JP5931384B2 - Washing machine - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a washing machine.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a vertical washing machine for both dewatering and washing, a tank serving as a dewatering tank and a washing tub is disposed in a water tub, and an agitator is disposed at the inner bottom of the tub. Then, washing is performed by rotating the stirring body in a state where the laundry and water are accommodated in the tank. The stirrer includes, for example, a circular base, a central convex portion provided at the center of the base, and a plurality of protrusions provided on the upper surface of the base so as to extend radially around the central convex portion. It is the structure provided with the blade | wing part.

  In the conventional configuration as described above, at the time of washing by rotation of the stirrer, for example, the stirrer may hardly catch the laundry, and the cleaning efficiency is not so good.

Japanese Patent No. 3315279

  Then, it aims at providing the washing machine which can aim at the improvement of washing | cleaning efficiency in what wash | cleans by rotating a stirring body.

In the washing machine of this embodiment, a stirring body is disposed at the inner bottom of a tub in which laundry and water are stored, and washing is performed by rotating the stirring body. The stirrer includes a base serving as a base, a central convex portion provided at a central portion on the base, and a plurality of blade portions protruding on the base so as to extend radially around the central convex portion. . And the base is located around the central convex part and between the adjacent blade parts, and has a concave curved surface provided so as to be recessed in a curved shape on the lower side, and a curved surface on the outer peripheral side from the concave curved surface. And a position where the distance in the height direction between the upper edge portion of the blade portion and the concave curved surface and the convex curved surface is the maximum distance. It is located closer to the central convex portion than the curvature change point of the concave curved surface and the convex curved surface .

Longitudinal side view of washing machine according to one embodiment Broken perspective view near the water channel cover Transverse plan view along line AA in FIG. Perspective view of stirrer Top view of stirrer Longitudinal sectional view along line BB in FIG. Expanded longitudinal sectional view of the main part of the stirring body

  Hereinafter, a washing machine according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 shows an overall schematic configuration of a vertical-type dewatering combined washing machine. In FIG. 1, the outer shell of the washing machine main body 1 includes an outer box 2 having a rectangular box shape and a top cover 3 mounted on the upper part of the outer box 2. Legs 4 are provided at the bottom of the outer box 2. Near the center of the top cover 3, a laundry entrance 5 is provided, and a lid 6 that opens and closes the laundry entrance 5 is provided. In this case, the lid 6 is a two-fold type, and the rear end (right side in FIG. 2) is rotatably attached to the top cover 3.

  Inside the washing machine body 1, a bottomed cylindrical water tank 7 having an open upper surface and capable of storing water is disposed. The water tank 7 is elastically supported on the outer case 2 by an elastic suspension mechanism 8 mainly composed of a suspension bar 8a and a spring 8b. A frame-shaped tank cover 9 is attached to the upper end of the water tank 7. Inside the water tank 7, a bottomed cylindrical rotating tank 10 as a tank is rotatably disposed. A large number of through holes 11 for dehydration are formed in the side wall 10 a of the rotary tank 10. At the upper end of the rotary tank 10, for example, a rotary balancer 12 having a liquid-filled annular shape is mounted. A stirrer 13 is rotatably disposed at the inner bottom of the rotary tank 10. Details of the stirring body 13 will be described later.

  A drive unit 14 is disposed on the outer bottom of the water tank 7. This drive unit 14 is equipped with a motor for washing and dehydration, a clutch mechanism for switching transmission of power, and the like, and during the washing operation, only the stirring body 13 is moved in both forward and reverse directions at low speed via the stirring body drive shaft 15. The rotating tank 10 is rotated alternately, and the rotating tank 10 is rotated together with the stirrer 13 in one direction at a high speed via the rotating tank drive shaft 16 during the dehydrating operation. A drain port 17 is formed at the bottom of the water tank 7, and a drain hose 19 is connected to the drain port 17 via a drain valve 18. In a state where the drain valve 18 is closed, the water supplied into the rotary tank 10 is stored in the rotary tank 10 and thus in the water tank 7. In addition, although not shown in figure, the water supply apparatus provided with the water supply valve is arrange | positioned inside the rear part of the top cover 3. As shown in FIG. A water supply hose connected to a water tap is connected to the water supply valve. When the water supply valve is opened, the tap water is supplied into the rotary tank 10 and then into the water tank 7 through the water supply device. Supplied.

