Patent Abstract:
The present invention discloses a steam iron comprising a housing with a handle, a water container, a steam control device and a vapor chamber provided with an electric heating plate, wherein the steam control device comprising a pressure sensor mounted on the handle of said housing, a control board with a microprocessor and an execution unit for providing the water into said chamber or providing the vapor generated by a evaporator into said chamber for secondly heated; the execution unit is controlled by the control board by the pressure signal provided by said pressure sensor.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an iron device, and more particularly, to a steam iron capable of adjusting the amount of spraying steam freely in ironing. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The electrical iron of prior art comprises a housing with a handle, a water container and a steam control device are disposed inside the housing, an electric heating plate is disposed in the lower portion of the housing, and the housing is provided with a power switch and a control button of the steam control device. The steam control device is used for controlling the water in the container to flow to the electric heating plate to generate steam. The steam generating method of the prior iron can be divided into two ways: first one, spraying steam: i.e. the water in the container continuously drip on the electric heating plate by the steam control device, thus a few of steam is continuously generated and sprayed out continuously through the outlet of the electric heating plate  2 , Second way, forceful spraying steam, or flash steam: i.e. the water in the container flow to the electric heating plate in a certain amount by the steam control mechanism, then large amount of steam generated in a short time sprayed out from the outlet of the electric heating plate abruptly. A CN utility model with the title of “Electric iron with forceful spraying steam” is disclosed in CN publication NO:2081850, application NO 91202225.6, in which the two ways of spraying steam are detailedly disclosed. However, the iron of the prior art has the following drawbacks: firstly, the amount and the duration time of the flash steaming can not be changed freely, if the user need large amount and continue steam in ironing corrugation, the iron of the prior art can not meet this requirement. Secondly, the controlling of generating forceful spraying steam need to press or rotate a special button, this is not fit for the operation requirement of the continue ironing. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary object of the present invention is to provide a steam iron capable of adjusting the amount and during time of the flash steam freely in continue ironing. 
     This object of the invention is achieved by providing: a steam iron comprising a housing with a handle, a water container, a steam control device and a vapor chamber provided with an electric heating plate; said steam control device comprising a pressure sensor mounted on the handle of said housing, a control board with a microprocessor and an pump for providing the water into said vapor chamber; said pump is controlled by said control board according to the pressure signal provided by said pressure sensor. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, said pump disposed inside said housing and provided with an inlet connected to said water container and an outlet connected to said first electric heating plate. 
     In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, said pump disposed inside an iron station and provided with an inlet connected to the water container and an outlet connected to said electric heating plate; said pump pumps the water in the water container to a second electric heating plate of the iron body via tube under the control of the control board. 
     The object of the present invention also can be achieved by providing: a steam iron comprising a housing with a handle, a water container, a steam control device, and a vapor chamber provided with a first electric heating plate; said steam control device comprising a pressure sensor mounted on the handle of said housing, a control board with a microprocessor and an execution unit providing the vapor into said vapor chamber to be secondly heated and sprayed out; said execution unit is controlled by said control board according to the pressure signal provided by said pressure sensor. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, said execution unit comprises a pump and an evaporator, said pump pumps the water into said evaporator under the control of the control board for generating the steam and then said steam is transported to said electric heating plate via the steam tube to be secondly heated and sprayed out. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, said pump, said evaporator and said water container are disposed in the iron station; 
     In second embodiment, said water container is a boiler and said execution unit is an electromagnetic valve, said electromagnetic valve transport the steam generated in said boiler to said electric heating plate via the steam tube under the control of the control board and the steam is secondly heated and sprayed out. 
     In a preferred embodiment, said electromagnetic valve and said boiler are disposed inside said iron station. 
