JP7568458B2 - Steamer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a steamer that sprays steam onto textile products such as clothing to remove wrinkles.

There have been many cordless irons of this type in the past. For example, steamers equipped with a steam generating mechanism that mechanically opens and closes a needle valve that acts as a valve body to drip water from a tank and send the water into the vaporization chamber to generate steam. However, with this structure, when the internal pressure of the vaporization chamber is high, it is difficult for water to drip from the tank, and in order to drip water, water must be immersed in the water passage from the tank to the vaporization chamber, so there are restrictions on the ejection of steam. In response to these problems, the applicant of the present application has proposed the idea of incorporating an electromagnetic pump driven by a DC motor into a steam iron instead of the conventional mechanical steam generating mechanism, and has already obtained a patent for this idea. In this case, by repeatedly turning on and off the power to the DC motor to drive the electromagnetic pump, it becomes possible to smoothly eject steam from the ejection section regardless of the internal pressure of the vaporization chamber and regardless of the position in which the iron body is used.

Patent No. 6534886 specification

However, the technology of Patent Document 1 above is based on the premise that the iron body is constantly supplied with commercial power via a cord with a power plug. Therefore, when the iron body is detached from the stand during use and in a cordless state in which the power supply to the iron body is cut off, the electromagnetic pump built into the iron body cannot be operated and steam cannot be ejected from the ejection part.

Steamers equipped with secondary batteries to operate electromagnetic pumps have also been proposed, but while secondary batteries have excellent energy capacity, they are large in size and require protective circuits to protect them from overcharging and over-discharging, and there are various restrictions, such as the risk of leakage or explosion when charged with a large current and high voltage. In addition, because steamers charge and discharge the power storage device in short cycles, it is important to charge the power storage device quickly, but in conventional steamers, the voltage of the secondary battery increases as charging of the power storage device progresses, so it takes several hours to complete charging.

In view of the above problems, the first objective of the present invention is to provide a steamer that can rapidly charge the power storage device and smoothly emit steam from the nozzle even in a cordless state where there is no power supply to the steamer.

In consideration of the above problems, the second object of the present invention is to provide a steamer that can display when the steamer's temperature is dropping, even when in cordless mode.

The steamer of the present invention comprises a tank for storing liquid therein, a base provided below the tank and equipped with a heating means, an evaporation chamber heated by the heating means to evaporate the liquid from the tank, an ejection section for ejecting the steam evaporated in the evaporation chamber to the outside, a capacitor positioned higher than the bottom surface of the tank, and a liquid supply section for supplying the liquid from the tank to the evaporation chamber, and is configured to control the operation of the liquid supply section by supplying power from the charge stored in the capacitor , the capacitor is charged by a constant current circuit or a constant voltage circuit, and when charging the capacitor, it is possible to charge it with a constant current regardless of the amount of charge stored in the capacitor, the constant current circuit or the constant voltage circuit is equipped with a control IC for controlling the output power of the constant current circuit or the constant voltage circuit, and the control IC is capable of changing the constant current according to the amount of charge stored in the capacitor .

According to the present invention, by arranging the capacitor at a position higher than the bottom surface of the tank, it is possible to prevent the capacitor from deteriorating due to the influence of the heating temperature of the base by the heating means. In addition, even in a cordless state where there is no power supply to the steamer, the driving of the liquid supply unit can be controlled using the power generated by the capacitor, and no matter what position the steamer is used in, the liquid supply unit can be driven to forcibly send liquid from the tank to the vaporization chamber, so that steam can be smoothly ejected from the ejection unit. And by adopting a capacitor as the power storage device, it is safer, more compact, and can be fully charged in a short time than using a secondary battery, and the range of uses when using the steamer cordlessly can be expanded.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the steamer according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the steamer from the front right side. FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the steamer body. FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the steamer body. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the steamer body from above. FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram showing the electrical connection configuration of the steamer. 13 is a table comparing a secondary battery and a capacitor as a power storage device. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the plug unit attached to the stand as viewed from the front right side. FIG. 13 is a graph showing the measurement results of the voltage value of an electric double-layer capacitor when the electric double-layer capacitor is charged without a constant current circuit and when the electric double-layer capacitor is charged via a constant current circuit. FIG. 13 is a graph showing the measurement results of the voltage value of the electric double layer capacitor, the voltage value supplied to the electromagnetic pump, and the power value supplied by or supplied to the electric double layer capacitor 4 when the steamer main body is in use. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a steamer body in another embodiment of the present invention.

Below, a preferred embodiment of the steamer of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

Figures 1 to 6 show a steamer according to one embodiment of the present invention. The overall configuration of the steamer according to this embodiment is explained in each of these figures. The main components are a steamer body 1 that heats and vaporizes liquid water and sprays the steam to the outside, a plug unit 2 that supplies commercial power to the steamer body 1 from a household outlet (not shown), and a stand 3 that is used while placed on the floor surface S and on which the steamer body 1 is detachably placed. The plug unit 2 is configured to be detachable from either the steamer body 1 or the stand 3.

The steamer body 1 has a concave power receiving section 5 at the rear for receiving electric power, and a metal base 7 with a heater 6 embedded therein as a heating means at the bottom. The base 7 has a base plate 9 as a hanging surface member attached to the bottom surface of a base body 8 made of a die-cast molded product, and is fixed to the base body 8 by a fastening member 10 fixed to the base plate 9. Inside the base 7, a steam chamber, i.e., a vaporization chamber 11, is formed near the heater 6, and a plurality of steam holes 12 communicating with the vaporization chamber 11 are formed as openings in the base plate 9 forming the lower surface of the base 7. The base 7 also has a steam cover 13 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 body 8. The vaporization chamber 11 may not be formed in the base 7, but may be a separate body. In this case, a heater 6 or another heating means is provided to heat and vaporize the water that becomes liquid in the vaporization chamber 11.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a resin cover provided to cover the upper and side portions of base 7, and reference numeral 16 denotes a handle fixed to the top of cover 15 and formed in a roughly O-shape with its front and rear ends connected 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 handle 16. Tank assembly 17 is composed of a tank cover 18 and a tank base 19, both of which are made of resin, and a liquid storage space 20 is formed inside tank assembly 17 by attaching and fixing tank base 19 so as to cover the bottom opening of tank cover 18.