  The water tank 7 is provided with an air trap 20 communicating with the drain port 17. A pressure-type water level sensor (not shown) is connected to the air trap 20 via an air tube 21, and the water level in the water tank 7 (in the rotating tank 10) can be detected by the water level sensor. An overflow channel 22 is provided in the upper part of the water tank 7.

  A circulating water passage 23 extending in the vertical direction along the side wall 10a is formed inside the side wall 10a of the rotating tub 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the circulating water channel 23 is formed by the side wall 10 a of the rotating tub 10 and the water channel cover 24 by mounting a water channel cover 24 extending in the vertical direction inside the side wall 10 a of the rotating tub 10. It is formed by the space part. A lower end portion of the circulation water channel 23 communicates with a pump chamber 25 formed below the stirring body 13. The pump chamber 25 is formed by a space portion formed between the lower surface of the stirring body 13 and the inner bottom surface of the rotating tub 10. A plurality of back blades 26 project from the lower surface of the stirring body 13 toward the inside of the pump chamber 25.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the water channel cover 24 has a concave curved surface portion 27 that is recessed in a curved shape toward the outer side (side wall 10 a side of the rotating tub 10) as viewed from the rotation center side of the rotating tub 10. It is formed to extend in the direction. The concave curved surface portion 27 is curved to be larger than the side wall 10 a of the rotating tub 10. That is, the radius of curvature of the concave curved surface portion 27 is formed to be smaller than the radius of curvature of the side wall 10 a of the rotating tub 10. And in the water channel cover 24, the discharge port 28 extended in the horizontal direction is formed in three places from the intermediate part of the up-down direction in the concave curved surface part 27 to the upper part.

  Next, the stirring body 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. The agitator 13 is entirely made of synthetic resin, and has a base 30 that has a circular planar shape as a base, a central protrusion 31 provided at the center of the base 30, and a central protrusion on the base 30. A plurality of, in this case, three blade portions 32 projecting radially from the center 31 and the plurality of back blades 26 radially provided on the lower surface (back surface) of the base 30 are integrally formed. I have. A boss portion 33 is provided at the center of the central convex portion 31, and this boss portion 33 is fitted to the agitator drive shaft 15 (see FIG. 1) from above. The stirrer 13 is attached to the stirrer drive shaft 15 so as to rotate integrally with the stirrer drive shaft 15 by a screw 34 attached to the boss portion 33. The three blade portions 32 are arranged around the central convex portion 31 at equal intervals. As shown in FIG. 5, each blade 32 is slightly curved so that the intermediate portion in the radial direction is convex toward the opposite side to the clockwise direction when viewed from above.

  And in the stirring body 13, the base 30 as a base is provided with a concave curved surface 35 so as to be recessed in a curved shape around the central convex portion 31 and between the adjacent blade portions 32, respectively. A convex curved surface 36 is provided so as to be positioned on the outer peripheral portion side of each concave curved surface 35 and protrude upward in a curved shape, and a curvature change point 37 is formed between the concave curved surface 35 and the convex curved surface 36. (See FIGS. 6 and 7).

