Steamer

Abstract

To provide a steamer capable of smoothly blowing steam from a blowing portion even in a cordless state.SOLUTION: The steamer of the present invention includes: a tank assembly body 17 for storing a liquid inside; a base 7 disposed beneath the tank assembly body 17, and provided with a heater 6; a vaporization chamber 11 heated with the heater 6 for vaporizing the liquid from the tank assembly body 17; a steam hole 12 for blowing steam vaporized in the vaporization chamber 11 outside; a power generation device 43 disposed at a higher position than that of a tank base 19 which forms a bottom face of the tank assembly body 17; and an electromagnetic pump 24 for feeding a liquid of the tank assembly body 17 to a vaporization chamber 11. A control device 40 controls drive of the electromagnetic pump 24 by getting the control device 40 mounted on a first circuit board 37A to work with an electric power generated by the power generation device 43.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] FIG. 8 shows the internal structure of a conventional steamer. In the figure, 201 is the steamer main body, 202 is a plug unit that supplies power to the steamer main body, and 203 is a base on which the steamer main body 201 is detachably placed. The steamer main body 201 is provided with a tank 210 for storing water as a liquid, and a base 212 in which a heater 211 as a heating means is embedded. A concave vaporization chamber 213 is formed in the base 212, and a plurality of steam holes 214 communicating with the vaporization chamber 213 are formed to open on the lower surface of the base 212 as an ejection part. Between the tank 210 and the vaporization chamber 213, a valve mechanism mainly composed of a dropping rod 216 as a movable body, a rod sleeve (silicone packing) 217 attached to the lower part of the dropping rod 216, and a needle valve 218 arranged facing the rod sleeve 217 is provided.

[0003] The dropping rod 216 is interlocked with a steam lever 221. When the steam lever 221 is moved so that the dropping rod 216 rises, the rod sleeve 217 moves away from the needle valve 218 to open the valve, enabling the supply of water from the tank 210 to the vaporization chamber 213. At this time, if the vaporization chamber 213 is heated by the heater 211, the water from the tank 210 is vaporized in the vaporization chamber 213 by the heater 211 to become steam, and the steam is ejected from the steam holes 214 to the outside of the steamer main body 201. Conversely, when the steam lever 221 is moved so that the dropping rod 216 descends, the rod sleeve 217 comes into close contact with the needle valve 218 to close the valve, blocking the supply of water from the tank 210 to the vaporization chamber 213, and steam stops being ejected from the steam holes 214.

[0004] As described above, the steam generation mechanism in a conventional steamer generates steam by mechanically opening and closing the needle valve 218 that serves as a valve body to drip water in the tank 210 and send the water into the vaporization chamber 213. However, with such a structure, when the internal pressure of the vaporization chamber 213 is high, it is difficult for water to drip from the tank 210, and in order to drip water, water must be present in the water passage leading from the tank 210 to the vaporization chamber 213. There were thus restrictions on ejecting steam, such as this.

[0005] To address such problems, the applicant of the present application has proposed the idea of incorporating an electric pump with a DC motor as a drive source into a steam iron instead of the conventional mechanical steam generation mechanism, and has already obtained a patent. In this case, by repeatedly turning the DC motor on and off to drive the electric pump, it becomes possible to smoothly eject steam from the ejection part regardless of the internal pressure of the vaporization chamber and regardless of the posture in which the iron body is used.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 above assumes a steam iron in which commercial power is constantly supplied to the iron body through a cord with a power plug. Therefore, when the iron body is detached from the stand during use and the power supply to the iron body is interrupted in a cordless state, the electric pump incorporated in the iron body cannot be operated, and steam cannot be ejected from the ejection part.