21 is a water inlet provided at the front of the tank assembly 17 and directly connected to the storage space 20. A water inlet lid 22 that allows the water inlet 21 to be manually opened and closed is provided at the front of the handle 16 opposite the water inlet 21. By lifting the water inlet lid 22 forward to open the water inlet 21, liquid water can be stored in the tank assembly 17 or unnecessary water can be discarded from the tank assembly 17. Inside the steamer body 1, an electromagnetic pump 24 is provided in the upper storage space 23 separated from the storage space 20 by the vertical wall 18A formed at the rear of the tank cover 18 to supply water stored in the storage space 20 of the tank assembly 17 to the vaporization chamber 11 heated by the heater 6. The electromagnetic 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 the vaporization chamber 11, and the electromagnetic pump 24 and the tank assembly 17 are connected in a liquid-tight state. This makes it possible to send water sucked into the electromagnetic pump 24 through the suction pipe 25 from the storage space 20 during operation of the electromagnetic pump 24 to the vaporization chamber 11 through the discharge pipe 26 without the water contained in the storage space 20 entering the space inside the rear end of the handle 16 in which the electromagnetic pump 24 is disposed, regardless of the position in which the steamer body 1 is used. In addition, in this embodiment, the steamer body 1 is provided with a tank assembly 17 and an upper storage space 23 from the front to the rear inside the handle 16, and the tank assembly 17 and the upper storage space 23 completely cover the upper part of the lower storage space 54 described below, so the water or air in the storage space 20 of the tank assembly 17 and the air in the upper storage space 23 act as a layer that blocks heat from the base 7, and as described below, it is possible to prevent temperature rises in the parts placed inside the handle 16, such as the electromagnetic pump 24 and the various parts mounted on the board 37.

The handle 16 is composed of two parts, a handle base 28 and a handle cover 29, both made of resin. The handle base 28 is made up of a base 28A attached to the cover 15, a front connecting part 28B that rises in a U-shape on the front side of the base 28A, an extension part 28C that extends rearward from the front connecting part 28B, and a rear connecting part 28D that rises in a U-shape on the rear side of the base 28A and connects to the rear end of the extension part 28C. The extension part 28C and the rear connecting part 28D, which form the handle base 28 from the top to the rear, are formed in a roughly U-shaped cross section, and a roughly plate-shaped handle cover 29 is arranged to cover one side opening of these parts. The extension part 28C of the handle base 28 and the handle cover 29 form a grip part 31 for the user to grip with their hand on the top of the steamer body 1.

The rod-shaped grip 31 has a cavity 33 between it and the abdomen 32 of the steamer body 1, and is formed so that the hand can be inserted into this cavity 33 to grip the grip 31. In other words, the abdomen 32 here refers to the flat central upper surface of the steamer body 1 that faces the grip 31, excluding both sides of the tank assembly 17, and in this embodiment, it is formed as the base 28A of the handle base 28.

On the front side of the grip 31 located at the top of the steamer main body 1, there are disposed two manually operable controls: a temperature setting/off button 35 as a first control that sets the temperature of the base 7 and turns the power on and off; and a steam volume setting button 36 as a second control that sets the flow rate of the steam that sprays from the steam holes 12. These operation buttons 35, 36 are mounted on a board 37 located inside the grip 31. The number and type of controls are not limited to those in this embodiment, and controls other than push-type controls may be used. Also, it is not important to assign any function to any control.

The electromagnetic pump 24, including the suction pipe 25 and discharge pipe described above, is incorporated in the liquid passage 46 leading from the tank assembly 17 to the vaporization chamber 11. The electromagnetic pump 24 is disposed inside the rear end of the handle 16 as described above as a liquid supply unit that supplies water from the tank assembly 17 to the vaporization chamber 11 and varies the flow rate of water supplied to the vaporization chamber 11 according to the steam flow rate set by the steam amount setting button 36. The specific configuration of the electromagnetic pump 24 may be, for example, a DC motor-driven pump as disclosed in Patent Document 1.

In this case, the control device 40 controls the electromagnetic pump 24 so that the microcomputer 66 described later repeats power on/off to the electromagnetic pump 24 according to the temperature of the base 7 based on the detection signal from the temperature detection means 41 when the base 7 is higher than the vaporization temperature of the liquid, making it possible to pump a predetermined amount of water from the tank assembly 17 to the vaporization chamber 11, and the amount of water pumped from the electromagnetic pump 24, and therefore the steam flow rate from the steam hole 12, can be increased or decreased as desired by changing the timing of power on/off to the electromagnetic pump 24. On the other hand, when the base 7 is lower than the vaporization temperature of the liquid, the microcomputer 66 controls the electromagnetic pump 24 to stop driving.

Inside the steamer body 1, a lower storage space 54 is formed between the tank base 19 that forms the bottom surface of the tank assembly 17 and the top surface of the base 7 that is heated by the heater 6, and contains the temperature detection means 41 and other components placed on the top surface of the steam cover 13 covered with the cover 15. The top surface of the cover 15 is interposed as a heat shield 15A in the lower storage space 54 between the tank base 19 and the base 7, and when the bottom surface of the base 7 is oriented horizontally as shown in FIG. 4, that is, when the steamer body 1 is horizontal, the electromagnetic pump 24 and each component mounted on the board 37 described later, such as the power generation device 43, are all located at a higher position above the tank base 19 and the lower storage space 54.

By arranging the electromagnetic pump 24 and each component mounted on the board 37 at a position higher than the tank base 19, the lower storage space 54, the storage space 20, and the upper storage space 23 that insulate the heat from the base 7 are interposed between the base 7 and each component mounted on the electromagnetic pump 24 and the board 37, and the temperature rise of each component mounted on the electromagnetic pump 24 and the board 37 is prevented. In addition, the heat shielding part 15A of the cover 15 is also arranged in the lower storage space 54, so that this heat shielding part 15A also effectively blocks the heat from the base 7, and the temperature rise of each component mounted on the electromagnetic pump 24 and the board 37 can be further prevented. In particular, the electric double layer capacitor 45 described later is located at the inner front of the grip part 31 of the handle 16, which is the furthest from the base 7 and where the thickness of the intervening storage space 20 is the thickest, so that the thermal effect on the electric double layer capacitor 45 from the base 7 can be avoided to the maximum extent.

In addition to the temperature setting/off button 35 and the steam amount setting button 36, the board 37 is equipped with a temperature display lamp 38 with multiple LEDs arranged on the upper front side of the grip part 31, a buzzer 42 as an alarm unit that turns the power on and off and notifies by sound when the base 7 reaches the set temperature or when the temperature drops, a heater 6 that serves as a load for the steamer main body 1, an electromagnetic pump 24, a control device 40 that controls the operation of the temperature display lamp 38 and the buzzer 42, a power generator 43, a power circuit 44, etc. The temperature display lamp 38 indicates whether the temperature set by the temperature setting/off 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 main body 1. The temperature detection means 41 is attached and fixed to the base 7 inside the steamer main body 1 as a sensor unit that displays the operating state of the steamer main body 1.

The power generation device 43 has a power generation function inside the steamer body 1, separate from the external commercial power from the plug unit 2, and is mainly composed of a power supply circuit 44, an electric double layer capacitor 45 as a power supply storage device, a constant current circuit 62 (see FIG. 5) as a rapid charging circuit, and diodes 63, 64 (see FIG. 5) for preventing reverse current. The power supply circuit 44 receives power from the external commercial power from the plug unit 2 and outputs appropriate operating power to each part of the steamer body 1. There is no particular limitation on the number of boards 37 incorporated in the steamer body 1 or which components are mounted on which boards 37.

