in that the capacity of the second tank is larger than that of the first tank.

6. The steam cleaner according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises detection means for detecting that the first tank is full of water.

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