Safety switching means for controlling a current consumer

A hand-operated electrical appliance, in particular an iron, comprising a body portion that includes a handle portion, an electrical load in said body portion, an outlet opening in said handle portion,

• safety switching means in said appliance, said safety switching means including a radiation source disposed in said handle portion for directing a beam of radiation along a predetermined path towards and through said outlet opening,
• a radiation detector disposed in said handle portion adjacent said outlet opening such that said radiation detector is not exposed to radiation from said source along said predetermined path, said radiation detector being located such that when said outlet opening is covered by the hand of a user of said appliance, radiation from said predetermined path is reflected by the hand to said detector, and
• evaluation circuitry responsive to radiation striking said detector for determining whether that radiation is outside light which entered through said outlet opening or whether that radiation is radiation from said radiation source and reflected by the hand of the user, said evaluation circuitry being adapted to cause electrical energy to be applied to said electric load only while said detector senses radiation from said radiation source that is reflected by the hand of the user.