[0008] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a steamer that can smoothly eject steam from an ejection part even in a cordless state without power supply to the steamer.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] The steamer of the present invention includes a tank for storing liquid therein, a base provided below the tank and equipped with heating means, a vaporization chamber heated by the heating means for vaporizing the liquid from the tank, an ejection part for ejecting the steam vaporized in the vaporization chamber to the outside, a power generation device, and an electric pump for supplying the liquid in the tank to the vaporization chamber. The steamer body having the tank, the vaporization chamber, the power generation device, and the electric pump inside has a grip part and a belly part. A cavity is formed between the grip part and the belly part. With the cavity interposed therebetween, the power generation device is provided on the grip part side, and the electric pump is provided on the belly part side. The electric pump is arranged in an upper accommodation space and has a vertical wall that divides the tank and the upper accommodation space front and back. The upper accommodation space is formed on the rear side of the vertical wall. The electric pump has a suction pipe for sucking the liquid from the tank and a discharge pipe for discharging the liquid. The suction pipe and the discharge pipe are connected to a portion of the electric pump facing the vertical wall. By controlling the drive of the electric pump with the power generated by the power generation device and driving the electric pump using the power generation device, the liquid in the tank is sent into the vaporization chamber. Look, the rear end of the grip portion is not connected to any part of the steamer main body. The power generation device is provided at the rearmost part of the grip portion, and the power generation device and the electric pump are electrically connected by wiring. It is characterized by being configured as such.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to the invention of claim 1, by arranging the power generation device at a position higher than the bottom surface of the tank, it is possible to prevent the power generation device from deteriorating due to the influence of the heating temperature of the base by the heating means. Also, even when there is no power supply to the steamer, the power generated by the power generation device can be used to control the drive of the liquid supply unit, and no matter in what posture the steamer is used, by driving the liquid supply unit to forcibly send the liquid from the tank to the vaporization chamber, steam can be smoothly ejected from the ejection unit. Further, by driving the electric pump with the power from the power generation device, it becomes possible to eject steam from the ejection unit more reliably and smoothly. Also, it is possible to avoid the thermal influence on the power generation device from the base to the maximum extent.

[0011] According to the invention of claim 2, it is possible to prevent the power generation device from deteriorating due to the influence of the heating temperature of the base by the heating means.

[0012] According to the invention of claim 3, it becomes possible to block the heat from the base 7 and avoid the temperature rise of the abdomen.

[0013] According to the invention of claim 4, the power from the power generation device can also be used for driving the display unit, and even in a cordless state where no power supply is provided to the steamer, it becomes possible to detect the operating state of the steamer and display the result on the display unit.

[0014] According to the invention of claim 5, when the steamer is not in use, the power storage unit is automatically charged, so it becomes possible to smoothly eject steam from the ejection unit without having to worry about charging the power storage unit usually.

[0015] Claim 6 According to the invention, no matter in what posture the steamer body is used, when the liquid supply unit operates, the water stored in the tank can be sucked into the liquid supply unit through the suction pipe.

[0016] Claim 7According to the invention, when the liquid supply unit is operating while the passage is open, no matter what posture the steamer body is in, the water from the tank is forcibly sent into the vaporization chamber through the low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism, and the liquid is surely dropped into the vaporization chamber.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the steamer of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] Figs. 1 to 7 show a steamer in one embodiment of the present invention. To explain the overall configuration in each of these figures, the steamer of this embodiment mainly includes a steamer body 1 that heats and vaporizes water, a liquid, to eject steam to the outside, a plug unit 2 that supplies commercial power from a household outlet (not shown) to the steamer body 1, and a mounting base 3 that is used in a state of being placed on the floor surface S and detachably mounts the steamer body 1. The plug unit 2 is configured to be detachable from both the steamer body 1 and the mounting base 3.

[0020] The steamer main body 1 is provided with a concave power receiving part 5 at the rear for receiving power, while having a metal base 7 with a heater 6 embedded therein as a heating means at the bottom. The base 7 has a configuration in which a base plate 9 serving as a hanging surface member is provided on the bottom surface of a base substrate 8 made of a die-cast molded product, and is closely fixed to the base substrate 8 by a fastening member 10 fixed to the base plate 9. Inside the base 7, a steam chamber, that is, a vaporization chamber 11 is formed in the vicinity of the heater 6, and a plurality of steam holes 12 communicating with the vaporization chamber 11 are formed to open on the base plate 9 forming the lower surface of the base 7. Further, the base 7 is provided with a steam cover 13 serving as a metal plate-shaped upper cover, and the upper surface of the vaporization chamber 11 is formed by the steam cover 13 attached and fixed to the base substrate 8. Note that the vaporization chamber 11 may be formed separately from the base 7. Even in that case, a heater 6 or another heating means is provided to heat and vaporize the water that becomes liquid in the vaporization chamber 11.

[0021] 15 is a resin cover provided so as to cover the upper part to the side part of the base 7, and 16 is a handle fixed above the cover 15 and formed in a substantially U-shaped form with the rear end open when viewed from the side. A tank assembly 17 corresponding to a tank for storing liquid is provided from the front to the rear inside the handle 16. The tank assembly 17 is all composed of a resin tank cover 18 and a tank base 19, and a liquid storage space 20 is formed inside the tank assembly 17 by attaching and fixing the tank base 19 so as to cover the bottom opening of the tank cover 18.

