Linen processing apparatus including a device for controlling the water flow supplied to a steam generator

Appliance for the treatment of fabric articles comprising a water tank, a steam generator for diffusing steam in the direction of the fabric article and a water supply circuit of the steam generator comprising an electric pump, characterized in that said supply circuit comprises a flexible tube (12) and a device (13) for adjusting the flow of water sent to the steam generator comprising means (133) for compressing the flexible tube (12) so as to modify its cross-section of flow.

The present invention relates to an appliance for the treatment of fabric articles comprising a water tank and a steam generator supplied with water from the tank by an electric pump, and more specifically relates to an appliance comprising a device for adjusting the flow of liquid sent to the steam generator.

There is a steam producing appliance known from the document DE 102004023032 comprising a tank and an electric pump for sending water to a steam generator, the supply circuit of the generator comprising a bifurcation that makes it possible to return part of the water delivered by the pump back to the tank in order to control the quantity of water sent to the generator. In that document, it is indicated that the conduit can be equipped with a device for adjusting the flow of liquid passing through the bifurcation. However, that document does not disclose the means used to adjust the flow of liquid passing through the conduit.

Thus, one object of the present invention is to propose a steaming appliance for the treatment of fabric articles comprising a steam generator supplied with water by an electric pump and a device for adjusting the flow of liquid sent to the steam generator that is simple and economical to produce. Another object of the present invention is to propose a device for adjusting the flow of liquid inside a flexible tube that makes it possible to adjust the flow gradually and that is reliable over time.

To this end, the subject of the invention is an appliance for the treatment of fabric articles comprising a water tank, a steam generator for diffusing steam in the direction of the fabric article, and a water supply circuit of the steam generator comprising an electric pump, characterized in that the supply circuit comprises a flexible tube and a device for adjusting the flow of water sent to the steam generator comprising means for compressing the flexible tube so as to modify its cross-section of flow.

According to another feature of the invention, the device for adjusting the flow comprises several filaments of small cross-section extending inside the flexible tube at the height of the means for compressing the tube.

According to another feature of the invention, the flexible tube contains at least ten filaments.

According to another feature of the invention, the filaments are made of plastic material.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the filaments are made of polyamide.

According to another feature of the invention, the means for compressing the conduit comprise an articulated lever actuated by a rotating cam.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the electric pump comprises an inlet opening connected by a first conduit to the water tank and a discharge opening connected by a second conduit to a junction comprising a first branch connected to the steam generator and a second branch connected to the water tank, the second branch comprising the flow adjusting device.

According to another feature of the invention, the appliance is a handheld steam brush.

The invention also relates to a device for controlling the flow of liquid passing through a flexible tube wherein means locally compress the flexible tube so as to reduce its cross-section of flow, characterized in that the device comprises several filaments of small cross-section extending inside the flexible tube at the height of the means for compressing the tube.

According to another feature of the invention, the interior volume of the flexible tube contains at least ten filaments.

According to another feature of the invention, the filaments are made of plastic material.

According to another feature of the invention, the filaments are made of polyamide.

Only the elements required to understand the invention have been illustrated. To facilitate the reading of the drawings, the same elements have the same references from one figure to another.

FIGS. 1 through 3illustrate a steaming appliance comprising a plastic shell1comprising an elongated part forming a handle which receives a removable water tank2whose top wall constitutes the top part of the handle. The elongated part of the shell1also encloses an electric pump3, visible inFIG. 3, which is actuated by a control button4. The shell1comprises, in the extension of the handle, a wider part which encloses a steam generator5, visible inFIG. 3, conventionally constituted by an instant steam production chamber associated with an electric heating element6.

The shell1of the appliance is closed, on the opposite end from the handle, by a flat surface7comprising steam outlet holes70, the shell1advantageously receiving a removable brush8comprising multiple flexible bristles running along the periphery of the flat surface7and allowing traction to be applied to the fibers as steam is diffused through holes70in order to promote wrinkle removal.

According toFIG. 3, the electric pump3comprises an inlet opening30connected by a conduit9to the tank2and comprises a discharge opening31which sends the water from the tank2through a supply circuit of the steam generator5, schematically illustrated inFIG. 4, comprising a conduit10leading to a junction that divides the supply circuit into a first conduit branch11connected to an inlet opening50of the steam generator5and a second conduit branch12connected to the tank2allowing part of the water from the pump3to be returned to the tank3.

Preferably, the first conduit branch11has a smaller cross-section of flow than the second conduit branch12, the first conduit branch having for example an internal diameter on the order of 1 mm and the second conduit branch12having for example an internal diameter on the order of 2 mm.

More specifically according to the invention, the second conduit branch is constituted by a flexible tube12, for example made of rubber, which passes through a cylindrical housing13comprising means for compressing the flexible tube12so as to reduce the cross-section of flow of the latter and control the quantity of water returned to the tank2.

According toFIGS. 5 and 6, the cylindrical housing13is preferably composed of two plastic parts13A,13B fastened to each other by means of elastic clips131, the bottom part13A of the housing comprising a channel132for receiving the flexible tube12that has a lateral opening which faces means for compressing the tube12constituted by a lever133having a bent part that presses against the outer surface of the flexible tube12.

