The present invention refers to operating processes, namely to soldering, in particular to soldering irons.

The purpose of the invention is to create a soldering iron, which should enable on the one hand more intensive and on the other hand also efficient energy-saving illumination of the working area in front of its soldering tip.

A self-illuminating soldering iron, which is described in CN 2006 20 010 963, comprises a correspondingly heated soldering tip, a grip of the soldering iron, and electric wire together with adequate plug, a lamp adapted for generating appropriately directed light, as well as an electricity supplying circuit, which is located in the front area of the grip and is formed by a resistor, two capacitors, a diode as well as a stabilizer. Such an apparatus should excel in a simple concept, practical use and also in a possibility of being used even in insufficiently illuminated or even in completely dark space, by which the user should be prevented from accidents, which may occur during soldering in such conditions. When the soldering iron is connected to the electricity supplying circuit, heating of the soldering tip is started by means of appropriate heater, which is mounted therein and supplied by the electric current. At the same time, the diode of the light source included within the soldering iron is also supplied with the electricity. Upon that, and until the soldering iron is supplied, the supplying circuit is maintaining the temperature of the soldering iron within a pre-determined range, which is required for soldering. Just before increasing the temperature above the top value of said range, supplying the heater is terminated, and just before decreasing the temperature below the bottom value, supplying of the heater is taking place again. Soldering may generally be performed regardless to that, whether the heater of the soldering tip is supplied with electricity at certain time or not, since it is only important that the temperature of the soldering tip is sufficiently high. This however means that by taking into account such operating mode of the soldering iron, the possibility of supplying the diode simultaneously with supplying the heater must be eliminated in advance, since always when the temperature would be sufficiently high and supplying of the heater would be terminated, also the supplying circuit of the diode would be interrupted. Consequently, upon each termination of supplying the heater, the diode would also be switched-off and would be then switched on again at that very moment, when the temperature of the soldering tip would be decreased in such extent that the heater would be activated again. This naturally means that the diode is supplied independently on supplying the heater and is switched on at the time when the soldering iron is via appropriate plug connected to the electricity supplying circuit, and is then deactivated upon said plug is disconnected. During quite practical use of the soldering iron the time periods of soldering as such are however relatively short. Plenty of time is required for the purposes of warming-up the soldering iron as well as for other working steps, which need to be performed prior or posterior to soldering as such, and during that time the soldering iron is normally not disconnected, since on the contrary the time and energy consumption involved by said warming-up to each required temperature would then be repeated again and again. However, if the light source is active all the time, the energy consumption is no doubt essential.

The present invention refers to a self-illuminating soldering iron, which comprises at the one hand a grip, which is equipped with a soldering tip, and on the other hand a stand, which is adapted to receive said grip together with the soldering tip prior to soldering or thereupon. Said grip comprises a casing, into which an electric wire is inserted through appropriate sleeve and to which said soldering tip is firmly attached, within which appropriate electric heater is mounted, which is electrically interconnected with said electric wire via appropriate control unit, which is adapted to control a required supplying of said heater with electricity for the purposes of adjusting each required temperature of the soldering tip. Said casing is furnished with at least one light source, which is located on its front surface, which is faced towards the soldering tip, and optionally includes at least one diode with a corresponding electronic circuit, which is via said electric wire connectable with each disposable electricity supply circuit, and which is adapted to illuminate the external area in front of the end portion of the soldering tip. Said stand, which is intended to support the grip prior to soldering or upon that, comprises at least one passage, which is adapted to receive a soldering tip.

In accordance with the present invention, such soldering iron comprises a switch, by means of which each light source is independently with regard to supplying each disposable electric heater available within the soldering tip of the soldering iron with electricity and via each corresponding electric wire and optionally also via each corresponding electric circuit electrically connectable to each disposable electricity supplying circuit, namely in such a manner that the electric circuit with included light source is on the one hand established by removing the grip together with the soldering tip from the stand and is on the other hand interrupted by placing the grip onto said stand.