[0022] Reference numeral 21 denotes a water inlet provided at the front portion of the tank assembly 17 and communicating directly with the aforementioned storage space 20. Opposite to this water inlet 21, a water inlet lid 22 is provided at the front portion of the handle 16 to open and close the water inlet 21 manually. By raising the water inlet lid 22 forward to open the water inlet 21, water, which is a liquid, can be stored in the tank assembly 17 from here, or unnecessary water in the tank assembly 17 can be discarded. Further, inside the steam generator main body 1, in an upper storage space 23 partitioned from the storage space 20 by a vertical wall 18A formed behind the tank cover 18, an electric pump 24 for supplying the water stored in the storage space 20 of the tank assembly 17 to the vaporization chamber 11 heated by the heater 6 is disposed. The electric pump 24 is connected to a suction pipe 25 communicating with the storage space 20 of the tank assembly 17 and a discharge pipe 26 communicating with a low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism 47 described later. The suction pipe 25 is connected in a liquid-tight manner to a connection pipe 27 formed in the vertical wall 18A and extends from the upper storage space 23 of the electric pump 24 to the water storage space 20. Thereby, no matter in what posture the steam generator main body 1 is used, the water stored in the storage space 20 does not enter the upper storage space 23 where the electric pump 24 is disposed, and the water sucked into the electric pump 24 from the storage space 20 through the suction pipe 25 and the connection pipe 27 during the operation of the electric pump 24 can be sent to the low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism 47 through the discharge pipe 26.

[0023] The handles 16 are each composed of two parts, namely a handle base 28 made of resin and a handle cover 29, and are located at the uppermost part of the steamer body 1, where a rod-shaped grip portion 31 extending from the front to the rear is formed. The grip portion 31 has a cavity 33 between it and the abdomen 32 of the steamer body 1. At the rear part of the grip portion 31, an opening 34 communicating with the cavity 33 is formed so that a hand can be inserted into the cavity 33 from the rear part of the steamer body 1 to grip the grip portion 31 by hand. That is, the rear part of the grip portion 31 here is not connected to any part of the steamer body 1 and has a shape with the opening 34 formed and opened. Also, the abdomen 32 referred to here means the flat central upper surface portion of the steamer body 1 facing the grip portion 31, and in this embodiment, it is formed as the base portion 28A of the handle base 28. In addition to this base portion 28A, the handle base 28 includes a connecting portion 28B that rises in a U shape on the front side of the base portion 28A and an extending portion 28C that extends rearward from the connecting portion 28B and forms the lower surface portion of the grip portion 31. By covering the extending portion 28C with the handle cover 29, the grip portion 31 of the steamer body 1 is constituted.

[0024] On the front side of the grip portion 31 located at the upper part of the steamer body 1, as operation bodies capable of manual operation, a temperature setting / switching button 35 as a first operation body that also serves as the temperature setting of the base 7 and the on / off of the power supply, and a steam amount setting button 36 as a second operation body for setting the flow rate of the steam ejected from the steam holes 12 are respectively arranged. These operation buttons 35 and 36 are mounted on a first substrate 37A disposed inside the front of the grip portion 31. It should be noted that the number of operation bodies is not limited to two as in this embodiment, and they may be operation bodies other than push-type ones. Also, any function can be assigned to any operation body.

[0025] On the first substrate 37A, in addition to the temperature setting / switching button 35 and the steam amount setting button 36, there is a temperature display lamp 38 provided on the upper front side of the grip portion 31, with a plurality of LEDs arranged in a row, a buzzer 39 as a notification unit for turning the power on / off and notifying audibly when the base 7 reaches the set temperature, a heater 6 that is a load of the steamer body 1, an electric pump 24, a control device 40 that controls the operation of the temperature display lamp 38, and the like are mounted. The temperature display lamp 38 displays whether the set temperature by the temperature setting / switching button 35 or the temperature of the base 7 detected by the temperature detection means 41 has reached the set temperature, and corresponds to a display unit that displays the operating state of the steamer body 1. Also, the temperature detection means 41 is fixedly attached to the base 7 inside the steamer body 1 as a sensor unit that displays the operating state of the steamer body 1.

[0026] Inside the grip portion 31, a second substrate 37B for power supply is disposed behind the first substrate 37A for control. These substrates 37A and 37B are electrically connected to each other by wiring 42. On the second substrate 37B, in addition to the external commercial power from the plug unit 2, a power generation device 43 having a power generation function inside the steamer body 1, a power supply circuit 44 that receives the power generated by the power generation device 43 and outputs appropriate operating power to each part of the steamer body 1, and the like are mounted. Note that the number of substrates 37A and 37B incorporated in the steamer body 1 and which parts are mounted on which substrates 37A and 37B are not particularly limited.

[0027] The power generation device 43 is configured to include a primary battery (battery) or a secondary battery for power supply. Preferably, if commercial power from the plug unit 2 is supplied to the steamer body 1 in the off state when each part of the steamer body 1 is not operating, the power generation device 43 may be configured by a power storage unit combining a secondary battery and a charging circuit so that the charging circuit can automatically charge the secondary battery using the commercial power.

