FR3156815A1 - Ironing device comprising a cordless iron. - Google Patents

Abstract

Ironing apparatus comprising a cordless iron (1) provided with an auxiliary reservoir (14) and comprising a base (2) on which the iron (1) is intended to be placed in a recharging position during inactive ironing phases, the base (2) comprising a main reservoir (26) and the apparatus comprising a hydraulic filling circuit (7) intended to supply the auxiliary reservoir (14) with liquid from the main reservoir (26) when the iron (1) occupies the recharging position, characterized in that it also comprises a hydraulic return circuit (8) intended to send liquid from the auxiliary reservoir (14) to the main reservoir (26) when the iron (1) occupies the recharging position, the hydraulic return circuit (8) being arranged in parallel with the hydraulic filling circuit (7). Figure for abstract: Fig. 5

Description

Ironing device comprising a cordless iron.

The present invention relates to the field of ironing apparatus comprising a cordless iron provided with an auxiliary tank and a base provided with a main tank and relates more particularly to an apparatus comprising a hydraulic filling circuit intended to supply the auxiliary tank with liquid from the main tank when the iron is placed on the base.

State of the art

It is known, from patent application JP2893957, an ironing appliance comprising a cordless iron provided with an auxiliary tank and comprising a base on which the iron is intended to be placed in a recharging position during inactive ironing phases. In this document, the base comprises a main tank and the appliance comprises a hydraulic filling circuit intended to supply the auxiliary tank with liquid from the main tank when the iron occupies the recharging position.

However, such a device has the disadvantage of having an auxiliary tank that must be equipped with a vent to allow air to escape during the filling phase. However, such a vent can get stuck or blocked and cause the device to malfunction. In addition, when the auxiliary tank is full, the valve equipping the vent closes, which leads to a pressure build-up in the filling circuit and in particular at the hydraulic connector connecting the iron to the base. Such a pressure build-up can cause leaks at the connector and requires the connector to be sized sufficiently robustly to limit these leaks. However, this leads to the use of a hydraulic connector that is expensive to manufacture and which generates a connection force that makes the device unreliable and/or not very ergonomic to use.

The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks.

To this end, the invention relates to an ironing appliance comprising a cordless iron provided with an auxiliary reservoir and comprising a base on which the iron is intended to be placed in a recharging position during inactive ironing phases, the base comprising a main reservoir, the appliance comprising a hydraulic filling circuit intended to supply the auxiliary reservoir with liquid from the main reservoir when the iron occupies the recharging position, characterized in that it also comprises a hydraulic return circuit intended to send liquid from the auxiliary reservoir to the main reservoir when the iron occupies the recharging position, the hydraulic return circuit being arranged in parallel with the hydraulic filling circuit.

Such a return circuit allows the liquid to be returned to the main reservoir of the base when the auxiliary reservoir is full and thus eliminates the need for a vent on the auxiliary reservoir and a device to stop filling when the reservoir is full.

The device may further have one or more of the following features, taken alone or in combination.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the hydraulic filling circuit comprises a first hydraulic connector comprising a first part, carried by the base and a second part carried by the iron, the first part and the second part of the first hydraulic connector being connected to each other when the iron occupies the recharging position. The hydraulic return circuit comprises a second hydraulic connector comprising a first part, carried by the base and a second part, carried by the iron, the first part and the second part of the second hydraulic connector being connected to each other when the iron occupies the recharging position.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the second part of the second hydraulic connector is connected to a conduit which opens into the auxiliary tank, at a point advantageously located at the top of the latter when the iron is in the recharging position.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the hydraulic filling circuit comprises a primary pump, advantageously integrated into the base.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the iron comprises a secondary pump drawing the liquid present in the auxiliary reservoir.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the iron comprises a vaporization chamber for the production of steam which is supplied with liquid from the auxiliary tank.