Said stand comprising, in addition to said passage intended for receiving the soldering tip, also an inserting port, which is with respect to the direction of inserting the soldering tip arranged in front of the passage and is furnished with a seat adapted for placing said grip thereon, wherein the switch, which is integrated within each disposable circuit of the light source comprises a stationary magnet, which is arranged within said inserting port, as well as an operating magnet, which is arranged on the grip and is intended either to activate or to deactivate said switch. Consequently, by inserting the grip into the receiving port the operating magnet is then moved nearby the stationary magnet, by which the electric circuit of the light source is interrupted, while on the contrary by removing the grip from the stand the operation magnet is also moved nearby the stationary magnet, by which the electric circuit of the light source is then established.

Furthermore, said light source consists of a plurality of diodes, which are equidistantly arranged along the circumference on the front surface of the casing of the grip, which is faced towards the soldering tip, and which are cormectable into each disposable electricity supplying circuit via appropriate electronic circuit and independently with regard to supplying the electric heater with electricity.

Still further, said mirror is located adjacent to the front surface of the casing of the grip, which is adapted for directing light beams from the light source towards the external area just in front of the end portion of the soldering tip. In this, said mirror is preferably a cylindrical tubular mirror having a reflecting inner surface.

In a further embodiment of the soldering iron, a rim is foreseen in the area adjacent to the soldering tip on the casing of the grip, which is optionally displaceable at a pre-determined distance in the longitudinal direction of the grip and within which on the one hand the operating magnet of the switch is incorporated, while on the front surface thereof the light source is mounted, optionally at least one diode together with each corresponding electronic circuit, which is via said switch supplied with electricity.

Also in this embodiment, said light source is preferably formed of a plurality of diodes, which are equidistantly in the circumferential direction arranged on the front surface of the rim on the casing of the grip, which is faced towards the soldering tip, and which are via each corresponding electronic circuit as well as via the switch and the electric wire, but in each case independently with regard to supplying the electric heater with electricity, connectable to each disposable electricity supplying circuit of the soldering iron. In this, the mirror adapted for directing light beams from the light source towards the external area in front of the end portion of the soldering tip is foreseen on the rim, namely on the front surface thereof, which is faced towards the soldering tip, wherein said mirror is preferably a cylindrical tubular mirror having a reflecting inner surface.

Regarding both aforementioned embodiments of the invention, it may be further preferred, if the inserting port of the stand is of cylindrical shape. The invention will be described in more detail on the basis of embodiments, which are shown in the attached drawing, where

Fig. 1 is a schematically presented longitudinal cross-section of the first embodiment of a self-illuminating soldering iron together with a belonging stand; and

Fig. 2 is also a schematically presented longitudinal cross-section of a further embodiment of a self-illuminating soldering iron, where a belonging stand is not shown again.

As evident in Fig. 1, the soldering iron according to the first embodiment comprises at the one hand a grip 1 together with a soldering tip 2 attached thereto, and on the other hand a stand 3, which may optionally be adapted for stable placing onto a horizontal ground surface, or may e.g. be is attached to a corresponding beam, or may also be otherwise attached to each corresponding place in order to receive said grip 1 together with the tip 2 during the time intervals when soldering does not take place, or also when the soldering iron is disconnected from the electric circuit and is therefore out of use. In this particular embodiment, said stand 3 comprises an inserting port 31 with a seat 30 formed therein, which is adapted to receive said grip 1 and is in the direction of inserting the tip 2 transformed into some narrower passage 32 adapted for inserting said tip 2. In this particular embodiment, said inserting port 31 and said passage 32 are cylindrically shaped, while the seat 30 is a circular one.

The grip 1 consists of a casing 11, into which an electric wire 13 is inserted through appropriate sleeve 12. The soldering tip 2 is attached to said casing 1 and in this particular embodiment comprises a conical end portion 20 as well as an electric heater 21, which is integrated therein and is via a not-shown control circuit electrically interconnected with said electric wire 13 and herewith also with each disposable source of the electric energy. Thanks to such control circuit, operation of said heater 21 is then controlled in such a manner that the temperature of the soldering tip 2 is maintained within a pre-determined temperature range.