[0028] When the power supply circuit 44 is in a cordless state where commercial power from the plug unit 2 is not supplied to the steam generator main body 1, it receives the power generated by the power generation device 43 and sends out the operating power necessary to operate the temperature display lamp 38, buzzer 39, control device 40, etc. mounted on the first substrate 37A through the wiring 42. At the same time, the power supply circuit 44 also sends out the operating power necessary to operate the electric pump 24 through another wiring 45 routed inside the steam generator main body 1. Part or all of the functions of such a power supply circuit 44 may be incorporated into the power generation device 43.

[0029] When the control device 40 is supplied with operating power from the power supply circuit 44, it controls and drives the temperature display lamp 38 based on the set temperature based on the operation signal from the temperature setting / turn-off button 35 and the temperature at the base 7 based on the detection signal from the temperature detection means 41. At this time, the temperature display lamp 38 is also supplied with operating power from the power supply circuit 44 and is configured to light up or blink. Also, when the control device 40 is supplied with operating power from the power supply circuit 44, it controls the drive of the electric pump 24 so that steam with a flow rate set based on the operation signal from the steam amount setting button 36 is ejected to the outside of the steam generator main body 1 through the steam hole 12. At this time, the electric pump 24 is also supplied with operating power from the power supply circuit 44 and is configured to perform an operation according to the set steam flow rate.

[0030] In the liquid passage 46 from the tank assembly 17 to the vaporization chamber 11, an electric pump 24 including the aforementioned suction pipe 25, discharge pipe 26, and connecting pipe 27, and a low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism 47 for preventing the liquid from flowing into the vaporization chamber 11 in a state where the base 7 is lower than the vaporization temperature are incorporated respectively. The electric pump 24 supplies water from the tank assembly 17 to the vaporization chamber 11, and as a liquid supply unit that varies the flow rate of the water supplied to the vaporization chamber 11 according to the steam flow rate set by the steam amount setting button 36, it is disposed in the upper accommodation space 23 inside the steamer main body 1. As a specific configuration of the electric pump 24, for example, a DC motor-driven pump disclosed in Patent Document 1 may be adopted. In this case, by the control device 40 driving and controlling the electric pump 24 so as to repeatedly turn the electric pump 24 on and off, it becomes possible to send a predetermined amount of water from the tank assembly 17 to the vaporization chamber 11, and the water delivery amount from the electric pump 24, and thus the steam flow rate from the steam hole 12, can be arbitrarily increased or decreased by changing the on / off timing of the electric pump 24.

[0031] On the other hand, the low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism 47 mainly includes a bimetal 51 as a heat-sensitive responsive body that senses the temperature of the base 7 and deforms, and a valve member 52 that opens and closes the passage 46 in response to the bimetal 51. The bimetal 51 is housed in a concave bimetal housing chamber 53 provided on the upper surface of the base substrate 8. When the base 7 is lower than the vaporization temperature of the liquid, the bimetal 51 returns to its original state and the valve member 52 moves in the direction of closing the passage 46, while when the base 7 becomes equal to or higher than the vaporization temperature of the liquid, the bimetal 51 is in an inverted state and the valve member 52 moves in the direction of opening the passage 46. At this time, if the aforementioned electric pump 24 is operating, regardless of the posture of the steamer main body 1, the water from the tank assembly 17 is forcibly sent to the vaporization chamber 11 through the low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism 47, and the liquid is surely dropped into the vaporization chamber 11.

[0032] Inside the steam generator main body 1, a lower accommodation space 54 is formed between the tank base 19 that forms the bottom surface of the tank assembly 17 and the upper surface of the base 7 heated by the heater 6. The lower accommodation space 54 houses components such as the temperature detection means 41 placed on the upper surface of the steam cover 13 and the low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism 47, covered by the cover 15. In the lower accommodation space 54 between the tank base 19 and the base 7, the upper surface of the cover 15 is interposed as a heat insulation part 15A. In the state where the bottom surface of the base 7 is horizontal as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, that is, when the steam generator main body 1 is horizontal, the electric pump 24 and the power generation device 43 are both arranged at positions higher than the tank base 19 and the lower accommodation space 54.