When the control device 40 is given operating power from the power generation device 43, it controls and drives the temperature display lamp 38 based on the set temperature based on the operation signal from the temperature set/off button 35 and the temperature of the base 7 based on the detection signal from the temperature detection means 41. When the control device 40 is given operating power from the power generation device 43, it controls and drives the buzzer 42 to notify the power on/off based on the operation signal from the temperature set/off button 35, and also controls and drives the temperature display lamp 38 based on the set temperature based on the operation signal from the temperature set/off button 35 and the temperature of the base 7 based on the detection signal from the temperature detection means 41. When the control device 40 is given operating power from the power generation device 43, it controls the drive of the electromagnetic pump 24 so that steam at a flow rate set based on the operation signal from the steam amount setting button 36 is sprayed outside the steamer body 1 through the steam hole 12. At this time, the electromagnetic pump 24 is also given operating power from the power generation device 43 and is configured to operate according to the set steam flow rate.

Figure 7 is a circuit block diagram showing the electrical connection configuration of the steamer of this embodiment. In the figure, 61 is an alternating current (AC) power source such as a commercial power source, and the AC power supplied from this AC power source 61 is applied to the heater 6 and the power supply circuit 44 of the power generation device 43 via the plug unit 2 and the power receiving unit 5. The power supply circuit 44 rectifies and smooths this AC power to convert it into DC power, which is then supplied to the electromagnetic pump 24 and the control device 40.

Regarding the connection of the power generating device 43, a pair of input terminals of the power supply circuit 44 and a series circuit of the heater 6 and the relay circuit 68 of the control device 40 are connected in parallel to the power receiving unit 5. The anode of the diode 63 is connected to the output terminal of the power supply circuit 44, and the cathode of the diode 63 is connected to each part of the steamer main body 1, such as the microcomputer 66 of the control device 40 and the electromagnetic pump 24. A series circuit of a constant current circuit 62 and a diode 64 is connected to another output terminal of the power supply circuit 44, and the cathodes of the diode 63 and the diode 64 are connected to each other. An electric double layer capacitor 45 is connected between the connection point of the output side of the constant current circuit 62 and the anode of the diode 63 and the ground line GL.

The power supply circuit 44 receives power from the AC power supply 61 via the plug unit 2, and sends out the operating power required to operate the temperature display lamp 38, the buzzer 42, and each part of the control device 40 mounted on the board 37, as well as the operating power required to operate the electromagnetic pump 24. The power supply circuit 44 may be configured to send power separately to each of the multiple output terminals. The constant current circuit 62 uses the power supplied from the power supply circuit 44 to rapidly charge the electric double layer capacitor 45, and is equipped with a control unit 62A such as a control IC that controls the current output by the constant current circuit 62. The control unit 62A monitors the output voltage of the constant current circuit 62, and when the output voltage exceeds a certain voltage threshold, controls the constant current circuit 62 so that a voltage is output at a predetermined current value. In this embodiment, the constant current circuit 62 equipped with the control unit 62A is used, but instead, a constant voltage circuit equipped with a control unit such as a control IC may be used, and in this case, the same effect can be obtained without being affected by the amount of charge stored in the electric double layer capacitor 45.

The electric double layer capacitor 45 is charged with the output power from the constant current circuit 62 and supplies power to each part of the steamer body 1. When commercial power is supplied to the steamer body 1 from the plug unit 2, DC power from the power supply circuit 44 is supplied to the constant current circuit 62, and the output power of the constant current circuit 62 is charged to the electric double layer capacitor 45. When the steamer body 1 is in a cordless state where commercial power is not supplied to the steamer body 1 from the plug unit 2, the power from the electric double layer capacitor 45 is supplied to each part of the steamer body 1 connected to the cathode of the diode 64. If commercial power is supplied to the steamer body 1 from the plug unit 2 when each part of the steamer body 1 is in an off state where it is not in operation and is not in use, it is preferable that the power supply circuit 44 is configured to automatically charge the electric double layer capacitor 45 via the constant current circuit 62 using the commercial power.

Figure 8 is a table comparing secondary batteries and capacitors as power storage devices. As power storage devices, NiCd batteries and lithium secondary batteries are used as examples of secondary batteries, and aluminum electrolytic capacitors and electric double layer capacitors (supercapacitors) are used as examples of capacitors for comparison.

Backup capacity is the capacity for the amount of backup time, and secondary batteries have excellent energy capacity. On the other hand, capacitors store electrical energy using a different principle than secondary batteries, and their energy capacity is very small compared to secondary batteries. However, electric double-layer capacitors have properties that complement the characteristics of capacitors and secondary batteries, and the electrostatic capacitance per unit reaches several hundred to several thousand farads (F). Pollution is determined by whether harmful substances are used, and other than NiCd batteries that use cadmium, no harmful substances are used. Regarding the range of operating temperatures, secondary batteries convert chemical energy into electrical energy through electrochemical reactions, so output decreases at low temperatures while material deformation occurs at high temperatures, and the operating temperature range is narrow. On the other hand, as mentioned above, capacitors store electrical energy using a different principle than secondary batteries, and electric double-layer capacitors use the phenomenon (electric double layer) in which charges are oriented at an extremely short distance at the interface between the electrolyte and the electrode, and store electricity through a physical process, so the operating temperature range is wider than secondary batteries on both the low and high temperature sides.

As described above, secondary batteries convert chemical energy into electrical energy through electrochemical reactions, so they take a long time, about several hours, and their charge/discharge life is only about 500 to 1000 times, and overcharging and overdischarging shortens the life of the secondary battery. In addition, secondary batteries have limitations on charging and discharging, such as the need for a protection circuit to protect the secondary battery from overcharging and overdischarging. In contrast, capacitors, such as electric double-layer capacitors, have the characteristic that they store energy only through the physical adsorption of ions on the surface of a substance with a large surface area, such as activated carbon, so there is almost no deterioration of the constituent materials. Therefore, capacitors can be charged in a short time of about several seconds, and since charging and discharging are performed by physical phenomena, there is almost no deterioration associated with this charging and discharging, and they can be charged and discharged for millions of cycles and can be used semi-permanently, so their charge/discharge life is theoretically unlimited, and they can be discharged until the voltage reaches 0V and can be completely discharged, so there are no limitations on charging and discharging. Furthermore, capacitors can be flow soldered, and can be handled by automatic mounting machines, so they can be automatically mounted. In terms of safety, electric double-layer capacitors also have advantages over secondary batteries and aluminum electrolytic capacitors.

For this reason, in this embodiment, an electric double layer capacitor 45 is used as the power storage device from the standpoint of safety and compactness, but other capacitors such as aluminum electrolytic capacitors may also be used, and both have a wider operating temperature range than normal secondary batteries, allowing for greater versatility in placement locations, and can provide benefits related to charging and discharging, such as an increased charge and discharge life and no need for a protection circuit. Of course, secondary batteries may also be used as the power storage device.

