Ironing and / or smoothing appliance comprising a liquid rservoir and an electric pump

Abstract

Ironing and / or smoothing appliance comprising a liquid reservoir (12), an electric pump (6) able to draw liquid into said reservoir (12), and a heating body (4) comprising an electrical resistor (40), characterized in that said pump (6) is electrically powered by a supply device comprising a thermoelectric module (7), of the Seebeck effect or Peltier effect type, having a hot side (71) in thermal contact with the heating body (4) and a cold side (70) in thermal contact with a radiator (73) cooled by air and / or by the liquid contained in the reservoir (12).

Description

Ironing and / or garment steaming device comprising a liquid reservoir and an electric pump.

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of ironing and / or steaming appliances comprising a liquid reservoir and an electric pump capable of drawing liquid from the reservoir in which the electric pump is powered by means of an energy source other than the electrical energy supplied directly by the domestic network. State of the art

[0002] Patent application JP2022049063 describes an iron comprising a liquid reservoir and an electric pump capable of drawing liquid from the reservoir and sending it to a vaporization chamber within a heating element containing an electric resistance. In this patent application, the pump is electrically powered by a supercapacitor when the iron is not connected to the mains power supply. This design has the advantage of allowing the pump to be powered by the energy stored in the capacitor when the iron is used in cordless operation, with the supercapacitor being recharged each time the iron is placed back on its base.

[0003] The present invention aims to provide an alternative solution for electrically powering the pump and enabling the pump to operate independently of the domestic electrical network.

[0004] To this end, the invention relates to an ironing and / or steaming device comprising a liquid reservoir, an electric pump capable of drawing liquid from the reservoir and a heating element comprising an electric resistance, characterized in that it comprises a power supply device comprising a thermoelectric module, of the Seebeck or Peltier effect type, comprising a hot face in thermal contact with the heating element and a cold face cooled by air and / or by the liquid contained in or coming from the reservoir and in that the pump is electrically powered by said power supply device comprising a thermoelectric module.

[0005] Such a thermoelectric module power supply has the advantage of producing an electric current that is a function of the temperature difference between the heating element and the liquid reservoir. Specifically, this thermoelectric module can generate a very low voltage direct current, less than 15 V and, for example, around 3 V, which can power the pump without the need for a transformer.

[0006] Such a thermoelectric power supply provides an independent power source, isolated from the domestic electrical grid. It can be advantageously used with an appliance permanently connected to the domestic electrical grid via a power cord, to obtain a very low voltage direct current isolated from the grid without the need for a transformer. It can also be used to temporarily power the pump when the appliance is not connected to the domestic electrical grid.

[0007] The device may also have one or more of the following characteristics, taken alone or in combination.

[0008] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the cold face is in thermal contact with a radiator cooled by air or by the liquid contained in the reservoir or coming from the reservoir.

[0009] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the radiator is in thermal contact with the tank.

[0010] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the radiator protrudes into the reservoir and is configured to be immersed in the liquid contained in the reservoir when using the device.

[0011] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the radiator is arranged in the bottom of the tank.

[0012] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the radiator is swept by the liquid from the reservoir during the operation of the pump.

[0013] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the radiator comprises cooling elements configured to be immersed in the liquid of the reservoir and / or to be swept by air or liquid.

[0014] This characteristic allows for a greater surface area of ​​heat exchange between the radiator and the liquid.

[0015] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the heating body comprises an instant vaporization chamber, the pump being configured to inject liquid into the vaporization chamber.

[0016] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the device comprises a sole in thermal contact with the heating body, the sole comprising a treatment surface intended to be applied against a garment to be treated.

[0017] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the treatment surface includes at least one steam outlet hole allowing steam to be diffused onto the garment to be treated.

[0018] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the device comprises a cordless ironing and / or steaming tool containing the reservoir and including a base on which the tool is intended to be placed in a charging position during inactive ironing phases.

[0019] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, a thermal diffusion block is interposed between the heating body and the hot face of the thermoelectric module.

[0020] This feature makes it possible to create a thermal bridge between the thermoelectric module and the heating element when the electric module cannot be placed in direct contact with the heating element, particularly due to space constraints and the arrangement of the various components required for the operation of the device. Brief description of the figures

[0021] The aims, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following description of a particular embodiment of the invention, presented by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0022] Laest is a perspective view of a device according to a particular embodiment of the invention;

[0023] This is a perspective view of the iron equipping the device;

[0024] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the iron;

[0025] This is a perspective view illustrating the sole, the heating element, and the power supply device;

[0026] This is a view similar to the one with the power supply device shown in exploded perspective.