[0033] By arranging the electric pump 24 and the power generation device 43 at positions higher than the tank base 19, a lower accommodation space 54 that blocks the heat from the base 7 is interposed between the base 7 and the electric pump 24, avoiding the temperature rise of the electric pump 24 and the power generation device 43. Also, since the heat insulation part 15A of the cover 15 is also arranged in the lower accommodation space 54, this heat insulation part 15A can also effectively block the heat from the base 7, further avoiding the temperature rise of the electric pump 24 and the power generation device 43. In particular, since the power generation device 43 is provided at the rearmost part of the grip part 31 of the handle 16, which is the farthest from the base 7, the heat influence from the base 7 on the power generation device 43 can be maximally avoided.

[0034] As a modification, the upper surface of the tank assembly 17 facing the base 28A of the handle base 28 may be formed in a concave shape, and the electric pump 24 may be accommodated and arranged therein. In this case, by utilizing the storage space 20 of the tank assembly 17 interposed between the electric pump 24 and the base 7, the heat from the base 7 can be more effectively blocked. Such an effect is similarly exerted on the heat generating device 43 with the storage space 20 interposed between it and the base 7.

[0035] The plug unit 2 mainly consists of a flexible power cord 61 and a power supply plug 62 provided at the base end of the power cord 61. 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 61. In this embodiment, the power supply plug 62 with the power cord 61 is configured to be detachable from both the steamer main body 1 and the pedestal 3.

[0036] The power supply plug 62 is provided with a cordless changeover switch 63 that can manually make the power supply plug 62 engageable or non-engageable with the power receiving part 5 of the steamer main body 1. The cordless changeover switch 63 is provided so as to be slidable back and forth on the upper surface side of the power supply plug 62. In the state where the power supply plug 62 as shown in FIG. 5 is attached to the pedestal 3, in the cordless state where the plug unit 2 is removed from the steamer main body 1, in order to use the steamer main body 1, the cordless changeover switch 63 is moved to the front on one side to release the engagement between the steamer main body 1 and the power supply plug 62. On the other hand, in the corded state where the power supply plug 62 is removed from the pedestal 3 and the plug unit 2 is attached to the steamer main body 1, in order to use the steamer main body 1, the cordless changeover switch 63 is moved to the rear on the other side to engage the steamer main body 1 and the power supply plug 62. At this time, the front part of the power supply plug 62 is attached to the power receiving part 5 of the steamer main body 1, but the rear part of the power supply plug 62 including the cordless changeover switch 63 is exposed without being surrounded by the power receiving part 5, so that the user can manually operate the cordless changeover switch 63 at any time. A pair of power receiving terminals 64 that can be electrically connected to the power supply terminals (not shown) of the plug unit 2 are provided at the power receiving part 5 of the steamer main body 1.

[0037] The placing table 3 is formed to be inclined with respect to the floor surface S in order to be placed diagonally upward in front of the steamer main body 1, and includes a main body placing portion 66 formed to be inclined, a concave plug accommodating portion 67 provided behind the main body placing portion 66, and a cord drawing portion 68 provided at the rear portion of the placing table 3 for drawing out the power cord 61 to the outside of the placing table 3 when the power supply plug 62 is mounted in the plug accommodating portion 67. When the power supply plug 62 is inserted from the open front side of the plug accommodating portion 67, the power supply plug 62 is fitted and held in the plug accommodating portion 67. On the other hand, when the power supply plug 62 is pulled out forward from this state, the fitting between the power supply plug 62 and the plug accommodating portion 67 is released.

[0038] The power supply plug 62 includes a fitting claw 71 and a shutter member 72 in addition to the cordless changeover switch 63 described above. The fitting claw 71 is constantly biased by a first elastic member such as a spring provided inside the power supply plug 62 so as to protrude from the upper surface portion of the power supply plug 62. When the cordless changeover switch 63 is moved to the "cordless" side in the front of one side against the biasing force of the first elastic member, the protruding length of the fitting claw 71 from the upper surface portion of the power supply plug 62 is reduced. Thus, when the cordless changeover switch 63 is on the "cordless" side, the protruding length of the fitting claw 71 from the upper surface portion of the power supply plug 62 is small. Therefore, as described above, if the power supply plug 62 is housed and held in the plug accommodating portion 67 of the placing table 3, the power receiving portion 5 of the steamer main body 1 placed on the main body placing portion 66 of the placing table 3 can be inserted and removed from the power supply plug 62 without interfering with the fitting claw 71, and the steamer main body 1 can be used cordlessly.

[0039] On the one hand, when the cordless changeover switch 63 is moved to the "corded" side at the rear on the other side, only the biasing force of the first elastic member acts on the fitting claw 71. Therefore, the protruding length of the fitting claw 71 from the upper surface portion of the power supply plug 62 increases compared to the "cordless" case. Accordingly, when the power receiving portion 5 of the steamer body 1 is inserted into the power supply plug 62 with the cordless changeover switch 63 on the "corded" side, the fitting claw 71 protruding greatly due to the biasing force of the first elastic member fits into a receiving portion (not shown) formed in the power receiving portion 5, and the steamer body 1 can be used with the plug unit 2 attached in the corded state without switching the cordless changeover switch 63 to the "cordless" side.