Returning to FIG. 7, the control device 40 is mainly comprised of a microcomputer 66 as a control means for the steamer main body 1, a switching element 67 for driving the electromagnetic pump 24, a relay circuit 68 for turning the heater 6 on and off, a switch circuit 69 for sending operation signals from the temperature setting/off button 35 and the steam volume setting button 36 to the microcomputer 66, an LED circuit 70 for turning the temperature display lamp 38 on and off, a zero-cross circuit 71 for detecting the AC voltage applied to the power receiving unit 5 and sending it to the microcomputer 66, and an alarm circuit 72 for turning the buzzer 42 on and off.

The temperature detection means 41 is connected to the input side of the microcomputer 66, and detects the temperature of the base 7 and transmits it to the microcomputer 66 as described above. The switching element 67 is composed of, for example, an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) and is connected between the electromagnetic pump 24 and the ground line GL. The microcomputer 66 is also connected to, for example, the gate of the IGBT, which serves as a control terminal, and a pulse drive signal, for example, a PMW (Pulse Width Modulation) control signal, is sent from the output side of the microcomputer 66, and the DC power from the power generation device 43 to the electromagnetic pump 24 is interrupted in accordance with the switching operation of the switching element 8, thereby driving the electromagnetic pump 24.

The SW circuit 69 is connected between the temperature set/off button 35 and the steam amount setting button 36 and the input side of the microcomputer 66, and when the temperature set/off button 35 or the steam amount setting button 36 is operated, it sends the operation signal to the microcomputer 66. The LED circuit 70 is connected between the output side of the microcomputer 66 and the temperature display lamp 38, and turns the temperature display lamp 38 on and off according to the control signal of the microcomputer 66. The relay circuit 68 turns the heater 6 on and off according to the control signal of the microcomputer 66, and the output side of the microcomputer 66 is connected to the primary side of the relay included in the relay circuit 68, and the heater 6 is connected to the secondary side of this relay.

The zero-cross circuit 71 detects the AC voltage applied to the power receiving unit 5 to protect the contacts of the relay of the relay circuit 68 from the high-output AC power from the power receiving unit 5 and transmits it to the microcomputer 66. It is connected between the connection point of the relay circuit 68 and the power receiving unit 5 and the input side of the microcomputer 66. Based on the detection signal from the zero-cross circuit 71, the microcomputer 66 sends a control signal so that the relay of the relay circuit 68 is turned on/off when the voltage applied to the relay is 0V. The alarm circuit 72 is connected between the output side of the microcomputer 66 and the buzzer 42 and turns the buzzer 42 on/off according to the control signal from the microcomputer 66. The alarm circuit 72 may be configured to change the sound or tone of the buzzer 42 according to the control signal from the microcomputer 66.

The configuration of the plug unit 2 and the stand 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 9. The plug unit 2 mainly comprises a flexible power cord 74 and a power supply plug 75 attached to the base end of the power cord 74. Although not shown, the tip of the power cord 74 is provided with a power plug that can be inserted and removed from a household outlet. In this embodiment, the power supply plug 75 with the power cord 74 is configured to be detachable from either the steamer body 1 or the stand 3.

The power supply plug 75 is provided with a cordless changeover switch 76 that can be manually operated to make the power supply plug 75 engageable or unengageable with the concave power receiving section 5 of the steamer body 1. The cordless changeover switch 76 is provided on the upper surface side of the power supply plug 75 so that it can slide back and forth. When the power supply plug 75 is attached to the stand 3 as shown in FIG. 8, in order to use the steamer body 1 in a cordless state with the plug unit 2 removed from the steamer body 1, the cordless changeover switch 76 is moved forward on one side to release the engagement between the steamer body 1 and the power supply plug 75. On the other hand, in order to use the steamer body 1 in a corded state with the power supply plug 75 removed from the stand 3 and the plug unit 2 attached to the steamer body 1, the cordless changeover switch 76 is moved backward on the other side to engage the steamer body 1 and the power supply plug 75. At this time, the front part of the power supply plug 75 is attached to the power receiving part 5 of the steamer main body 1, but the rear part of the power supply plug 75 including the cordless changeover switch 76 is exposed and not surrounded by the power receiving part 5, so that the user can manually operate the cordless changeover switch 76 at any time. The power receiving part 5 of the steamer main body 1 is provided with a pair of power receiving terminals 76 that can be electrically connected to the power supply terminals (not shown) of the plug unit 2.

The stand 3 is equipped with a main body mounting section 78 formed at an angle relative to the floor surface S so that the front of the steamer main body 1 can be placed on it with the front facing diagonally upward, a recessed plug housing section 79 provided at the rear of the main body mounting section 78, and a cord pull-out section 80 provided at the rear of the stand 3 for pulling out the power cord 74 to the outside of the stand 3 when the power supply plug 75 is attached to the plug housing section 79. When the power supply plug 75 is inserted from the open front side of the plug housing section 79, the power supply plug 75 is fitted and held in the plug housing section 79, while when the power supply plug 75 is pulled out toward the front from this state, the power supply plug 75 is disengaged from the plug housing section 79.

In addition to the cordless switch 76 described above, the power supply plug 75 also includes an engagement claw 82 and a shutter member 83. The engagement claw 82 is constantly biased so as to protrude from the top surface of the power supply plug 75 by a first elastic member, such as a spring, provided inside the power supply plug 75. When the cordless switch 76 is moved to the "cordless" side, against the bias of the first elastic member, the length of protrusion of the engagement claw 82 from the top surface of the power supply plug 75 is reduced. As a result, when the cordless switch 76 is on the "cordless" side, the length of the mating tab 82 protruding from the top surface of the power supply plug 75 is small, so if the power supply plug 75 is stored and held in the plug storage section 79 of the stand 3 as described above, the power receiving section 5 of the steamer main body 1 placed on the main body mounting section 78 of the stand 3 can be inserted and removed from the power supply plug 75 without interfering with the mating tab 82, making it possible to use the steamer main body 1 cordlessly.

On the other hand, when the cordless changeover switch 76 is moved to the "corded" side at the rear of the other side, only the biasing force of the first elastic member acts on the mating claw 82, so the length of the mating claw 82 protruding from the top surface of the power supply plug 75 increases compared to the "cordless" case. Therefore, when the cordless changeover switch 76 is on the "corded" side and the recess 5 of the steamer body 1 is inserted into the power supply plug 75, the mating claw 82, which protrudes significantly due to the biasing force of the first elastic member, fits into the receiving portion (not shown) formed in the power receiving portion 5, and the steamer body 1 can be used with the cord attached with the plug unit 2 attached, unless the cordless changeover switch 76 is switched to the "cordless" side.