[0027] Only the elements necessary for understanding the invention have been shown. To facilitate reading the drawings, the same elements bear the same reference numbers from one figure to another.

[0028] It should be noted that in this document, the terms "horizontal", "vertical", "lower", "upper", "top", "bottom", "front", "back", "longitudinal", "transverse", used to describe the iron equipping the device refer to this iron when it rests flat on its soleplate.

[0029] Lare represents an ironing device comprising a cordless iron 1 and a charging base 2, on which the iron 1 is intended to rest during inactive phases of ironing, the iron 1, shown in isolation in figures 2 and 3, comprising a flat sole 10 surmounted by a plastic housing equipped with a gripping handle 11.

[0030] The base 2 has a lower surface 20 designed to rest flat on a work surface, such as an ironing board. The base 2 has a stop 21 with a shape complementary to that of the rear part of the iron 1 and has a ramp 22, designed to receive the soleplate 10 of the iron 1, which is inclined towards the stop 21.

[0031] In a manner known per se, the stop 21 includes a housing receiving a first part 31 of an electrical connector 3 disposed at the end of a power cable 30 intended to be connected to a domestic electrical network.

[0032] The first part 31 of an electrical connector 3 is configured to be electrically connected to a second part 32 of the electrical connector 3 carried by the iron 1.

[0033] The two parts 31, 32 of the electrical connector 3 are separable from each other to allow the use of the iron 1 in a cordless use in which the first part 31 of the electrical connector 3 remains attached to the base 2. In this cordless use, the first part 31 of the electrical connector 3 remains attached to the base 2 when the iron 1 is lifted from the base 2.

[0034] However, advantageously and in a manner known per se, the two parts 31, 32 of the electrical connector 3 can also be made to be joined together by means of a lever 33 located at the electrical connector 3, the action on this lever 33 also making the first part 31 of the electrical connector 3 removable from the housing of the base 2. In this configuration, the iron 1 can be used while being permanently connected to the electrical network by the power cable 30.

[0035] As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the soleplate 10 of the iron 1 is in thermal contact with a heating element 4 integrated into the body of the iron 1, and comprises an ironing surface with steam outlet holes 10A. The heating element 4 is made of cast aluminum, advantageously having a mass of approximately 335 g, and includes an electrical resistance 40 providing a power of approximately 1200 W at a voltage of 100 V. The heating element 4 contains, in a manner known per se, a vaporization chamber 41 and includes a cover 42 which closes the upper end of the vaporization chamber 41, the cover 42 having an opening 43 receiving an injection nozzle 44 for supplying water to the vaporization chamber 41.

[0036] The power supply to the heating element 40 is managed by an electronic circuit board 5 integrated into the iron 1, advantageously inside the handle 11. The electronic circuit board 5 receives information from an NTC temperature sensor, not visible in the figures, which measures the temperature of the steaming chamber 41 and regulates the power supply to the heating element 40 to bring the temperature of the steaming chamber 41 to around a setpoint temperature advantageously adjustable by the user and, for example, between 130°C and 170°C. The steaming chamber 41 communicates smoothly with a steam distribution circuit, located between the soleplate 10 and the heating element 4, which supplies steam to the holes 10A in the soleplate 10.

[0037] The vaporization chamber 41 is supplied with water by means of an electric pump 6 located in the iron's housing 1, for example, at the rear end of the handle 11. The pump 6 is connected on one side to a water reservoir 12 provided in the iron's housing 1 and on the other side to the injection nozzle 44 by conduits not shown in the figures. To allow the user to refill the reservoir 12, it is advantageously equipped with a filling opening that opens onto the front of the iron 1, the filling opening being closed by a removable cap 14.

[0038] The iron 1 has a trigger 13 located under the grip handle 11, preferably near its front end, which orders the operation of the pump 6 when it is activated and allows the vaporization chamber 41 to be supplied with water from the auxiliary reservoir 12, preferably with a water flow rate of between 5 and 20 g / min.

[0039] Preferably, the pump 6 is electrically powered by a thermoelectric device comprising a thermoelectric module 7, of the Seebeck effect, Peltier effect or Thomson effect type, having a cold face 70 and a hot face 71, the hot face 71 being in thermal contact with the heating body 4 and the cold face 70 being in thermal contact with the water contained in the reservoir 12.