  In FIG. 7, in order to compare the height relationship of the central convex part 31, the blade | wing part 32, the concave curved surface 35, and the convex curved surface 36, these sectional drawings are represented on one drawing for convenience. In FIG. 7, the base 30 is low at the concave curved surface 35 portion, gradually increases from the curvature change point 37 to the convex curved surface 36, and is highest at the outer peripheral portion. A rib 38 a that slightly protrudes upward and a rib 38 b that slightly protrudes downward are projected from the end of the outer peripheral portion of the base 30. The upper edge portion 32a of the blade portion 32 is gradually higher from the central convex portion 31 to the outer peripheral portion, and the highest point 39 that is highest at the upper edge portion 32a is continuous within a predetermined range on the outer peripheral portion side. ing. A region where the highest points 39 are continuous is shown as a highest point region 40. The highest point 39 of the blade part 32 is set higher than the central convex part 31. The position 40 a closest to the center in the highest point region 40 is located slightly on the outer peripheral side with respect to the curvature change point 37. Therefore, the highest point 39 (the highest point region 40) of the blade portion 32 is located closer to the outer peripheral portion side of the stirring body 13 than the curvature change point 37.

  The position P at which the distance L in the height direction between the upper edge portion 32a of the blade portion 32 and the concave curved surface 35 and the convex curved surface 36 becomes the maximum distance L1 is closer to the central convex portion 31 than the curvature change point 37. positioned. The lowest concave curved surface lowest point 41 in the concave curved surface 35 is located closer to the central convex portion 31 than the position P. A distance L in the height direction between the upper edge portion 32 a of the blade portion 32 and the concave curved surface 35 and the convex curved surface 36 gradually decreases toward the outer peripheral portion of the base 30.

  In the stirrer 13, a large number of small holes 42 penetrating in the vertical direction are formed in the upper surface wall of the central convex portion 31 and the concave curved surface 35 and the convex curved surface 36 of the base 30. The back blades 26 and the reinforcing ribs 43 are formed on the lower surface which is the back side of the base 30.

  In FIG. 1, an operation panel 44 is provided on the front portion (left side in FIG. 1) of the top cover 3. Although not shown, the operation panel 44 is provided with various operation keys and a display unit. A control device 45 is provided on the back side of the operation panel 44. The control device 45 is mainly composed of a microcomputer, and functions as a control means for automatically controlling a process such as a washing operation and a dehydration operation based on operation of an operation key and a control program provided in advance. .

  In the above configuration, when the user performs laundry, in a state where laundry and detergent are put into the rotary tub 10, the operation key of the operation panel 44 is operated to set a course and the like, and start operation is performed. Then, the control apparatus 45 performs a washing operation based on the operation. As the washing operation, for example, washing, rinsing, and dehydration processes are sequentially performed.

  In the washing process, first, the water supply valve of the water supply device is opened with the drain valve 18 closed, and tap water is supplied into the rotary tank 10 and thus into the water tank 7. Water is supplied until the water level in the water tank 7 reaches the set water level. Then, the laundry in the rotating tub 10 is stirred and washed by rotating the stirrer 13 alternately in the forward and reverse directions at a low speed via the stirrer drive shaft 15 by the drive unit 14. At this time, with the rotation of the stirring body 13, the water in the pump chamber 25 is sent out to the circulating water channel 23 side by the back blade 26. The water sent out to the circulation water channel 23 side rises in the circulation water channel 23 and is discharged from the discharge ports 28 into the rotary tank 10 (see arrow S in FIG. 3). In this case, each discharge port 28 is formed in a concave curved surface portion 27 that is recessed in a curved shape toward the outside (side wall 10a side of the rotating tub 10) when viewed from the rotation center side of the rotating tub 10 in the water channel cover 24. Therefore, the water discharged from the discharge port 28 into the rotary tank 10 does not spread but concentrates toward the rotation center of the rotary tank 10.