The resin shutter member 83 is constantly biased by a second elastic member (not shown) such as a torsion spring provided inside the power supply plug 75 in a direction such that none of the conductive power supply terminals (not shown) provided inside the power supply plug 75 are exposed from a pair of power supply holes 84 formed in front of the power supply plug 75. In this embodiment, whether the steamer body 1 is used cordless or corded, when the recess 5 of the steamer body 1 is inserted into the power supply plug 75, the shutter member 83 rotates against the biasing force of the second elastic member so that the power supply terminal is exposed from the power supply hole 84, and the power receiving terminal 76 of the steamer body 1 passes through the power supply hole 65A of the power supply plug 75 and contacts the power supply terminal 88. This makes it possible to supply power to the steamer body 1 from a household outlet via the plug unit 2.

Next, the operation of the steamer with the above configuration will be described. The water inlet lid 22 on the steamer main body 1 is opened and closed to store a predetermined amount of water in the storage space 20 of the tank assembly 17. Next, the power supply plug 75 of the plug unit 2 is fitted and stored in the plug storage section 79 of the stand 3, and the steamer main body 1 is placed on the main body placement section 78 of the stand 3, or the power supply plug 75 is inserted and fitted into the power receiving section 5 of the steamer main body 1 without using the stand 3, and commercial power supplied from a household outlet is supplied to the steamer main body 1 via the power supply plug 75.

In the off state, where the temperature setting/off button 35 and the steam amount setting button 36 are not operated immediately after power supply, commercial power is supplied to the power supply circuit 44 of the generator 43 via the power receiving unit 5, and DC power is sent from the output terminal of this power supply circuit 44 to each part of the steamer main body 1. In addition, the electric double layer capacitor 45 is automatically charged via the constant current circuit 62 by the DC power sent from another output terminal of the power supply circuit 44. Therefore, when charging the generator 43, the user does not need to take the trouble of operating the operation body such as the temperature setting/off button 35 or the steam amount setting button 36. In addition, while no power is supplied to the heater 6 in the off state, the remaining battery level of the electric double layer capacitor 45 may be displayed on the temperature indicator lamp 38 or another display unit.

_{10 shows a graph G1} showing the voltage value of the electric double layer capacitor 45 when the electric double layer capacitor 45 is charged without the constant current circuit 62, and a graph _G2 showing the voltage value of the electric double layer capacitor 45 when the electric double layer capacitor 45 is charged via the constant current circuit 62 as a rapid charging circuit. Here, the capacitance of the electric double layer capacitor 45 is 2 Farads, which is obtained by connecting two 4 Farad (F) capacitors in series, and charging will be described as being completed when the voltage of this electric double layer capacitor 45 rises to 4.2 V. R is a reference line, and the relationship between the voltage and time required to charge to the target voltage value of 4.2 V in 1 minute 20 seconds is shown as a linear function.

First, to explain graph _G1 when electric double layer capacitor 45 is charged without constant current circuit 62, the voltage of electric double layer capacitor 45 rises along reference line R from 0 seconds to about 50 seconds, but as the voltage of electric double layer capacitor 45 rises to near threshold value _Th1 and the capacity of electric double layer capacitor 45 becomes full due to the accumulation of charge, the rise in voltage slows down and graph _G1 moves away from reference line R, and the charging speed of electric double layer capacitor 45 decreases and becomes saturated. Therefore, it takes about 10 minutes to reach 4.2 V, which is the voltage at which charging is completed in graph _G1 (not shown).

Next, the graph _G2 when the electric double layer capacitor 45 is charged via the constant current circuit 62 will be described. From 0 seconds to about 50 seconds, the voltage of the electric double layer capacitor 45 rises along the reference line R, similar to the graph _G1 . Then, when the control unit 62A detects from the output voltage of the constant current circuit 62 that this voltage has risen to exceed the voltage threshold value _Th1 when a predetermined amount of charge is stored in the electric double layer capacitor 45, the control unit 62A controls the constant current circuit 62 so that power is supplied from the constant current circuit 62 at a predetermined current value. As a result, the rise in the voltage of the electric double layer capacitor 45 increases more than the previous value along the reference line R, and the slope of the graph _G2 becomes steeper than before. Therefore, even when the capacity of the electric double layer capacitor 45 becomes full due to the stored charge, the charging speed does not slow down, and in about 60 seconds in the graph _G2, the charging is completed and the voltage reaches 4.2 V. Therefore, in the power generation circuit 43 of this embodiment, the electric double layer capacitor 45 can be charged with a constant current regardless of the amount of charge stored therein, and it is possible to charge the electric double layer capacitor 45 quickly even when the voltage of the electric double layer capacitor 45 is high. Therefore, even products with short charge/discharge cycles such as the steamer and cordless iron of this embodiment can be charged in a short time, and even if the storage capacity of the electric double layer capacitor 45 is increased, the adverse effect of an increase in charging time can be suppressed.

When the control unit 62A detects from the output voltage of the constant current circuit 62 that the voltage of the electric double layer capacitor 45 has risen to 4.2 V, which is the threshold value _Th2 at which charging is completed, the control unit 62A controls the constant current circuit 62 to stop the supply of power from the constant current circuit 62. This makes it possible to prevent the electric double layer capacitor 45 from being overcharged by continuing to charge the electric double layer capacitor 45 even after charging of the electric double layer capacitor 45 is completed. Therefore, the constant current circuit 62 of this embodiment also has a function of protecting the electric double layer capacitor 45 from overcharging.

When the supply of power from the constant current circuit 62 is stopped, the electric double layer capacitor 45 is discharged little by little, and this discharged power is sent to each part of the steamer main body 1 via the diode 64 together with the power from the power supply circuit 44 via the diode 63. When the control unit 62A detects that the voltage of the electric double layer capacitor 45 has dropped to the threshold value Th ₃ at which recharging begins, the control unit 62A controls the constant current circuit 62 so that power is again supplied from the constant current circuit 62 at a predetermined current value, and the electric double layer capacitor 45 is charged again until its voltage rises to 4.2 V, which is the threshold value Th _2. Here, it is preferable that the threshold value Th ₃ is a value slightly lower than the threshold value Th _2. In this embodiment, the value of the threshold value Th ₃ is 4.0 V, so that even after the charging of the electric double layer capacitor 45 is completed, the voltage of the electric double layer capacitor 45 can be maintained between 4.2 V and 4.0 V, which is close to the value when charging is completed, while preventing overcharging. In this way, the constant current circuit 62 changes the value of the output power and current according to the thresholds _Th1 , _Th2 , and _Th3, which are based on the voltage corresponding to the amount of charge in the electric double layer capacitor 45, i.e., it changes the load current of the electric double layer capacitor 45 according to the amount of charge in the electric double layer capacitor 45.

Returning to the explanation of the operation of the steamer with the above configuration, when the steamer main body 1 is used with the aforementioned cord, the temperature setting/off button 35 is pressed from the off state to set the temperature according to the fabric of the clothes that will be the object of steam emission. Inside the steamer main body 1, the microcomputer 66 of the control device 40 sends a control signal to the relay circuit 68 to control the heater 6 to be turned on and off so that the temperature of the base 7 detected by the temperature detection means 41 approaches the temperature set by the temperature setting/off button 35, and heats the base 7 including the vaporization chamber 11. At this point, the power supply circuit 44 may stop the power supply from another output terminal on the constant current circuit 62 side to end the charging of the electric double layer capacitor 45.