According to another advantageous characteristic of the invention, the vaporization chamber is supplied by means of the secondary pump.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the volume of the main tank is at least twice the volume of the auxiliary tank.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the device comprises an electrical connector comprising a first part secured to the base and a second part secured to the iron.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the device comprises a magnetic attraction device generating a force which ensures the stable balance of the iron in the recharging position.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the recharging position corresponds to a position of the iron in which it would be unstable in the absence of the magnetic attraction device, the iron being able to be disengaged from the base by exerting pressure, or traction, on the iron to move it to a decoupling position in which the force generated by the magnetic attraction device no longer ensures that the iron is held on the base.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, in the recharging position, the sole is only in contact with the ambient air.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the appliance comprises a locking device comprising at least one blocking element which is movable between a locking position in which the blocking element mechanically immobilizes the iron in the recharging position and an unlocking position in which the iron is no longer mechanically immobilized by the blocking element.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the locking device comprises an actuating element making it possible to move the blocking element from the locking position to the unlocking position and vice versa.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the actuating element is a button that can be manually operated by the user.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the iron comprises a housing which surmounts the soleplate and which comprises a rear part which extends cantilevered behind the soleplate, and the second part of the first and second hydraulic connectors being carried by a lower surface of the rear part of the iron.

Brief description of the figures

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

There FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ironing apparatus according to a particular embodiment of the invention, with the iron connected to the base;

There FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the device of the FIG. 1 with the iron disconnected from the base;

There FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the iron fitted to the appliance FIG. 1 ;

There FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the components located inside the iron;

There FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the hydraulic filling circuit and the hydraulic return circuit equipping the device of the FIG. 1 ;

There FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the interior of the base with the protective flap in the deployed position;

There FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the interior of the base with the protective flap in the retracted position;

There FIG. 8 is a detailed perspective view of the locking device in the unlocked position;

There FIG. 9 is a detail view, in perspective, of the locking device in the locking position;

There FIG. 9 is a detail view of the locking device cooperating with the rear part of the iron in which the locking device 9 is shown in the unlocked position;

There FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the main components equipping the iron;

There FIG. 11 is a detailed sectional view of the first and second hydraulic connectors.

Only the elements necessary for understanding the invention have been shown. To facilitate reading of the drawings, the same elements bear the same references from one figure to another.

It should be noted that in this document, the terms "horizontal", "vertical", "lower", "upper", "top", "bottom", "front", "rear", "longitudinal", "transverse", used to describe the iron and the base refer to this iron and this base in use, that is to say when the ironing soleplate and the lower surface of the base are placed on a horizontal plane.

Figures 1 to 3 represent an ironing appliance comprising a cordless iron 1 and a charging base 2, on which the iron 1 is intended to rest during inactive ironing phases, the iron 1 comprising a flat soleplate 10 surmounted by a plastic housing provided with a grip handle 11.

The base 2 has a power cable 24 allowing its connection to a domestic electrical network and has a lower surface 20 intended to rest flat on a work surface, such as an ironing board.

The base 2 comprises an access ramp 21 comprising a peripheral lower edge which is flush with the work surface and advantageously comprises a ballast and/or a fixing flange, not shown, ensuring its immobilization on the work surface.

The access ramp 21 is bordered laterally by two side walls 22 which delimit between them a receiving housing 23 having a shape complementary to that of the rear part of the iron 1, the receiving housing 23 comprising a stopper 25 at its rear end.

According to figures 3, 4 and 11, the soleplate 10 of the iron 1 is in thermal contact with a heating body 12 integrated in the body of the iron 1, and comprises an ironing surface provided with steam outlet holes 110. The heating body 12 is made from an aluminum foundry, advantageously having a mass of the order of 650 g, and comprises an electrical resistance 12A providing a power of the order of 2250 W under a voltage of 230V, as well as a vaporization chamber 120 provided with a temperature sensor of the CTN type, not shown in the figures.

The power supply to the 12A electrical resistance is managed by an electronic card placed in the base 2. When the iron 1 rests on the base 2, the electronic card receives information from the temperature sensor and regulates the power supply to the 12A electrical resistance to bring the temperature of the vaporization chamber 120 to around a set temperature of around 170°C.