[0040] The resin shutter member 72 is constantly biased by a second elastic member (not shown) such as a torsion spring provided inside the power supply plug 62 in a direction in which conductive power supply terminals (not shown) provided inside the power supply plug 62 are not exposed from a pair of power supply holes 73 formed in front of the power supply plug 62. And in the present embodiment, when the steamer body 1 is used either cordlessly or cordedly, when the power receiving portion 5 of the steamer body 1 is inserted into the power supply plug 62, the shutter member 72 rotates against the biasing force of the second elastic member so that the power supply terminals are exposed from the power supply holes 73, and the power receiving terminals 64 of the steamer body 1 contact the power supply terminals 88 through the power supply holes 65A of the power supply plug 62. Thereby, power supply from a household outlet to the steamer body 1 via the plug unit 2 becomes possible.

[0041] Next, the operation of the steamer having the above configuration will be described. The water injection port lid 22 provided on the steamer body 1 is opened and closed to store a predetermined amount of water in the storage space 20 of the tank assembly 17. Subsequently, the power supply plug 62 of the plug unit 2 is fitted and stored in the plug storage portion 67 of the mounting base 3, and the steamer body 1 is placed on the main body mounting portion 66 of the mounting base 3, or without using the mounting base 3, the power supply plug 62 is inserted into and fitted to the power receiving portion 5 of the steamer body 1, and commercial power supplied from a household outlet is supplied to the steamer body 1 via the power supply plug 62.

[0042] In the off state where the temperature setting / turn-off button 35 and the steam amount setting button 36 are not operated immediately after power supply, the power storage unit, which is the power generation device 43, is automatically charged by the commercial power supplied to the steamer main body 1. Therefore, when charging the power generation device 43, it is not necessary for the user to deliberately operate an operating body such as the temperature setting / turn-off button 35 or the steam amount setting button 36. Also, in the off state, the heater 6 and the temperature display lamp 38 are not energized, but the remaining battery level of the power generation device 43 may be displayed on the temperature display lamp 38 or another display unit.

[0043] When the steamer main body 1 is used with the aforementioned cord, if the temperature setting / turn-off button 35 is pressed and operated from the off state to set a temperature suitable for the fabric of the clothing or the like that is the object of steam ejection, the charging of the power generation device 43 is completed inside the steamer main body 1. Also, the control device 40 controls the on / off of the heater 6 to heat the base 7 including the vaporization chamber 11 so that the temperature of the base 7 detected by the temperature detection means 41 approaches the temperature set by the temperature setting / turn-off button 35. Then, when the base 7 reaches a certain temperature or higher with the energization of the heater 6, the bimetal 51 stored in the bimetal storage chamber 53 of the base substrate 8 is reversed, and the valve member 52 moves in the direction of opening the passage 46 inside the low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism 47. In this series of processes, the control device 40 causes one of the LEDs in the temperature display lamp 38 corresponding to the set temperature to blink, and when the temperature of the base 7 detected by the temperature detection means 41 reaches the set temperature, a control signal for driving and controlling the temperature display lamp 38 is sent so as to switch the blinking LED to the lighting operation.

[0044] Here, when the user uses the steam function, while holding the grip portion 31 by hand, if the steam amount setting button 36 is pushed with a finger from the initial position, a steam flow rate corresponding to the pushed position of the steam amount setting button 36 is set, and an operation signal corresponding thereto is sent to the control device 40. The control device 40 receives the operation signal from the steam amount setting button 36 and sends a control signal for controlling the drive of the electric pump 24 so that steam of the set flow rate is ejected from the steam holes 12. Thereby, the electric pump 24 repeats energization and de-energization at a timing corresponding to the set steam flow rate, and can send out the water sucked from the storage space 20 of the tank assembly 17 through the suction pipe 25 and the connecting pipe 27 to the low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism 47 through the discharge pipe 26. Therefore, in this case, no matter what posture the steamer main body 1 is used in, the water surely reaches the heated vaporization chamber 11 and is vaporized there, and steam can be ejected from the bottom surface of the steamer main body 1 through the steam holes 12 at the set flow rate onto the fabric of clothes or the like.

[0045] Also, when the user uses the drying function, if the finger is released from the steam amount setting button 36 and the steam amount setting button 36 is returned to the initial position, the control means 40 stops sending the control signal to the electric pump 24. In response to this, the electric pump 24 stops its operation, and the sending of water from the storage space 20 of the tank assembly 17 to the vaporization chamber 11 is blocked. Therefore, in this case, the steamer main body 1 can be used as a dry steamer from which no steam is ejected from all the steam holes 12.