     The steam iron of the present invention is to mount a pressure sensor on the handle of the iron body which is under the palm, the user can touch the pressure sensor by adding the grasping force on the handle. The execution unit is controlled by the control board with microprocessor according to the pressure signal from the pressure sensor to transport the water in the water container to the electric heating plate so as to be heated to generate steam and sprayed out; Or the execution unit is controlled by the control board with microprocessor according to the pressure signal from the pressure sensor to transport the water in the water container to the electric heating plate so as to be secondly heated to generate steam and ejected out; The user can adjust the steam amount and spraying time freely in continue ironing, and doesn&#39;t need to stop the ironing to push the other button or rotate special knob, thus is facilitate to adjust the steam amount in continue ironing. Especially, if large amount of steam is needed when the user is ironing a relative big corrugation, it only need to press the pressure sensor on the handle by a certain pressure, then the iron device can add the steam amount automatically; thus the ironing is more user-friendly and more meet to the purpose of the user. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a sectional view of the steam iron in embodiment 1 of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the steam iron in embodiment 2 of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the steam iron in embodiment 3 of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the steam iron in embodiment 4 of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Embodiment 1 
     In this embodiment, the steam iron of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1 , the lower portion of the housing  110  is provided with an electric heating plate  120 . A power switch  130  is disposed on the handle  111  of the housing  110 . The top surface of the handle  111  is provided with an opening and a cover  112  made of flexible material is dispose on the opening. A pressure sensor  140  is disposed beneath the opening in the handle  111 . A control board  150  with microprocessor, a pump  160  and a container  170  are mounted inside the housing  110 . the inlet  161  of the pump  160  is connected to the container  170 , and the outlet  162  of the pump  160  is connected to the vapor chamber  121  upper the electric heating plate  120 . 
     A steam control device is consisted of the pressure sensor  140 , the control board  150  and the pump  160 , in ironing, if forceful steam is needed, the user can press the cover  112  disposed in the opening of the handle  111  by palm. The cover  112  is pressed downwardly to press the pressure sensor  140 , and the pressure sensor  140  will transmit a pressure signal of the pressing by the user to the control board  150 , then the pump  160  is controlled by the control board  150  according to the strength and the continue time of the signal, and input the water in the container  170  into the vapor chamber  121  of the electric heating plate  120  proportionally so as to generate steam and spray the steam out from the outlet  122  of the electric heating plate  120 . 
     The control board  150  provides control signal to the pump  160 , for example, by frequency modulation; thus the control board  150  will provide a strengthened control signal frequency to the pump  160  if the pressure signal is strengthened suddenly, so that the steam amount can be added in a short time accordingly to get forceful steam. 
     Embodiment 2 
     As is shown in  FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, the steam iron of the present invention is provided with an ironing station with evaporator, 
     The lower portion of the housing  210  is provided with an electric heating plate  220 . A power switch  230  is disposed on the handle  211  of the housing  210 . the top surface of the handle  211  is provided with an opening and a cover  212  made of flexible material is dispose on the opening. A pressure sensor  240  is disposed beneath the opening in the handle  211 . A control board  250  with microprocessor is disposed inside the housing  210  of the iron body. 
     A main power switch  320 , a pump  340 , a container  330  and an evaporator  350  are mounted inside the housing  310  of the iron station. The top of the container  330  is provided with an inlet  331  and the bottom of the container  330  is provided with a tube  332  which is connected to the inlet of the pump  340 . The outlet  341  of the pump  340  is connected to the inlet of the evaporator  350 . A tube  360  disposed between the iron station and the iron body contains a steam tube  213 , a power cord and a signal cord inside. The steam tube  213  connected to the outlet  351  of the evaporator  350  of the iron station and the vapor chamber  221  of the electric heating plate  220  of the iron body. The power cord provides power to the switch  230  of the iron body from the main switch  320  of the iron station. The signal cord is connected between the control board  250  of the iron body and the pump  340  of the iron station. 
     A steam control device is consisted of the pressure sensor  240 , control board  250 , pump  340  and evaporator  350 . 
     In ironing, if forceful steam is needed, the user can press the cover  212  disposed in the opening of the handle  211  by palm. The cover  212  is pressed downwardly to the pressure sensor  240 , and the pressure sensor  240  will transmit a pressure signal of the press by the user to the control board  250 , then the pump  360  is controlled by the control board  250  according to the strength and the continue time of the signal, and input the water in the container  330  to the vapor chamber  221  of the electric heating plate  220  so as to generate steam and spray the steam out from the outlet  222  of the electric heating plate  220 . 
     The control board  250  provides control signal to the pump  340 , for example, by frequency modulation; thus the control board  250  will provide a strengthened control signal frequency to the pump  340  if the pressure signal is strengthened suddenly, so that the working power of the pump  340  is added and more water can be pumped to the evaporator  350  from the container  330 , therefore, the steam amount can be added in a short time accordingly to get forceful steam. 
     Embodiment 3 
     In this embodiment, the steam iron of the present invention is provided with an iron station with an additional container, referring to  FIG. 3 , The lower portion of the housing  410  is provided with an electric heating plate  420 . A power switch  430  is disposed on the handle  411  of the housing  410 . the top surface of the handle  411  is provided with an opening and a cover  412  made of flexible material is dispose on the opening. A pressure sensor  440  is disposed beneath the opening in the handle  411 . a control board  450  with microprocessor is disposed inside the housing  410  of the iron body. 