After that, when the base 7 reaches a certain temperature or higher as a result of the power being supplied to the heater 6, the microcomputer 66 sends a control signal to the LED circuit 70, which controls one of the temperature display lamps 38 corresponding to the set temperature to blink. When the microcomputer 66 determines that the temperature of the base 7 detected by the temperature detection means 41 has reached the set temperature, it sends a control signal to the LED circuit 70, which controls the blinking LED to switch to a lit state, and also sends a control signal to the alarm circuit 72, which controls the buzzer 42 to switch ON for a specified period of time.

When the user uses the steam function, while holding the grip 31 in his/her hand, he/she presses the steam amount setting button 36 from the initial position with his/her finger, and the SW circuit 69 sends an operation signal corresponding to the position of the steam amount setting button 36 to the microcomputer 66, and the steam flow rate is set. The microcomputer 66 receives the operation signal from the SW circuit 69, and according to the temperature of the base 7 based on the detection signal from the temperature detection means 41, sends a pulse drive signal to the control terminal of the switching element 67 when the base 7 is higher than the vaporization temperature of the liquid, and controls the drive of the electromagnetic pump 24 so that steam at the set flow rate is sprayed from the steam hole 12. As a result, the electromagnetic pump 24 is repeatedly turned on and off at a timing corresponding to the set steam flow rate, and the water sucked from the storage space 20 of the tank assembly 17 through the suction pipe 25 can be sent to the vaporization chamber 11 through the discharge pipe 26 and the liquid passage 46. Therefore, in this case, no matter what position the steamer body 1 is in when it is used, the water will reliably reach the heated vaporization chamber 11 and be vaporized there, and steam can be sprayed from the bottom of the steam body 1 through the steam holes 12 onto the fabric of clothing, etc., at a set flow rate.

When the user uses the dry function, the user releases his/her finger from the steam amount setting button 36 and returns it to its initial position, causing the SW circuit 69 to stop sending the operation signal, and upon receipt of this halt in the operation signal, the microcomputer 66 stops sending the pulse drive signal to the control terminal of the switching element 67. In response, the electromagnetic pump 24 stops operating, and the supply of water from the storage space 20 of the tank assembly 17 to the vaporization chamber 11 is cut off. Therefore, in this case, the steamer main body 1 can be used as a dry steamer in which steam is not sprayed from any of the steam holes 12.

On the other hand, when using the steamer body 1 cordlessly, the electric double layer capacitor 45 can be used as the power source to operate each part of the steamer body 1 in the same way as when it is corded, except for the heater 6, which consumes a lot of power.

Specifically, when the steamer body 1 becomes cordless, the power supply plug 75 is disconnected from the power receiving part 5 of the steamer body 1, and the supply of commercial power to the steamer body 1 is stopped, which stops the supply of DC power from the output terminal of the power supply circuit 44 mounted on the board 37, and the charging of the electric double layer capacitor 45 from the constant current circuit 62 is also stopped. In addition, the supply of power via the diode 63 is also stopped, so the potential of the cathode of the diode 63 drops. Then, when the potential of the cathode of the diode 64, i.e., the potential of the charged electric double layer capacitor 45, becomes higher than the potential of the cathode of the diode 63, the electric double layer capacitor 45 supplies operating power via the diode 64 to the temperature display lamp 38, buzzer 42, control device 40, and other components mounted on the board 37. The microcomputer 66 of the control device 40, which is operated by this, sends out control signals to control the LED circuit 70 and the notification circuit 72 described above based on the set temperature based on the operation signal from the SW circuit 69 set by the temperature setting/off button 35 and the temperature of the base 7 based on the detection signal from the temperature detection means 41, and one of the LEDs in the temperature display lamp 38 lights up or blinks according to the control signal using the operating power provided by the electric double layer capacitor 45, and the buzzer 42 turns on/off according to the control signal using the operating power provided by the electric double layer capacitor 45. Therefore, in the steamer main body 1 of this embodiment, even during cordless use, the temperature of the base 7, which is the operating state of the steamer main body 1, can be continuously displayed and confirmed by the temperature display lamp 38 provided on the upper surface of the steamer main body 1 using the power from the electric double layer capacitor 45, and the buzzer 42 can be used to notify when the temperature of the base 7 drops, improving usability for the user.

When the steamer main body 1 is in a cordless state, the electric double layer capacitor 45 also supplies operating power to the electromagnetic pump 24 via the diode 64. At this time, the steam amount setting button 36 is pressed with a finger, and the SW circuit 69 sends an operation signal corresponding to the pressing position of the steam amount setting button 36 to the microcomputer 66, and the steam flow rate is set. In response to the operation signal from the SW circuit 69, the microcomputer 66 sends a pulse drive signal to the control terminal of the switching element 67, and controls the drive of the electromagnetic pump 24 so that steam at the set flow rate is sprayed from the steam hole 12. As a result, the electromagnetic pump 24 is repeatedly turned on and off at a timing corresponding to the set steam flow rate, making it possible to send water sucked from the storage space 20 of the tank assembly 17 to the vaporization chamber 11 through the discharge pipe 26 and the liquid passage 46. Therefore, when the residual heat of the base 7 makes the base 7 higher than the vaporization temperature of the liquid, the microcomputer 66 sends a pulse drive signal to the control terminal of the switching element 67 according to the temperature of the base 7 based on the detection signal from the temperature detection means 41 to control the operation of the electromagnetic pump 24. Therefore, no matter what position the steamer main body 1 is used in, water will reliably reach the heated vaporization chamber 11 from the storage space 20 of the tank assembly 17 and be vaporized there, and steam at the flow rate set by the steam amount setting button 36 can be sprayed from the steam hole 12.

11 shows a graph of the state in which the steamer main body 1 is cordless, the electromagnetic pump 24 is continuously operated at maximum output from the voltage when the electric double layer capacitor 45 is fully charged to the minimum voltage at which the electromagnetic pump 24 can operate, and the electric double layer capacitor 45 is charged from that voltage. Here, V _C is a graph showing the voltage value of the electric double layer capacitor 45, V _M is a graph showing the voltage value applied to the electromagnetic pump 24, and W _C is a graph showing the value of the power supplied by or supplied to the electric double layer capacitor 45.

When the steam amount setting button 36 is pressed with a finger at time _t1 , the steam flow rate is set as described above, the microcomputer 66 sends a pulse drive signal to the control terminal of the switching element 67, and at time _t2 , power is supplied to the electromagnetic pump 24 from the electric double layer capacitor 45 via the diode 64. Therefore, the period _T1 from time _t1 to time _t2 is the period from when the steam amount setting button 36 is operated until the electromagnetic pump 24 starts pumping.