[0046] On the other hand, when the steamer main body 1 is used cordlessly, except for the heater 6 with high power consumption, each part of the steamer main body 1 can be operated using the power generation device 43 as the power source in the same manner as in the case with a cord.

[0047] Specifically, when the steam cleaner main body 1 is in a cordless state, the power supply circuit 44 mounted on the second substrate 37B receives the power generated by the power generation device 43 and supplies operating power to the temperature display lamp 38, buzzer 39, control device 40, etc. mounted on the first substrate 37A through the wiring 42. The control device 40 thus operated sends out a control signal for driving and controlling the aforementioned temperature display lamp 38 based on the set temperature based on the operation signal from the temperature setting / switching button 35 and the temperature of the base 7 based on the detection signal from the temperature detection means 41. One of the LEDs in the temperature display lamp 38 lights up or blinks according to the control signal by the operating power supplied from the power supply circuit 44. In this regard, in the conventional steam cleaner, all the display parts go out and are not displayed during cordless use, and the operation state of the steam cleaner cannot be confirmed on the display part. However, in this embodiment, even during cordless use, the temperature of the base 7, which is the operation state of the steam cleaner, can be continuously displayed and confirmed on the temperature display lamp 38 provided on the upper surface part of the steam cleaner main body 1 by using the power from the power generation device 43.

[0048] Also, when the steamer main body 1 is in a cordless state, the power supply circuit 44 receives the power generated by the power generation device 43 and supplies operating power to the electric pump 24 through the wiring 45. At this time, when the steam amount setting button 36 is pushed with a finger and the steam flow rate corresponding to the pushed position is set, and an operation signal corresponding thereto is sent to the control device 40, the control device 40 receives the operation signal from the steam amount setting button 36 and sends a control signal for controlling the drive of the electric pump 24 so that steam of the set flow rate is ejected from the steam hole 12. As a result, the electric pump 24 repeats on-off power supply at a timing corresponding to the set steam flow rate, and can send out the water sucked from the storage space 20 of the tank assembly 17 to the low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism 47. Therefore, if the bimetal 51 is inverted by the waste heat of the base 7, the passage 46 is opened inside the low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism 47, so that no matter what posture the steamer main body 1 is used in, water can surely reach the heated vaporization chamber 11 from the storage space 20 of the tank assembly 17 and be vaporized there, and steam of the flow rate set by the steam amount setting button 36 can be ejected from the steam hole 12.

[0049] As described above, the steamer of this embodiment includes a tank assembly 17 as a tank for storing liquid inside, a base 7 provided below the tank assembly 17 and embedded with a heater 6 as a heating means, a vaporization chamber 11 heated by the heater 6 for vaporizing the liquid from the tank assembly 17, a steam hole 12 as an ejection part for ejecting the steam vaporized in the vaporization chamber 11 to the outside, a power generation device 43 arranged at a position higher than the tank base 19 forming the bottom surface of the tank assembly 17, and an electric pump 24 as a liquid supply part for supplying the liquid of the tank assembly 17 to the vaporization chamber 11. The steamer main body 1 is provided with a control device 40 mounted on the first substrate 37A is operated by the power generated by the power generation device 43, and the control device 40 has a configuration for controlling the drive of the electric pump 24.

[0050] In this case, by disposing the power generation device 43 at a position higher than the tank base 19 that forms the bottom surface of the tank assembly 17, it is possible to prevent the power generation device 43 from deteriorating due to the influence of the heating temperature of the base 7 by the heater 6. Further, even in a cordless state where there is no power supply to the steamer and thus to the steamer main body 1, the power generated by the power generation device 43 can be used to control the driving of the electric pump 24. No matter in what posture the steamer main body 1 is used, by driving the electric pump 24 to forcibly send the liquid from the tank assembly 17 to the vaporization chamber 11, steam can be smoothly ejected from the steam hole 12.

[0051] Moreover, the liquid supply unit of the present embodiment is configured by the electric pump 24. By using the power from the power generation device 43 to supply the operating power from the power supply circuit 44 to the electric pump 24 and driving the electric pump 24, the liquid stored in the storage space 20 within the tank assembly 17 is fed into the vaporization chamber 11.

[0052] In this case, by driving the electric pump 24 with the power from the power generation device 43, it becomes possible to eject steam from the steam hole 12 more reliably and smoothly.

[0053] Also, in the present embodiment, inside the steamer main body 1, the electric pump 24 serving as the liquid supply unit is disposed at a position higher than the tank base 19 that forms the bottom surface of the tank assembly 17.