The vaporization chamber 120 is supplied with water by means of a secondary pump 13 arranged inside an auxiliary tank 14 integrated in the housing of the iron 1. The iron 1 has a trigger 15 located under the handle 11, preferably in the vicinity of its front end, which controls the operation of the secondary pump 13 when it is actuated and makes it possible to supply the vaporization chamber 120 with water from the auxiliary tank 14, preferably with a water flow rate of the order of 35 gr/min.

The vaporization chamber 120 communicates conventionally with a steam distribution circuit, arranged between the soleplate 10 and the heating body 12, which allows the steam supply to the holes 110 arranged in the soleplate 10.

According to Figures 3 and 6, the stopper 25 comprises a first part of an electrical connector 5 intended to be electrically connected to a second part of the electrical connector 5 carried by the iron 1, in order to allow the electrical connection of the base 2 with the iron 1.

The first part of the electrical connector 5 comprises five contacts 5A1, 5B1, 5C1, 5D1, 5E1 which are electrically connected to the electronic card integrated in the base 2, three of these contacts 5B1, 5C1, 5E1 making it possible to power the iron 1 with the current from the domestic electrical network and being conventionally connected to the phase, neutral and earth. The other two contacts 5A1, 5E1 are intended to transmit information between the iron 1 and the base 2.

For example, contact 5A1 is advantageously used to transmit information from at least one sensor embedded in the iron 1. Contact 5E1 is advantageously used to transmit the signal from the CTN placed in the vaporization chamber 120.

According to Figures 2 and 6, the five contacts 5A1, 5B1, 5C1, 5D1, 5E1 are respectively arranged behind five central grooves 25A, 25B, 25C, 25D, 25E extending vertically on the stopper 25. The base 2 advantageously comprises a protective flap 50 pivotally mounted between a deployed position, illustrated in the FIG. 5 , in which the contacts 5A1, 5B1, 5C1, 5D1, 5E1 are masked by the protective flap 50 and a retracted position, illustrated in the FIG. 6 , in which the protective flap 50 is retracted downwards and frees access to the contacts. The base 2 comprises return means, advantageously produced by a spring, not visible in the figures, which automatically return the protective flap 50 to the deployed position when no pressure is exerted by the iron 1 on the protective flap 50.

The second part of the electrical connector 5, visible on the FIG. 3 , is arranged on a rear face of the rear cantilevered portion of the iron 1 and comprises five projecting conductive fingers 5A2, 5B2, 5C2, 5D2, 5E2. The conductive fingers 5A2, 5B2, 5C2, 5D2, 5E2 are bordered laterally by two guide walls 51 which extend rearwardly, beyond the conductive fingers 5A2, 5B2, 5C2, 5D2, 5E2, and form a barrier for protecting the conductive fingers against impacts when the iron 1 is tilted rearwardly.

When the iron 1 is brought into a charging position shown in the FIG. 1 , the two guide walls 51 are inserted into two peripheral grooves 25F, visible on the FIG. 2 , arranged on either side of the central grooves of the stopper 25, and interact with the protective flap 50 to tilt it into the retracted position in which the protective flap 50 does not cover the contacts 5A1, 5B1, 5C1, 5D1, 5E1. The five conductive fingers 5A2, 5B2, 5C2, 5D2, 5E2 then fit into the central grooves 25A, 25B, 25C, 25D, 25E of the base 2 to establish the electrical connection with the five contacts 5A1, 5B1, 5C1, 5D1, 5E1 of the first part of the connector, and allow an exchange of electrical energy between the base 2 and the iron 1.

According to Figures 1 and 6, the base 2 comprises a U-shaped main tank 26 which extends around the periphery of the base and has a filling hatch 26A. The base 2 comprises a primary pump 6 for drawing the water contained in the main tank 26 to send it to the auxiliary tank 14, integrated in the iron 1.

For this purpose, the device comprises a hydraulic filling circuit 7, connecting the main tank 26 to the auxiliary tank 14, and a hydraulic return circuit 8 connecting the auxiliary tank 14 to the main tank 26. The hydraulic filling circuit 7 and the hydraulic return circuit 8 are arranged in parallel and establish a double connection between the main tank 26 and the auxiliary tank 14.