The electric double layer capacitor 45 supplies power to each part of the steamer body 1, and the voltage of the electric double layer capacitor 45 decreases over time as the electromagnetic pump 24 operates continuously, and at time _t3, the voltage applied to the electromagnetic pump 24 decreases to 3.5 V, which is the minimum voltage value at which the pump can be driven. Therefore, the period _T2 from time _t2 to time _t3 is the period during which the electromagnetic pump 24 is driven, and when the base 7 has risen to the set temperature, it is the period during which water is sent to the vaporization chamber 11 to be vaporized, and steam can be sprayed from the steam hole 12. In the steamer body 1 of this embodiment, this period _T2 was about 23 seconds. This period _T2 is a period during which the electromagnetic pump 24 can be operated continuously to eject steam at the maximum flow rate, and since the electromagnetic pump 24 is driven by, for example, PWM control using the switching element 67 in response to a pulse drive signal from the microcomputer 66, the flow rate of steam can be reduced below the current flow rate during normal steam ejection, and therefore the period _T2 can be lengthened to ensure a pump drive time of approximately 90 seconds (1 minute 30 seconds) for the electromagnetic pump 24. For this reason, it was confirmed that the steamer of this embodiment can withstand actual use.

After the voltage applied to the electromagnetic pump 24 drops to 3.5V, at time _t4, the steamer main body 1 is placed on the main body placement section 78 of the placement stand 3, and the power supply plug 75 of the plug unit 2 is fitted and accommodated in the plug accommodation section 79 of the placement stand 3. This causes commercial power supplied from a household outlet to be supplied to the power supply circuit 44 of the power generation device 43 via the power supply plug 75 and the power receiving section 5, and the electric double layer capacitor 45 is charged via the constant current circuit 62 by the DC power sent from another output terminal of this power supply circuit 44. As the electric double layer capacitor 45 is charged, the voltage of the electric double layer capacitor 45 rises over time, and at time _t5, the voltage of the electric double layer capacitor 45, i.e., the voltage applied to the electromagnetic pump 24, rises to 4.2V, which is the threshold value _Th2 at which charging is completed. Therefore, the period _T3 from time _t4 to time _t5 is a period during which the electric double layer capacitor 45 is charged from the minimum voltage at which the electromagnetic pump 24 can be driven to a voltage at which the electromagnetic pump 24 is completely charged, and in the steamer body 1 of this embodiment, this period _T3 was about 3 seconds.

In the steamer, the electric double layer capacitor 45 is charged by placing the steamer main body 1 on the stand 3 in a short cycle, and the electric double layer capacitor 45 is discharged by driving the electromagnetic pump 24 to pump in order to remove the steamer main body 1 from the stand 3 and eject steam. Therefore, it is important to charge the storage device quickly, and the charging of the storage device must be completed within 20 to 30 seconds when the steamer main body 1 is placed on the stand 3, the heater 6 is energized, and the base 7 is heated to the set temperature. In the steamer main body 1 of this embodiment, by providing the electric double layer capacitor 45 that is charged in a short time and the constant current circuit 62 as a rapid charging circuit, the period _T3 can be significantly shortened, and the charging of the electric double layer capacitor 45 can be completed with plenty of time to spare within the time when the base 7 is heated, and the superiority of the steamer of this embodiment was confirmed.

Figure 12 shows a modified version of the steamer body 1 of this embodiment. This modified version differs from the steamer body 1 of the above-described embodiment in that, in addition to the electromagnetic pump 24 including the suction pipe 25 and discharge pipe, a low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism 91 that prevents liquid from flowing into the vaporization chamber 11 when the base 7 is below the vaporization temperature is incorporated into the liquid passage 46. In all other respects, it is the same as the steamer body 1 of the above-described embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.

Explaining in detail with reference to FIG. 12, the low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism 91 mainly comprises a bimetal 92 as a thermosensitive responsive body that senses the temperature of the base 7 and deforms, and a valve member 93 that opens and closes the liquid passage 46 in response to the bimetal 92. The bimetal 92 is stored in a concave bimetal storage chamber 94 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 92 is in a return state, and the valve member 93 moves in a direction that closes the liquid passage 46, whereas when the base 7 is at or above the vaporization temperature of the liquid, the bimetal 92 is in an inverted state, and the valve member 93 moves in a direction that opens the liquid passage 46. At this time, if the electromagnetic pump 24 is operating, water from the tank assembly 17 is forcibly sent to the vaporization chamber 11 through the low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism 47 regardless of the position of the steamer main body 1, and the liquid is reliably dripped into the vaporization chamber 11.

Next, the operation of the steamer with the above configuration will be described. When the temperature setting/off button 35 is pressed from the off state to set a temperature according to the fabric of the clothes to be steamed, inside the steamer main body 1, the microcomputer 66 of the control device 40 sends a control signal to the relay circuit 68 to control the heater 6 to be turned on and off so that the temperature of the base 7 detected by the temperature detection means 41 approaches the temperature set by the temperature setting/off button 35, and heats the base 7 including the vaporization chamber 11. After that, when the base 7 reaches a certain temperature or higher due to the current passing through the heater 6, the bimetal 92 stored in the bimetal storage chamber 94 of the base substrate 8 is reversed, and the valve member 93 moves in the direction of opening the liquid passage 46 inside the low-temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism 91. This allows the electromagnetic pump 24 to send water sucked in through the suction pipe 25 from the storage space 20 of the tank assembly 17 through the discharge pipe 26 to the vaporization chamber 11 through the low temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism 91. Therefore, in order to prevent liquid leakage from the steam hole 12 by not sending water to the vaporization chamber 11 until the base 7 reaches a certain temperature or higher, and not sending water to the vaporization chamber 11 even when the temperature drops below a certain temperature, the microcomputer 66 controls the operation of the electromagnetic pump 24 according to the temperature of the base 7 based on the detection signal from the temperature detection means 41. In addition, a hardware configuration can be added in which the bimetal 92 does not reverse until the base 7 reaches a certain temperature or higher, and water is not sent from the low temperature liquid inflow prevention mechanism 91 to the vaporization chamber 11, so that liquid leakage from the steam hole 12 can be more reliably prevented.

As described above, the steamer of this embodiment includes a tank assembly 17 as a tank that stores liquid inside, a base 7 that is provided below the tank assembly 17 and has a heater 6 embedded therein as a heating means, a vaporization chamber 11 heated by the heater 6 to vaporize the liquid from the tank assembly 17, a steam hole 12 as an ejection section that ejects the steam vaporized in the vaporization chamber 11 to the outside, an electric double layer capacitor 45 as a capacitor that is positioned higher than the tank base 19 that forms the bottom surface of the tank assembly 17, and an electromagnetic pump 24 as a liquid supply section that supplies the liquid in the tank assembly 17 to the vaporization chamber 11. The steamer body 1 is equipped with the following components, and the electric double layer capacitor 45 generates electricity to operate a control device 40 mounted on a substrate 37, which controls the operation of the electromagnetic pump 24.