  When the set time for the washing has elapsed, the control device 45 stops the rotation of the agitator 13, then opens the drain valve 18, and drains the water in the water tank 7 and the rotary tank 10 to the outside. Do. Thereafter, the control device 45 performs intermediate dehydration. In the intermediate dehydration, with the drain valve 18 opened, the rotary tank 10 is rotated at high speed in one direction with the agitator 13 via the rotary tank drive shaft 16 by the drive unit 14, and the laundry in the rotary tank 10 is centrifugally dehydrated. To do. Thereafter, the control device 45 performs a rinsing process. In the rinsing process, for example, a so-called shower in which the drainage valve 18 is opened and water is supplied into the rotary tub 10 and the rotary tub 10 is rotated while the laundry is poured (the stirring body 13 is also rotated together with the rotary tub 10). Rinsing is performed for so-called rinsing, in which the stirrer 13 is alternately rotated in both forward and reverse directions at a low speed while water is accumulated in the water tank 7 and the rotary tank 10 with the drain valve 18 closed. Note that the controller 45 performs intermediate dehydration between the shower rinsing and the rinsing.

  When the rinsing process ends, the control device 45 performs a final dehydration process. In this dehydration process, the rotating tub 10 is rotated at a high speed in one direction together with the agitator 13 with the drain valve 18 opened, as in the intermediate dehydration, and the laundry in the rotating tub 10 is centrifugally dehydrated. Thus, the washing operation ends.

According to the above-described embodiment, the following operational effects can be obtained.
Since the stirring body 13 has the center convex part 31 in the center part of the base | substrate 30 used as a base, it becomes difficult for a laundry to gather in the center part of the stirring body 13 in the washing operation which the stirring body 13 rotates. It is possible to prevent the laundry from being entangled with each other as much as possible. Since the base 30 of the stirrer 13 is provided with a concave curved surface 35 located around the central convex part 31 and between the adjacent blade parts 32, the washing is performed during the washing operation in which the stirrer 13 rotates. A thing becomes easy to get into the low concave curved surface 35 between the adjacent blade | wing parts 32, and it becomes easy to catch a laundry with the concave curved surface 35 and the blade | wing part 32, can wash a laundry favorably, and can improve washing | cleaning efficiency. Moreover, since the convex curved surface 36 exists in the outer peripheral part side of the stirring body 13, the part with the convex curved surface 36 becomes shallower than the part with the concave curved surface 35, and when the stirring body 13 rotates, In the outer peripheral portion, resistance due to the laundry and water is reduced, and the agitator 13 is easily rotated. This also makes it possible to improve the cleaning efficiency.

  In addition, in this case, since the number of the blade portions 32 in the stirrer 13 is as small as three, there is an advantage that the distance between the adjacent blade portions 32 can be increased, and the laundry can be easily captured. Incidentally, when the number of the blade portions is large, for example, six, the distance between the adjacent blade portions is small, so that the laundry is likely to be positioned across the adjacent blade portions. If it becomes like this, it will become difficult to catch a laundry with a blade | wing part, and stirring efficiency will become low. In this respect, according to the present embodiment, this can be prevented as much as possible, and the cleaning efficiency can be further improved.

  A position P (see FIG. 7) at which the distance L in the height direction between the upper edge portion 32a of the blade portion 32 and the concave curved surface 35 and the convex curved surface 36 is the maximum distance L1 is the base 30 and the concave curved surface 35. It is located closer to the central convex portion 31 than the curvature change point 37 of the convex curved surface 36. According to this, since the depth in the vicinity of the concave curved surface 35 closer to the center than the curvature change point 37 is deepest, the laundry is more likely to gather near the concave curved surface 35 and the laundry is more easily captured. . In addition, when water supply is started, water gathers quickly near the concave curved surface 35, so that there is an advantage that the laundry can be easily immersed in water quickly.

  The highest point 39 (the highest point region 40) of the upper edge portion 32 a of the blade portion 32 is set higher than the central convex portion 31. When the central convex portion is higher than the blade portion, the laundry is likely to be caught on the central convex portion, and there is a risk that cloth damage is likely to occur, but according to the present embodiment, such a problem can be prevented as much as possible, The laundry can be satisfactorily stirred by the blade portion 32.