The hydraulic filling circuit 7 comprises a first hydraulic connector comprising a first part 7A, carried by the base 2, which is connected to the primary pump 6 by a first conduit 70 and a second part 7B, carried by the iron 1, which is connected to the auxiliary tank 14 by a second conduit 71.

The return hydraulic circuit 8 comprises a second hydraulic connector comprising a first part 8A, carried by the base 2, which is connected to the main reservoir 26 by a third conduit 80 and a second part 8B, carried by the iron 1, which is connected to a fourth conduit 81 which opens at the top of the auxiliary reservoir 14 when the iron 1 occupies the recharging position.

The first parts 7A, 8A and second parts 7B, 8B of the first and second hydraulic connectors are equipped, in a manner known per se, with a ball valve 73, 83, visible on the FIG. 11 , closing automatically when the first parts 7A, 8A and second parts 7B, 8B are not connected to each other.

Preferably, the first part 7A of the first hydraulic connector and the first part 8A of the second hydraulic connector are arranged on a platform provided at the top of the access ramp 21, the second part 7B of the first hydraulic connector and the second part 8B of the second hydraulic connector being arranged on a lower face of the rear part of the iron 1.

Thus, the two parts 7A, 7B of the first hydraulic connector and the two parts 8A, 8B of the second hydraulic connector come opposite each other when the rear part of the iron 1 is brought above the access ramp 21 and is engaged in the receiving housing 23 of the base 2.

The base 2 advantageously comprises a groove 28 of annular shape, arranged on the periphery of the first parts 7A, 8A of the first and second hydraulic connectors. The iron 1 advantageously comprises a protective rib 18 which extends around the second parts 7B, 8B of the first and second hydraulic connectors and which has a shape complementary to the shape of the groove 28.

The protective rib 18 provides protection against impacts for the second parts 7B, 8B of the first and second hydraulic connectors, when the iron 1 is disconnected from the base 2. The protective rib 18 also provides centering for the first parts 7A, 8A and second parts 7B, 8B of the hydraulic connectors by engaging in the groove 28 when the iron 1 is brought into the recharging position.

The electronic card present in the base 2 also controls the operation of the primary pump 6 so that water is automatically sent into the auxiliary tank 14 each time the iron 1 is in the recharging position on the base 2.

In order to facilitate the placement of the iron 1 in the charging position and to ensure that it is held in this position, the device comprises a magnetic attraction device 100 generating a force which attracts the iron 1 towards the stopper 25 when the rear part of the iron 1 is brought into the receiving housing 23 of the base 2.

Preferably, the force generated by the magnetic attraction device 100 brings and maintains the iron 1 in the recharging position illustrated in the FIG. 1 in which the ironing surface is only in contact with the air and is raised relative to the work surface, advantageously making an angle of between 9° and 20° relative to the latter and preferably of the order of 15°.

For this purpose, the magnetic attraction device advantageously comprises magnets 100 having the shape of rectangular bars integrated in the base 2 and in the iron 1, the magnetic attraction force generated by the magnets 100 attracting the rear part of the iron 1 against the stopper 25.

These magnets 100 have, for example, a length of the order of 4 cm, a width of the order of 1 cm and a height of the order of 5 mm. They are sized to generate a magnetic attraction force which ensures that the iron 1 is kept in balance in the charging position.

According to Figures 3 and 5, the magnets 100 are partly integrated in the base 2, in the immediate vicinity of the first parts 7A, 8A of the first and second hydraulic connectors, and are partly integrated in the iron 1, in the immediate vicinity of the second parts 7B, 8B of the first and second hydraulic connectors. Thus, the force generated by the magnetic attraction of these magnets 100 is located as close as possible to the connection axis of the first and second hydraulic connectors.

For example, the magnets 100 are made of ferrite or neodymium and have a power of at least 0.6 T, the power of the magnets 100 being selected, depending on the weight of the iron 1, to ensure both the balance of the iron 1 in the charging position and the establishment of the hydraulic and electrical connections, while allowing easy disconnection of the iron 1, by the user, when the latter exerts a downward push at the front end of the handle 11. Advantageously, the magnets 100 used are class N48 Neodymium magnets, and their overall volume is preferably between 1500 mm3 and 6000 mm3.