[0040] In the specific embodiment illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, the hot face 71 is in contact with a thermal diffusion block 72, advantageously made of aluminum, which is interposed between the closing cover 42 of the vaporization chamber 41 and the hot face 71 of the thermoelectric module 7. Such a thermal diffusion block 72 allows the thermoelectric module 7 to be raised to free up space beneath it, thus enabling the placement of other components on the cover 42, not shown in the figures, such as thermal fuses arranged in the power supply circuit of the electrical resistance 40. Of course, in an alternative embodiment, the thermoelectric module 7 can be placed directly in contact with the cover 42 of the heating element 4.

[0041] The cold face 70 is in contact with a radiator 73, advantageously made of aluminum, which includes numerous cooling elements 73A, in the form of pins or fins, which protrude into the bottom of the reservoir 12. Such cooling elements 73A allow to maximize the heat exchange with the water contained in the reservoir 12.

[0042] Preferably, the elements 73A extend vertically in the bottom of the reservoir 12 and are sized to extend over the entire height of the water level when the reservoir 12 is full and the iron 1 is used with its soleplate 10 in a horizontal position. The elements 73A are also advantageously arranged in an area of ​​the reservoir 12 that is preferably submerged by the water in the reservoir 12 when the iron 1 is positioned vertically, with the front end of its soleplate 10 facing upwards.

[0043] The device thus produced has the advantage of including a pump which is electrically powered by a thermoelectric module which provides electricity from the heat given off by the heating element and the lower temperature of the water and / or air contained in the tank.

[0044] Such a power supply for the pump is therefore particularly advantageous, especially in the case of using a cordless iron, because it allows the pump to operate without using a battery or a capacitor to power it.

[0045] Furthermore, the use of such a thermoelectric module also offers the advantage of automatically controlling the pump flow rate based on the heating element's temperature by using a pump whose flow rate is directly related to the supply voltage. Indeed, the supply voltage at the thermoelectric module's output depends directly on the temperature difference between its hot and cold faces. Consequently, the higher the temperature of the vaporization chamber, the higher the pump's supply voltage. This results in a device where the pump flow rate is greater when the temperature of the heating element, and therefore of the vaporization chamber, is high.Such automatic regulation of the pump flow rate helps to avoid the dripping phenomenon which can occur when the amount of water sent into the vaporization chamber is greater than what the vaporization chamber is capable of vaporizing.

[0046] Of course, the invention is in no way limited to the embodiment described and illustrated, which has been given only by way of example. Modifications remain possible, particularly with regard to the composition of the various elements or by substitution of technical equivalents, without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

[0047] Thus, in an alternative embodiment not shown, the radiator in contact with the cold face of the electrical module may be swept only by a flow of cold air rather than by the water and / or air contained in the reservoir.

[0048] Thus, in an alternative embodiment not shown, the radiator may be located outside the tank and be swept by water from the tank when the pump is operating.

Claims

Ironing and / or steaming apparatus comprising a liquid reservoir (12), an electric pump (6) capable of drawing liquid from said reservoir (12) and a heating element (4) comprising an electric resistance (40), characterized in that it comprises a power supply device comprising a thermoelectric module (7), of the Seebeck or Peltier type, comprising a hot face (71) in thermal contact with the heating element (4) and a cold face (70) cooled by air and / or by the liquid contained in or from the reservoir (12) and in that said pump (6) is electrically powered by said thermoelectric module (7). Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the cold face (70) is in thermal contact with a radiator (70) cooled by air or by the liquid contained in the reservoir (12) or coming from the reservoir (12). Device according to claim 2, characterized in that said radiator (73) protrudes into the reservoir (12) and is configured to be immersed in the liquid contained in the reservoir (12) when using the device. Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 3, characterized in that said radiator (73) is disposed in the bottom of the tank (12). Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the radiator (73) is swept by the liquid from the reservoir (12) during the operation of the pump (6). Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the radiator (73) comprises cooling elements (73A) configured to be immersed in the liquid of the reservoir (12) and / or to be swept by air or liquid. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the heating body (4) comprises an instantaneous vaporization chamber (41), the pump (6) being configured to inject liquid into the vaporization chamber (41). Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises a sole (10) in thermal contact with the heating body (4), said sole (10) comprising a treatment surface intended to be applied against a garment to be treated. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the treatment surface comprises at least one steam outlet hole (10A) allowing steam to be diffused onto the garment to be treated. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises a cordless ironing and / or steaming tool (1) containing said reservoir (12) and comprising a base (2) on which said tool (1) is intended to be placed in a charging position during inactive ironing phases. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that a thermal diffusion block (72) is interposed between the heating body (4) and the hot face (71) of the thermoelectric module (7).

Images