  The highest point 39 (maximum point region 40) of the blade portion 32 is located on the outer peripheral side of the stirring body 13 with respect to the curvature change point 37. Also on the outer peripheral side of the stirrer 13, the laundry can be caught by the blades 32, and the washing efficiency can be improved also by this.

  In the water channel cover 24, the discharge port 28 of the circulation water channel 23 is formed in a concave curved surface portion 27 that is recessed in a curved shape toward the outside (side wall 10 a side of the rotary tank 10) when viewed from the rotation center side of the rotary tank 10. Therefore, as described above, the water discharged from the discharge port 28 toward the rotary tank 10 does not spread but concentrates toward the rotation center of the rotary tank 10. For this reason, for example, in the case where there is a laundry floating in the water in the central portion of the rotating tub 10, the water discharged from the discharge port 28 is concentrated on the laundry and is washed. There is an advantage that an object can be effectively wetted.

(Other embodiments)
In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the number of the blade portions 32 is three in the agitator 13 is shown, but the number of the blade portions 32 is not limited to three and may be two or four or more.
The tank in which the stirrer 13 is disposed on the inner bottom is not limited to the rotatable rotary tank 10 that also serves as a dewatering tank, and may be a washing-only tank that does not serve as a dewatering tank as long as washing is possible.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the stirrer protrudes so as to extend radially from the base serving as the base, the central convex portion provided at the central portion on the base, and the central convex portion as the center on the base. A plurality of blades provided. And the base is located around the central convex part and between the adjacent blade parts, and has a concave curved surface provided so as to be recessed in a curved shape on the lower side, and a curved surface on the outer peripheral side from the concave curved surface. And a convex curved surface provided so as to protrude. As a result, during the washing operation in which the stirrer rotates, the laundry easily enters a low concave curved surface between adjacent blade portions, and the laundry is easily captured by the concave curved surface and the blade portions, so that the laundry is good. It is possible to stir and improve the cleaning efficiency. Further, since the convex curved surface exists on the outer peripheral portion side of the stirring body, the portion with the convex curved surface becomes shallower than the portion with the concave curved surface, and when the stirring body rotates, the outer peripheral portion of the stirring body has a laundry. In addition, resistance due to water and water is reduced, and the agitator becomes easy to rotate. This also makes it possible to improve the cleaning efficiency.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  In the drawings, 1 is a washing machine body, 7 is a water tub, 10 is a rotating tub (tank), 13 is an agitator, 24 is a water channel cover, 27 is a concave curved surface portion, 28 is a discharge port, 30 is a base, and 31 is a central convex. Part, 32 is a blade part, 32a is an upper edge part, 35 is a concave curved surface, 36 is a convex curved surface, 37 is a curvature changing point, 39 is the highest point, 40 is the highest point region, 41 is the lowest point of the concave curved surface, P is The position where the distance of the height direction between the upper edge part of a blade | wing part and a concave curved surface and a convex curved surface becomes the maximum distance is shown.

Claims (2)

In a thing in which a stirring body is disposed at the inner bottom of a tub in which laundry and water are stored, and washing is performed by rotating the stirring body,
The stirrer includes a base serving as a base, a central convex portion provided at a central portion on the base, and a plurality of blade portions protruding on the base so as to extend radially around the central convex portion. And
The base is located around the central convex portion and between the adjacent blade portions, and is provided with a concave curved surface provided to be recessed downward in a curved shape, and on the outer peripheral side of the concave curved surface, respectively. A configuration having a convex curved surface provided so as to protrude in a curved shape upward ,
The position where the distance in the height direction between the upper edge portion of the blade portion and the concave curved surface and the convex curved surface is the maximum distance is closer to the central convex portion than the curvature change point of the concave curved surface and the convex curved surface. A washing machine characterized by being located . The highest point of the blade portion, the washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that located in the outer peripheral side of the stirring member than the curvature change point of the convex surface and the concave curved surface.

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