The base 2 has a suitable shape allowing the iron 1 to be centered and automatically tilted towards the recharging position when the iron 1 is brought onto the base by sliding its soleplate 10 along the access ramp 21. For this purpose, the base 2 has a step 27 having a notch 27A in which a stop 16 arranged on the rear part of the iron 1, in the vicinity of the rear end of the soleplate 10, engages. The cooperation of this stop 16 with the step 27 makes it possible to block the iron 1 in its backward movement and to form a pivot point around which the iron 1 will tilt towards the recharging position.

Preferably, the stop 16 has a convergent shape which projects under the rear part of the iron 1 and ensures lateral centering of the iron 1 in the notch 27A before serving as a pivot point.

Preferably, the appliance comprises a locking device 9 which makes it possible to mechanically immobilize the iron 1 on the base 2 in the recharging position in order to prevent the latter from accidentally becoming detached from the base 2 when transporting the appliance by the handle 11 of the iron 1, for example for storage in a cupboard or placing on an ironing board.

According to Figures 8 and 9, the locking device 9 advantageously comprises two locking fingers 92 which are mounted to move in translation between an unlocking position (illustrated in the FIG. 8 ), in which the iron 1 is not mechanically blocked by the locking device 9, and a locking position (illustrated in the FIG. 9 ) in which the iron 1 is mechanically immobilized by the locking fingers 92 in the recharging position.

Preferably, the locking device 9 comprises a button 90, accessible from outside the device, which allows the two locking fingers 92 to be moved from the locking position to the unlocking position and vice versa.

In the particular embodiment illustrated in the figures, the button 90 projects from the edge of the receiving housing 23 and is arranged at the end of a lever 91 mounted to pivot around an axis of rotation 91A advantageously arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of the base 2.

The lever 91 is connected by a first link 93A to one of the locking fingers 92 and by a second link 93B to the other of the locking fingers 92, the first link 93A and the second link 93B being connected to the lever 91 at two points arranged symmetrically with respect to the axis of rotation 91A. The two locking fingers 92 are slidably mounted on horizontal guide rails 94 integrated in the base 2 and arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the base 2.

Thus, pivoting the button 90 in a first direction makes it possible to move the two locking fingers 92 towards each other, towards the locking position illustrated in the FIG. 9 in which the locking fingers 92 are inserted into an orifice 51A, visible on the FIG. 3 , arranged in the two guide walls 51 arranged on either side of the second part of the electrical connector 5 and prevent the iron 1 from being uncoupled from the base 2.

Pivoting the knob 90 in the opposite direction allows the two locking fingers 92 to be moved apart towards the unlocked position, illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, in which the locking fingers 92 are extracted from the orifice 51A, so that the iron 1 can be uncoupled from the base 2 by exerting pressure or traction on the handle 11.

Preferably and in accordance with the FIG. 6 , the protective flap 50 of the first part of the electrical connector 5 comprises two end walls 50A which extend vertically on either side of the first part of the electrical connector 5 and come opposite the two locking fingers 92 when the protective flap 50 occupies the deployed position. Thus, the protective flap 50 prevents the movement of the locking fingers 92 towards the locking position when it occupies the deployed position. Conversely, these end walls 50A disappear and allow the movement of the locking fingers 92 towards the locking position when the protective flap 50 occupies the retracted position. Such end walls 50A therefore make it possible to prevent the movement of the button 90 of the locking device 9 towards the locking position when the iron 1 is not in the charging position on the base 2.

The operation of the ironing device thus produced will now be described.

When the user wishes to carry out an ironing session, he fills the main tank 26 and connects the power cord of the base 2 to the domestic electrical network, the base 2 preferably being fixed to an ironing board.

The establishment of the connection between the conductive fingers 5A2, 5B2, 5C2, 5D2, 5E2 and electrical contacts 5A1, 5B1, 5C1, 5D1, 5E1 is detected by the electronic card present in the base 2 which then automatically causes the actuation of the primary pump 6 and the power supply of the resistance of the heating body 12.