Besides, the embodiment according to Fig. 1 comprises a light source 14, which is located in the area of the front surface 111 of the casing 1, which is faced towards the soldering tip 2 and consists of a plurality of diodes 140, which are via appropriate electronic circuit 141 and via appropriate switch 15 electrically connected to said wire 13 in order to be, depending however on activation or deactivation of the heater 21, connected to appropriate electricity supply circuit. For the purposes of precisely directing light beams from the light source 14 i.e. said diodes 140 towards the area just in front of the soldering tip 2, a mirror 16 is foreseen on the grip 1 adjacent to the light source 14, namely adjacent to diodes 140, which is formed as a cylindrical tubular section, which is furnished with a reflective inner surface 160.

Said switch 15 may in principle be realized in different ways and is generally adapted to enable activation of the light source 14 only when the area in front of the soldering tip 2 needs to be illuminated, that is during the periods of actual soldering. Since in the practice such periods of actual soldering usually correspond to time intervals between removal the grip 1 together with the soldering tip 2 from the stand 3 and returning the grip 1 together with the soldering tip 2 back to the stand 3, the switch 15. may be a so-called REED-s witch. Such switch consists of a stationary switch 15' integrated within the inserting port 31, as well as of an operating switch 15", which is mechanically and via appropriate electric and magnetic insulation interconnected with adequate not-shown switching member serving for the purposes of establishing or interruption of appropriate electric circuit, which is controlled by such electric switch 15 and which in this particular case corresponds to the circuit, into which the electronic circuit 141 is integrated, which is adapted to supply electricity to the light source 14 i.e. to the diodes 140. Upon the soldering is terminated, the user normally inserts the grip 1 throughout the inserting port 31 on the stand 3, by which the operating magnet 15" is moved nearby the stationary magnet 15', by which due to mutual irritation of said magnets 15', 15" the switch 15 is deactivated and the electric circuit of the light source 14 is herewith interrupted. On the contrary, just before the soldering is taking place again, the user removes the grip 1 from the stand 3, by which the operating magnet 15" is moved nearby the stationary magnet 15', by which the switch 15 is activated in order to establish an electric circuit throughout the light source 14, which then starts illuminating the area in front of the end portion 20 of the soldering tip 2.

In a further embodiment, the grip 1 also comprises a casing 1, into which through appropriate sleeve an electric wire 13 is inserted, which is electrically interconnected with the electric heater 21, which is mounted within the soldering tip 2, which is firmly attached to the casing 11 of said grip 1. In this particular embodiment, said casing 1 is furnished with a ring-shaped rim 17, which may optionally be displaced at a certain distance in the longitudinal direction of the grip 1 and on which, namely on the front surface 170 thereof, a light source 14 is mounted, which preferably consists of appropriate number of equidistantly in the circumferential direction arranged diodes 140 together with each belonging electronic circuit 141, which is via appropriate switch 15 and independently with regard to supplying said heater 21 connectable with appropriate electricity supplying circuit. Analogously like in the previously discussed embodiment according to Fig. 1, a REED-switch may be used as the switch 15. Also the mirror 16 may be quite similar like in the previously discussed embodiment according to Fig. 1, although it should be placed onto said unit 17 instead on the casing 11.

Prior to establishing of connection of the soldering iron with each disposable electricity supply circuit, the grip is inserted within the inserting port 31 on the stand 3, by which at least a portion of the front surface 111 of the grip 1 is rest on the seat 30, while the soldering tip 2 extends throughout the passage 30 of the stand 3. The switch 15 is deactivated, and when the user switches the soldering iron on, only the heater 2 is interconnected with the electricity supply circuit, but not also the light source 14. Only upon removal the grip 1 together with the soldering tip 2 from the stand 3, the light source 14 is activated and remains operating up to the moment, when the grip 1 together with the soldering tip 2 is returned onto/into said stand 3. Thanks to the proposed invention, illuminating of each area in front of the end portion 20 of the soldering tip 2 is only taking place in those time periods, when such illuminating is actually needed.