Ironing and / or smoothing appliance comprising a liquid reservoir

Abstract

Ironing and / or smoothing appliance comprising a liquid reservoir (12), a heating body (4) comprising an electrical resistor (40) and a power supply device intended to supply electrical power to a member incorporated into said apparatus, characterized in that the power supply device comprises a thermoelectric module (7), of the Seebeck effect or Peltier effect type, comprising a hot side (71) in thermal contact with the heating body (4) and a cold side (70) in thermal contact with the reservoir (12) and / or the liquid contained in the reservoir (12).

Description

Ironing and / or garment steamer with a liquid reservoir

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of ironing and / or steaming appliances comprising a liquid reservoir, a heating body including an electrical resistance, and a power supply device intended to electrically supply a component embedded in the appliance. 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 supercapacitor 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 a component embedded in an ironing and / or steaming appliance and, in particular, to allow this component to operate independently of the domestic electrical network.

[0004] For this purpose, the invention relates to an ironing and / or steaming device comprising a liquid reservoir, a heating element including an electrical resistance, and a power supply device intended to electrically power a component embedded in the device, characterized in that the power supply device includes a thermoelectric module, of the Seebeck effect, Peltier effect or Thomson effect type, comprising a hot face in thermal contact with the heating element and a cold face in thermal contact with the reservoir and / or the liquid contained in the reservoir.

[0005] Such a thermoelectric power supply has the advantage of producing an electrical voltage that is a function of the temperature difference between the heating element and the liquid reservoir. The electrical current thus produced can power a component within the device, such as a pump, an electronic circuit board, a motor, or a display. In particular, such a thermoelectric module can generate a very low voltage direct current, less than 15 V and, for example, around 3 V, which allows the component to be powered without the need for a transformer.

[0006] Such a thermoelectric module power supply thus provides an independent power source, isolated from the domestic electrical grid. It can be advantageously used for devices permanently connected to the domestic electrical grid by 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 power one of these components when the device is not electrically connected to the domestic grid, for example, in the case of a device equipped with a cordless tool.

[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 the liquid contained in the reservoir.

[0009] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the radiator protrudes into the tank, preferably into the bottom of the tank.

[0010] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the radiator comprises cooling elements configured to be immersed in the liquid in the reservoir and / or to be swept by the liquid.

[0011] This feature increases the heat exchange surface area between the liquid and the radiator.

[0012] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the component electrically powered by the power supply device is a pump, a motor, an electronic board or a display.

[0013] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the heating body comprises an instant vaporization chamber.

[0014] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the heating body includes an electrical resistance.

[0015] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the electrically powered organ of the power supply device is a pump configured to inject liquid into the instant vaporization chamber.

[0016] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the radiator is swept by the liquid from the reservoir during the operation of the pump.

[0017] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the radiator is swept by the liquid from the reservoir during the back-and-forth movement induced by the use of the device, in particular when the device is an iron or a steam iron.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] This characteristic makes it possible, in particular, to stabilize the temperature by smoothing out temperature variations.

[0022] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the device comprises a base and a cordless ironing and / or steaming tool configured to be used without being connected to the base, the tool containing the reservoir and intended to be placed on the base in a charging position when the tool is not in use.

[0023] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the base is connected to the domestic electrical network and allows the heating element of the heating body to be powered when the cordless ironing and / or steaming tool is resting in the charging position on the base.

[0024] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the device is an iron or a steam iron. Brief description of the figures

[0025] 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:

[0026] Laest is a perspective view of a device according to a particular embodiment of the invention;

[0027] This is a perspective view of the iron equipping the device;

[0028] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the iron;

[0029] This is a perspective view illustrating the sole, the heating element, and the pump's power supply device;

[0030] This is a view similar to the one with the power supply device shown in exploded perspective.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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 according to the invention refer to this iron when it rests flat on its soleplate.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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 fluidly 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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 between 5 and 20 g / min.

[0043] More particularly according to the invention, 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. Preferably, the hot face 71 is in thermal contact with the heating body 4 and the cold face 70 is in thermal contact with the water contained in the reservoir 12.

[0044] 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. This thermal diffusion block 72 allows the thermoelectric module 7 to be raised, freeing up space beneath it and thus enabling the placement of other components on the cover 42, not shown in the figures, such as thermal fuses on the power supply circuit of the electrical resistance 40. Furthermore, this thermal diffusion block 72 also provides a buffering effect that stabilizes the temperature by smoothing out temperature variations.Of course, in an alternative embodiment not shown, the thermoelectric module 7 can be placed directly in contact with the cover 42 or any other point of the heating body 4.

[0045] 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.

[0046] 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.

[0047] The device thus produced has the advantage of including a pump which is electrically powered by a thermoelectric module supplying electricity from the heat given off by the heating element and the lower temperature of the water and / or air contained in the tank.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 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.

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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 circulating outside the tank rather than by the water and / or air contained in the tank.

[0052] 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), a heating element (4) including an electric resistance (40), and a power supply device intended to electrically supply a component (6) embedded in said apparatus, characterized in that said power supply device comprises a thermoelectric module (7), of the Seebeck effect or Peltier effect or Thomson effect type, comprising a hot face (71) in thermal contact with the heating element (4) and a cold face (70) in thermal contact with the reservoir (12) and / or the liquid contained in the reservoir (12). Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the cold face (70) is in thermal contact with a radiator (73) cooled by the liquid contained in the reservoir (12). Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the radiator (73) protrudes into the reservoir (12), preferably into the bottom of the reservoir (12). Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 3, characterized in that the radiator (73) comprises cooling elements (73A) configured to be immersed in the liquid from the reservoir (12) and / or to be swept by the liquid from the reservoir (12). Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the electrically powered component of the power supply device is a pump (6), an electronic board or a display. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the heating body (4) comprises an instantaneous vaporization chamber (41). Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, 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 7, 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 8, 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). Device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises a base (2) and a cordless ironing and / or steaming tool (1) configured to be used without being connected to the base (2), said tool (1) containing the reservoir (12) and intended to be placed in a charging position on the base (2) when the tool (1) is not in use. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that said device is a steam iron or garment steamer.

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