The actuation of the primary pump 6 ensures the filling of the auxiliary tank 14 using the water stored in the main tank 26, the water being sent into the auxiliary tank 14 by the filling circuit until it reaches the top of the auxiliary tank 14 where the excess water then returns to the main tank 26 by the hydraulic return circuit 8.

Such an arrangement of the return hydraulic circuit 8 in parallel with the filling hydraulic circuit 7 makes it possible in particular to operate the primary pump 6 continuously when the iron 1 is connected to the base 2 and to do without a full tank detection sensor in the auxiliary tank 14. In an alternative embodiment, the primary pump 6 can be put into operation for a predetermined duration each time the iron 1 is placed in the refill position on the base 2. The predetermined duration of operation of the primary pump 6 is then selected to be greater than or equal to the time necessary to completely fill the auxiliary tank 14, starting from the assumption that the latter is empty when the iron 1 is placed on the base 2.

The power supply to the resistor generates a rapid rise in temperature of the heating body 12 and the temperature of the soleplate 10 which occurs without risk of damage to the base 2 and/or the ironing board since the soleplate 10 is then not in contact with the latter.

When the temperature of the heating body 12 reaches the set temperature, an indicator light and/or an audible alarm is advantageously activated to indicate to the user that the iron 1 is ready for use.

It then moves the button 90 into the unlocked position so that the locking fingers 92 move out of the holes 51A provided on the guide walls 51 at the rear of the iron 1.

The iron 1 is then held in position on the base 2 solely by the magnetic attraction forces generated by the magnets 100.

The user can then grasp the handle 11 and exert a downward force at the front end of the handle 11 until the torque exerted by the user exceeds the magnetic attraction force generated by the magnets 100 and separates the rear part of the iron 1 from the base 2. The iron 1 then tilts along the access ramp 21 away from the stopper 25 and can be freely moved on the ironing board to carry out ironing work. This disconnection of the iron 1 from the base 2 is then accompanied by the interruption of the electrical and hydraulic power supply to the iron 1 respectively by the electrical connector 5 and the first and second hydraulic connectors.

If the user wishes to have steam emission through the steam outlet holes 110 of the soleplate 10, he simply has to press the trigger 15 so as to operate the secondary pump 13 and send water into the vaporization chamber 120. The depression of the secondary tank 14, caused by the operation of the secondary pump 13, is then compensated by the entry of air which then takes place via the hydraulic return circuit 8 which opens at the top of the secondary tank 13. Thus, the hydraulic return circuit 8 has the advantage of serving as a vent circuit for the secondary tank 13 when the iron 1 is disconnected from the base 2.

When the user wishes to place the iron 1 back on the base 2, for example to handle the laundry to be ironed, or because the iron 1 indicates to him that it needs to be connected to the base, he simply has to slide the soleplate 10 along the access ramp 21 by orienting the rear part of the iron 1 towards the stopper 25, until the force generated by the magnets 100, which are then in the vicinity of each other, causes the iron 1 to automatically tilt into the recharging position. Tilting into this position simultaneously causes the hydraulic connection between the first parts 7A, 8A and second parts 7b, 8B of the first and second hydraulic connectors and the electrical connection between the two parts of the electrical connector 5.

The establishment of the electrical connection is then detected by the electronic card present in the base 2 which triggers the continuous actuation of the primary pump 6 and the power supply of the resistance of the heating body 12.

When the user has finished the ironing session and wishes to put away his appliance, he simply has to unplug the power cable 24 from the electrical network and switch the button 90 to the locking position. Switching the button 90 to the locking position causes the locking fingers 92 to move into the holes 51A of the guide walls 51 and the iron 1 to lock in the charging position.

The user can then grasp the handle 11 of the iron 1 to move the entire appliance for storage without the risk of sudden movements, which may accompany the transport of the appliance, causing the base 2 to disconnect under the effect of its weight and fall to the floor.