[0054] In this case, by disposing the electric pump 24 at a position higher than the tank base 19, it becomes possible to avoid the temperature rise of the electric pump 24 and operate the electric pump 24 stably.

[0055] In this embodiment, as the operating state of the steam cleaner main body 1, it further includes a temperature detection means 41 as a sensor section for detecting the temperature of the base 7, and a temperature display lamp 38 as a display section for displaying the temperature of the base 7. Using the power from the power generation device 43, under the control drive of the control device 40 by the temperature detection means 41, it has a configuration that operates the temperature display lamp 38 according to the temperature of the base 7.

[0056] In this case, the power from the power generation device 43 can also be used to drive the temperature display lamp 38. Even in a cordless state where no power supply is provided to the steam cleaner main body 1, it is possible to detect the temperature of the base 7 which is the operating state of the steam cleaner main body 1 and display the result on the temperature display lamp 38.

[0057] Also, the power generation device 43 of this embodiment is composed of a power storage unit that enables automatic charging when the steam cleaner main body 1 is in the off state when not in use.

[0058] In this case, when the steam cleaner main body 1 is in the off state when not in use, the power storage unit as the power generation device 43 is automatically charged. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly eject steam from the steam holes 12 without having to worry about charging the power storage unit usually.

[0059] As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The "steam cleaner" which is the name of the present invention is applicable to any device that ejects steam to smooth out wrinkles in clothes etc. For example, not only a steam cleaner suitable for ejecting steam from a remote position to clothes as shown in this embodiment, but also a steam iron suitable for ejecting steam while performing ironing by pressing the base against the clothes is included. Also, it may be configured to drive and control the operation of the display section using various sensor sections other than the temperature detection means 41. The display section is not limited to an LED, and other various display elements and displays can be used.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0060] 1 Steam cleaner main body 6 Heater (heating means) 7 Base 11 Vaporization chamber 12 Steam hole (jet part) 17 Tank assembly (tank) 18A Upright wall 23 Upper accommodation space 24 Electric pump 25 Suction pipe 26 Discharge pipe 31 Grip part 32 Abdomen 33 Cavity 37A First substrate (control substrate) 38 Temperature display lamp 41 Temperature detection means (sensor part) 43 Power generation device (power storage unit) 45 Wiring 46 Passage 47 Low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism 51 Bimetal (heat-sensitive responsive body) 52 Valve member 54 Lower accommodation space

Claims

1. A tank for storing liquid therein, a base provided below the tank and equipped with heating means, a vaporization chamber heated by the heating means for vaporizing the liquid from the tank, an ejection part for ejecting the steam vaporized in the vaporization chamber to the outside, a power generation device, and an electric pump for supplying the liquid in the tank to the vaporization chamber, wherein a steamer main body having the tank, the vaporization chamber, the power generation device, and the electric pump therein has a grip part and a belly part, a cavity is formed between the grip part and the belly part, with the power generation device provided on the grip part side and the electric pump provided on the belly part side with the cavity therebetween, the electric pump is disposed in an upper accommodation space, has a vertical wall partitioning the tank and the upper accommodation space front and back, the upper accommodation space is formed at the rear side of the vertical wall, the electric pump has a suction pipe for sucking the liquid from the tank and a discharge pipe for discharging the liquid, the suction pipe and the discharge pipe are connected to a portion of the electric pump facing the vertical wall, the driving of the electric pump is controlled by the electric power generated by the power generation device, by driving the electric pump using the power generation device, the liquid in the tank is fed into the vaporization chamber, the rear end of the grip part is not connected to any part of the steamer main body, the power generation device is provided at the rearmost part of the grip part, and the steamer is characterized in that the power generation device and the electric pump are electrically connected by wiring.

2. The steamer according to claim 1, characterized in that a control board is disposed inside the grip part.

3. The steamer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a lower accommodation space is formed between the base and the tank.

4. a sensor part for detecting the operating state of the steamer, and a display part for displaying the operating state of the steamer, and the steamer according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is characterized in that the display part is operated by control driving by the sensor part using the power generation device.

5. The steamer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the power generation device is constituted by a power storage unit capable of automatically charging when the steamer is not in use.

6. The steam generator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the electric pump sucks up the liquid from the bottom surface portion of the tank through the suction pipe.

7. comprising a low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism for preventing the liquid from flowing into the vaporization chamber when the base is at a temperature lower than the vaporization temperature, wherein the low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism includes a heat-sensitive responsive body that senses and deforms according to the temperature of the base, and a valve member that opens and closes a passage of the liquid from the tank to the vaporization chamber in response to the heat-sensitive responsive body, and the steam generator according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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