In this case, by arranging the electric double layer capacitor 45 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 electric double layer capacitor 45 from deteriorating due to the influence of the heating temperature of the base 7 by the heater 6. In addition, even in a cordless state where there is no power supply to the steamer and therefore the steamer main body 1, the drive of the electromagnetic pump 24 can be controlled using the power generated by the electric double layer capacitor 45, and no matter what position the steamer main body 1 is used in, the electromagnetic pump 24 can be driven to forcibly send liquid from the tank assembly 17 to the vaporization chamber 11, so that steam can be smoothly ejected from the steam hole 12. And by adopting a capacitor as a power storage device, it is safer, more compact, and can be fully charged in a short time than using a secondary battery, and the range of uses when using the steamer main body 1 cordlessly can be expanded.

In addition, the electric double layer capacitor 45 of this embodiment is charged by a constant current circuit 62 or a constant voltage circuit, and is configured so that when charging the electric double layer capacitor 45, it can be charged with a constant current of a predetermined current value, regardless of the amount of charge stored in the electric double layer capacitor 45.

In this case, it is possible to charge the electric double layer capacitor 45 quickly even when the voltage is high, and the charging speed does not slow down even when the capacity of the electric double layer capacitor 45 becomes full due to the accumulation of electric charge.

In addition, the constant current circuit 62 of this embodiment is equipped with a control unit 62A as a control IC that controls the output power of the constant current circuit 62, and the control unit 62A is provided with a voltage threshold Th ₁ when a predetermined amount of charge is stored in the electric double layer capacitor 45, a threshold Th ₂ at which charging is completed, and a threshold Th ₃ at which recharging begins, depending on a voltage corresponding to the amount of charge in the electric double layer capacitor 45.When the control unit 62A detects that these thresholds have been exceeded or reached, the control unit 62A sets the output power of the constant current circuit 62 to a predetermined current value or stops it depending on the voltage thresholds Th ₁ , Th ₂ , Th ₃ corresponding to the amount of charge, thereby making it possible to change this constant current; in other words, the load current of the electric double layer capacitor 45 is changed depending on the amount of charge in the electric double layer capacitor 45.

In this case, the control unit 62A controls the constant current circuit 62 to stop the supply of power from the constant current circuit 62 at the threshold value _Th2 at which charging is completed, thereby preventing overcharging of the electric double layer capacitor 45 that would otherwise occur if charging were continued even after charging of the electric double layer capacitor 45 is completed. After stopping the power supply from the constant current circuit 62, the control unit 62A controls the constant current circuit 62 to supply power again at a predetermined current value from the constant current circuit 62 at the threshold value _Th3 at which recharging begins, thereby preventing overcharging even after charging of the electric double layer capacitor 45 is completed and maintaining the voltage of the electric double layer capacitor 45 at approximately 4.2 V, which is the value when charging is completed.

In this embodiment, the operating state of the steamer main body 1 further includes a temperature detection means 41 as a sensor unit that detects the temperature of the base 7, and a temperature display lamp 38 as a display unit that displays the temperature of the base 7. The control device 40 is driven by the temperature detection means 41 using power from the electric double layer capacitor 45, and the LED circuit 70 is controlled according to the temperature of the base 7 to operate the temperature display lamp 38.

In this case, the power from the electric double layer capacitor 45 can be used to drive the microcomputer 66 of the control device 40 as well as the temperature display lamp 38. Even in a cordless state where no power is supplied to the steamer main body 1, the temperature of the base 7, which is the operating state of the steamer main body 1, can be detected in real time and the result can be displayed on the temperature display lamp 38, improving usability for the user.

The steamer of this embodiment also includes a plug unit 2 that supplies commercial power to the steamer body 1 when connected, and a power generator 43 as a charging circuit that has an electric double layer capacitor 45 and a constant current circuit 62 that charges the electric double layer capacitor 45, and is configured so that the electric double layer capacitor 45 is automatically charged while the plug unit 2 is connected to the steamer body 1.

In this case, the electric double layer capacitor 45 is automatically charged while the plug unit 2 is connected to the steamer body 1, such as when the steamer body 1 is not in use and is in an off state, so steam can be smoothly ejected from the steam hole 12 without having to worry about charging the electric double layer capacitor 45.

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 name "steamer" of the present invention applies to any device that ejects steam to remove wrinkles from clothes, and includes, for example, a steamer suitable for ejecting steam onto clothes from a distance as shown in this embodiment, as well as a steam iron suitable for ejecting steam while ironing by pressing the ironing surface of the base against the clothes. In addition, various sensors other than the temperature detection means 41 may be used to drive and control the operation of the display unit, and the display unit is not limited to an LED, and various other display elements and displays may be used.

1 Steamer body (steamer)
2 Plug unit 6 Heater (heating means)
7 Base 11 Vaporization chamber 12 Steam hole (ejection part)
16 Handle
17 Tank assembly (tank)
23 Upper storage space (space)
24 Electromagnetic pump (liquid supply unit)
31 Grip stick
37 Substrate
38 Temperature display lamp (display unit)
41 Temperature detection means (sensor unit)
43 Power generation device (charging circuit)
45 Electric double layer capacitor (capacitor)
62 Constant current circuit 62A Control unit (control IC)

Claims (7)

A tank for storing liquid therein;
a base provided below the tank and equipped with a heating means;
a vaporization chamber heated by the heating means to vaporize liquid from the tank;
An ejection section that ejects the steam evaporated in the evaporation chamber to the outside;
A capacitor disposed at a position higher than a bottom surface of the tank;
a liquid supply unit that supplies the liquid in the tank to the vaporization chamber,
The drive of the liquid supply unit is controlled by supplying power from the charge stored in the capacitor,
The capacitor is charged by a constant current circuit or a constant voltage circuit,
When charging the capacitor, the capacitor can be charged with a constant current regardless of the amount of charge stored in the capacitor;
the constant current circuit or the constant voltage circuit includes a control IC for controlling an output power of the constant current circuit or the constant voltage circuit,
A steamer characterized in that the control IC is capable of changing the constant current depending on the amount of charge stored in the capacitor. A sensor unit that detects the operating state of the steamer;
A display unit that displays the operating status of the steamer is further provided.
The steamer according to claim 1 , characterized in that the display unit is operated by a controlled drive of the sensor unit using the capacitor. a plug unit for supplying utility power to the steamer when connected;
The steamer described in claim 1 or 2, further comprising a charging circuit having the capacitor and a constant current circuit or a constant voltage circuit that charges the capacitor, and configured so that the capacitor is automatically charged while the plug unit is connected to the steamer. 4. The steamer according to claim 1, wherein the capacitor is an electric double layer capacitor. A handle is provided inside the tank from the front to the rear, and a grip portion is formed at the top of the steamer for holding by hand,
5. The steamer according to claim 1, wherein the condenser is provided inside the grip portion. 6. The steamer according to claim 5 , wherein a space in which the liquid supply unit is disposed is formed behind the tank. 7. The steamer according to claim 5 or 6 , wherein the capacitor and the constant current circuit or the constant voltage circuit are mounted on a substrate disposed inside the grip portion.

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