The ironing device thus produced has the advantage of not requiring a water level sensor in the secondary tank embedded in the iron, which limits its manufacturing cost and improves its reliability. In addition, the presence of the hydraulic return circuit makes it possible to dispense with the obligation to equip the secondary tank with a vent, both during the filling phase of the secondary tank, when the iron rests on the base, and during the ironing phase when the iron is used to produce steam.

The presence of the hydraulic return circuit also prevents any pressure build-up in the secondary tank, which limits the risk of leaks at the hydraulic connectors when connecting and disconnecting the iron from the base.

The absence of pressure build-up in the secondary tank also allows the use of a lower power and therefore lower cost primary pump.

Of course, the invention is in no way limited to the embodiment described and illustrated, which has been given only as an example. Modifications remain possible, in particular from the point of view of the composition of the various elements or by substitution of technical equivalents, without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

Thus, in an alternative embodiment of the invention not shown, the device may only include a pump embedded in the iron which will be used both to fill the secondary reservoir when the iron is connected to the base and to supply the vaporization chamber with water, when the iron is disconnected from the base.

In another embodiment not shown, only the base may be equipped with a pump which will be used to refill the auxiliary tank with water when the iron is resting on the base. In this embodiment, the steam chamber of the iron will be supplied by gravity from the water present in the secondary tank. The iron may be without a steam trigger and be equipped, in a manner known per se, with a drip valve allowing continuous steam production or be equipped with a drip valve whose opening is controlled by a steam trigger.

Claims (12)

Ironing apparatus comprising a cordless iron (1) provided with an auxiliary reservoir (14) and comprising a base (2) on which the iron (1) is intended to be placed in a recharging position during inactive ironing phases, the base (2) comprising a main reservoir (26) and the apparatus comprising a hydraulic filling circuit (7) intended to supply the auxiliary reservoir (14) with liquid from the main reservoir (26) when the iron (1) occupies the recharging position, characterized in that it also comprises a hydraulic return circuit (8) intended to send liquid from the auxiliary reservoir (14) to the main reservoir (26) when the iron (1) occupies the recharging position, the hydraulic return circuit (8) being arranged in parallel with the hydraulic filling circuit (7). Ironing appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that the hydraulic filling circuit (7) comprises a first hydraulic connector comprising a first part (7A), carried by the base (2) and a second part (7B) carried by the iron (1), the first part (7A) and the second part (7B) of the first hydraulic connector being connected to each other when the iron (1) occupies the recharging position and in that the hydraulic return circuit (8) comprises a second hydraulic connector comprising a first part (8A), carried by the base (2) and a second part (8B), carried by the iron (1), the first part (8A) and the second part (8B) of the second hydraulic connector being connected to each other when the iron (1) occupies the recharging position. Ironing appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that the second part (8B) of the second hydraulic connector is connected to a conduit which opens into the auxiliary reservoir (17), at a point advantageously located at the top of the latter when the iron (1) is in the recharging position. Ironing appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the hydraulic filling circuit (7) comprises a primary pump (6), advantageously integrated into the base (7). Ironing appliance according to claim 4, characterized in that the iron (1) comprises a secondary pump (13) drawing the liquid present in the auxiliary reservoir (14). Ironing appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the iron (1) comprises a vaporization chamber (120) for the production of steam which is supplied with liquid from the auxiliary reservoir (14). Ironing appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises an electrical connector (5) comprising a first part secured to the base (2) and a second part secured to the iron (1). Ironing appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises a magnetic attraction device (100) generating a force which ensures the stable balance of the iron (1) in the recharging position. Ironing appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, in the recharging position, the soleplate (10) is only in contact with the ambient air. Ironing appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises a locking device (9) comprising at least one blocking element (92) which is movable between a locking position in which the blocking element (92) mechanically immobilizes the iron (1) in the recharging position and an unlocking position in which the iron (1) is no longer mechanically immobilized by the blocking element (92). Ironing appliance according to claim 10, characterized in that the locking device (9) comprises an actuating element (90) for moving the blocking element (92) from the locking position to the unlocking position and vice versa. Ironing appliance according to claim 11, characterized in that the actuating element is a button (90) manually actuated by the user.