The lever133is advantageously obtained by being directly molded with the bottom part13A of the cylindrical housing and includes an end that is articulated to the periphery of the housing13and a free end that extends near the center of the housing13. The bottom13A and top13B parts of the housing comprise a center opening134A,134B which receives the shaft140of a rotating knob14that covers the top part13B of the housing while projecting outward from the shell1of the appliance, the shaft140being equipped with cams141which push the lever133toward the flexible tube13when the shaft140is rotated, so that the bent part of the lever133compresses the flexible tube12.

Advantageously, the top part13B of the housing includes a seat135for receiving a locking pin16pressed by a spring160against the inner surface of the rotating knob14, the latter having three indentations142into which the end of the pin16can fit so as to immobilize the knob14in three predefined positions, respectively corresponding to a minimum, average and maximum production of steam by the steaming appliance.

As may be seen inFIGS. 8 through 12, the flexible tube12contains numerous filaments15of circular cross-section and small diameter, preferably on the order of 0.2 mm, extending freely inside the internal diameter of the flexible tube12, these filaments15preferably being made of polyamide material.

For example, as illustrated inFIGS. 10 through 12, the flexible tube12can have an outer diameter on the order of 4 mm for an internal diameter on the order of 2 mm and will contain eighteen filaments15having a length similar to the length of the flexible tube12.

It is understood that the number of filaments15inserted into the flexible tube12will chiefly depend on the internal diameter of the latter and will advantageously be between ten and twenty-five filaments, the number of filaments15preferably being adapted so that the filaments15occupy between 10 and 30% of the cross-section of flow of the flexible tube12when the latter is not deformed.

The operation of the flow control device of the appliance will now be described.

According toFIGS. 8 through 10, when the rotating knob14is turned so that the cam141is not pushing the lever133toward the flexible tube12, the pressure exerted by the bent part of the lever133on the flexible tube12is insufficient to deform it, so the internal diameter of the flexible tube12is substantially cylindrical and the filaments15spread out freely inside the flexible tube12, leaving open a substantial cross-section of flow, on the order of 2.6 mm2.

In that case, actuating the electric pump3by means of the button4causes water from the tank2to be aspirated through the first conduit9and causes water to be discharged through the second conduit10, the flow of water sent through this second conduit10being divided into a first relatively low flow sent through the first branch11to the steam generator5and a second, more substantial flow of water sent through the flexible tube12to the tank as a result of the substantial cross-section of flow left open on either side of the filaments15.

The steam generator5is then supplied with a low flow of water through the first conduit branch11, which allows the steaming appliance to operate with a low flow of steam.

Conversely, when the user turns the knob14so as to bring it into the extreme position illustrated inFIG. 9, the cam141incorporated into the knob14moves the lever133toward the flexible tube12, which is deformed under the compression exerted by the bent part of the lever133so that the cross-section of flow inside the flexible tube12is sharply reduced around the filaments15, as illustrated inFIG. 11. This results in a cross-section of flow in the tube12that is essentially limited to the residual space between the filaments15of circular cross-section pressed against each other, and hence quite a substantial head loss inside the flexible tube12, the consequence of which is to send most of the flow of water from the pump3through the first conduit branch11to the steam generator5.

The flow of steam emanating through the steam outlet holes70is therefore increased, and the appliance produces a maximum flow of steam.

The knob14can also be brought into an intermediate position, in which it is locked into position by the cooperation of the pin16with the middle indentation142of the knob14. In this position, the squeezing of the flexible tube12is such that its height is reduced by half, as illustrated inFIG. 12, and the cross-section of flow through the flexible tube12equipped with the filaments15becomes on the order of 1 mm2. Such an intermediate position of the knob14makes it possible to obtain an average head loss through the flexible tube12such that the flow of water sent to the steam generator5corresponds to an average flow of steam.

Such a device, in which a flexible tube is pinched in order to modify its cross-section of flow, has the advantage of making it possible to adjust the steam flow of the steaming appliance using a mechanical system that is simple and economical to produce. In particular, such a device makes it possible to modify the flow of steam in the steaming appliance without acting on the electric power supply of the pump.

In addition, the presence of filaments inside the flexible tube has the advantage of allowing a more gradual reduction of the tube's cross-section of flow and hence better control of the flow passing through it. In fact, although it is possible to roughly adjust the flow passing through a flexible tube by compressing the latter when the tube does not contain filaments, such a device has the drawback providing an adjustment that is not very gradual, with the cross-section of flow of the tube being reduced slightly in the first phase of compression of the tube and much more suddenly when the two opposite walls of the tube come into contact with each other.

Finally, the presence of filaments in the flexible tube also has the advantage of preventing the phenomenon of the walls sticking to each other that occurs when the walls of a rubber tube are kept pressed against each other for a long time; the filaments prevent the opposite walls of the flexible tube from coming into contact when the latter is squeezed by the bent part of the lever. Moreover, the circular cross-section of the filaments makes it possible to limit the contact surface of the filaments with each other or with the flexible tube so that the adhesion phenomenon is limited; the use of polyamide material for the filaments also makes it possible to prevent the filaments from remaining stuck to each other.

It is understood that the invention is in no way limited to the embodiment described and illustrated, which has been given only as an example. Modifications are possible, particularly with regard to the composition of the various elements or the substitution of technical equivalents, without going outside the scope of protection of the invention.