     A main power switch  520 , a pump  540 , a container  530  are mounted inside the housing  510  of the iron station. The top of the container  530  is provided with an inlet  531 ; and the bottom of the container  530  is provided with a tube  532  which is connected to the inlet of the pump  540 . A tube  360  disposed between the iron station and the iron body contains a water tube  413 , a power cord and a signal cord inside. The water tube  413  connected the outlet  541  of pump  540  of the iron station with the vapor chamber  421  of the electric heating plate  420  of the electric heating plate  420  of the iron body. The power cord provides power to the power switch  430  of the iron body from the main power switch  520  of the iron station. The control signal from the  450  is transmit to the pump  540  of the iron station by the signal cord. 
     A steam control device is consisted of the pressure sensor  440 , control board  450  and pump  540 . 
     In ironing, if forceful steam is needed, the user can press the cover  412  disposed in the opening of the handle  411  by palm, then the cover  412  is pressed downwardly to the pressure sensor  440 , and the pressure sensor  440  will transmit a pressure signal of the press by the user to the control board  450 , the pump  540  is controlled by the control board  450  according to the strength and the continue time of the signal, and input the water in the container  530  to the vapor chamber  421  of the electric heating plate  420  so as to generate steam and spray the steam out from the outlet  422  of the electric heating plate  420 . 
     The control board  450  provides control signal to the pump  540 , voltage or current control can be used besides the frequency control used in the afore two embodiment, for example, voltage control is used to control the pump, then the control board  450  will provide a strengthened voltage control signal to the pump  540  if the pressure signal is strengthened suddenly, so that the working power of the pump  540  is added and more water can be pumped to the evaporator  350  from the container  530 , therefore the steam amount can be added in a short time to get forceful steam. 
     Embodiment 4 
     As is shown in  FIG. 4 , in this embodiment, the steam iron of the present invention is provided with an boiler ironing station, 
     The lower portion of the housing  610  is provided with an electric heating plate  620 . A power switch  630  is disposed on the handle  611  of the housing  610 . The top surface of the handle  611  is provided with an opening and a cover  612  made of flexible material is dispose on the opening. A pressure sensor  640  is disposed beneath the opening in the handle  611 . a control board  650  with microprocessor is disposed inside the housing  610  of the iron body. 
     A main switch  720 , an electromagnetic valve  740  and a boiler are mounted inside the housing  710  of the iron station. The top of the boiler  730  is provided with an inlet  731 ; and a steam outlet tube  732  provided on the top of the boiler is connected to steam inlet of the electromagnetic valve  740 . A tube  760  disposed between the iron station and the iron body contains a steam tube  613 , a power cord and a signal cord inside. The steam tube  613  connected the steam outlet tube  741  of the electromagnetic valve  740  of the iron station with the vapor chamber  621  of the electric heating plate  620  of the iron body. The power cord provides power to the switch  630  of the iron body from the main switch  720  of the iron station. And the signal cord transmit the control signal from the control board  650  of the iron body to the electromagnetic valve  740  of the iron station. 
     A steam control device is consisted by the pressure sensor  640 , control board  650  and the electromagnetic valve  740 . 
     In ironing, if forceful steam is needed, the user can press the cover  612  disposed in the opening of the handle  611  by palm. Then the cover  612  is pressed downwardly to the pressure sensor  640 , and the pressure sensor  640  will transmit a pressure signal of the pressing by the user to the control board  650 , the electromagnetic valve  740  is controlled by the control board  650  according to the strength and the continue time of the signal, and input the steam in the boiler  730  to the vapor chamber  621  of the electric heating plate  620  to secondly heated so as to generate forceful steam, and the forceful steam is sprayed out from the outlet  622  of the electric heating plate  620 . 
     The control board  650  provides voltage control signal to the electromagnetic valve  740 , and the control board  650  will provide a strengthened voltage control signal to the electromagnetic valve  740  correspondingly if the pressure signal from the pressure sensor  640  is strengthened suddenly, so that more steam can be allowed through the electromagnetic valve  740  to the vapor chamber  621  of the electric heating plate  620  from the boiler  730 , therefore the steam amount can be added in a short time to get forceful steam. 
     The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein, including configurations ways of the recessed portions and materials and/or designs of the attaching structures. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.

Technology Classification (CPC): 3