JP7834598B2 - washing machine - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a washing machine.

Conventionally, in drum-type washing machines equipped with a circulation pump, it was common practice to install a foreign object trap upstream of the circulation path to prevent foreign objects from clogging the runner (impeller) of the circulation pump. This foreign object trap is often constructed with a grid or comb-like structure to simultaneously trap lint and dirt (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). Furthermore, since this foreign object trap is installed at the bottom of the drum-type washing machine and is a part that the user removes for cleaning, there are certain constraints on the angle of installation (e.g., approximately 30°).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-56263 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-153374

However, as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, in collection configurations with coarse mesh, such as grids or combs, it is difficult to collect (accumulate) fine lint, and the washing cycle is performed by reattaching it to clothing and draining it. Reattachment to clothing is a problem that directly leads to user complaints, and the drainage of lint raises concerns about poor drainage due to clogged drain traps, requiring countermeasures.

This invention aims to solve the aforementioned conventional problems and provide a washing machine that can collect lint without compromising the ease of installing a foreign object trap.

The present invention comprises a housing, an outer tank housed in the housing for storing water, an inner tank enclosed within the outer tank for storing clothes, a drainage path for discharging the washing water from the outer tank, a circulation pump for returning the washing water from the outer tank to the inside of the inner tank, and a foreign matter trap provided upstream of the circulation pump for collecting foreign matter, wherein the foreign matter trap comprises a foreign matter collection section for collecting foreign matter and a collection case for detachably housing the foreign matter collection section, and the angle of the lowest surface at the base of the foreign matter collection section with respect to the horizontal plane is smaller than the insertion angle of the foreign matter collection section with respect to the horizontal plane .

According to the present invention, a washing machine that can collect lint without compromising the ease of installing a foreign object trap can be provided.

This is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the washing machine according to this embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing the flow of laundry water when the circulation pump is running. This is a perspective view showing a lint filter device. This is a top view of the filter section. This is a cross-sectional view of the lint filter device, taken from the front after cutting the filter section midway in the front-to-back direction. This is a cross-sectional view of the lint filter device, taken by cutting it in the center of the filter section in the left-right direction and viewing it from the side. This is a schematic diagram showing the movement of lint during drainage in the filter section of this embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing the movement of lint during drainage in the filter section of the comparative example.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications and applications are included within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. Furthermore, the following description will be based on the direction shown in Figure 1. Also, the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 1 is the left-right direction.
Figure 1 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of a drum-type washing machine and dryer according to this embodiment.
As shown in Figure 1, the drum-type washer-dryer (hereinafter abbreviated as washing machine) 100 comprises a housing 1, an outer tub 2 housed in the housing 1 for storing water, a drum 3 (inner tub) enclosed within the outer tub 2 for storing clothes, a circulation pump 20 that returns the wash water in the outer tub 2 to the drum 3, and a foreign matter trap 40 provided upstream of the circulation pump 20 for collecting foreign matter (lint).

The enclosure 1 is constructed by combining side plates (not shown) and reinforcing members (not shown), mainly made of steel plates and resin molded parts, to form a frame on top of the base 1h. A front cover 1a, a lower front cover 1b, and a top cover 1c, all made of resin molded parts, are then attached to this frame. The front cover 1a is provided with a door 9 that opens and closes when loading or unloading laundry (clothing).

The door 9 consists of a resin door frame 9b with a door glass 9a fixed to it, and is attached to the housing 1 so as to be openable and closable by a hinge (not shown). The door 9 is positioned so that the door frame 9b abuts against the periphery of the circular opening 1s formed in the housing 1. Furthermore, the door glass 9a is configured to have a convex shape so as to extend further back (towards the rear) than the opening 1s in the housing 1.

The outer tank 2 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape and is elastically supported by multiple dampers (not shown) located at its lower part. An outer tank cover 4 is attached to the front opening (door 9 side) formed on the front side of the outer tank 2.

The outer tub cover 4 is connected at the rear to the front opening of the outer tub 2, and has a circular opening 4a at the front for loading and unloading laundry. A rubber door gasket (also called a bellows) 10 made of an elastic material is attached to the outer tub cover 4. This door gasket 10 is roughly annular in shape, with the rear opening edge attached to the opening 4a of the outer tub cover 4, and the front opening edge attached to the edge of the opening 1s of the housing 1. When the door 9 is closed, the door glass 9a is tightly sealed against the door gasket 10, maintaining watertightness between the outer tub 2 and the door 9. This prevents water leakage during washing, rinsing, and spinning.

The drum 3 is a bottomed cylindrical shape capable of accommodating laundry (clothing), with an opening 3a located at the front. A fluid balancer (not shown) is provided around the outer circumference of the opening 3a of the drum 3 to reduce vibrations caused by laundry imbalance during dewatering. Multiple lifters (not shown) are provided inside the drum 3 to lift the laundry. The drum 3 is directly connected to a drum drive motor (not shown). The drum 3 also has numerous small holes (not shown) in its cylindrical side walls for centrifugal dewatering and ventilation. The rotation axis O of the drum 3 is inclined such that the front side is higher than the rear side. However, the rotation axis of the drum 3 may be configured to be approximately horizontal.

Furthermore, a ventilation duct 25 (circulating air passage) is provided at the rear of the outer tub 2, connecting the outer tub 2 to the blower fan 26 (blowering means). The ventilation duct 25 guides airflow to the laundry inside the drum 3, and one end is connected to the lower rear of the outer tub 2. The blower fan 26 is connected to the other end of the ventilation duct 25 via a drying filter 27. The blower fan 26 and the drying filter 27 are fixed to the housing 1. The air generated by the blower fan 26 is heated by a heater 28, becoming warm air, which is then discharged into the drum 3 from the outlet nozzle 29. The warm air blown onto the laundry becomes high-temperature, high-humidity air, which is drawn into the ventilation duct 25, where it is cooled and dehumidified by a water-cooled dehumidification mechanism (not shown) provided in the ventilation duct 25, becoming low-temperature air. Note that a heat pump may be used instead of the heater and water-cooled dehumidification mechanism.

The circulation pump 20 is located below the outer tub 2 and is fixed to the base 1h side of the housing 1. Washing water is sent from the drain port 2b of the water receiving section 2a (see Figure 2) located at the bottom of the outer tub 2 through the piping 21 to the foreign object trap 40. The drain port 2b is connected to the drain hose 24 (drainage path) via the foreign object trap 40 and the drain valve 23, allowing the water in the outer tub 2 to be drained outside the machine.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of wash water when the circulation pump is running. Note that the drainage path is not shown in Figure 2.
As shown in Figure 2, the circulation pump 20 is composed of an electric motor 20a and an impeller 20b. During washing and rinsing, the impeller 20b rotates due to the driving force of the electric motor 20a, drawing in wash water from the drain port 2b at the bottom of the outer tub 2, as indicated by the arrows, and supplying it in a shower-like manner into the drum 3 from the top of the outer tub cover 4 (see Figure 1) through the piping 21 and circulation path 31.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a lint filter device.
As shown in Figure 3, the foreign matter trap 40 is configured to include a filter section 41 for collecting lint and a filter case 42 (collection case) that detachably houses the filter section 41. The filter section 41 has a knob 41a, and by turning the knob 41a in one direction, the filter section 41 can be attached to the filter case 42, and by turning the knob 41a in the other direction, the filter section 41 can be removed from the filter case 42. Figure 3 shows the state in which the filter section 41 is attached to the filter case 42.

The filter case 42 comprises a substantially cylindrical housing 42a in which the filter unit 41 is installed, a connecting part 42b that connects to the piping 21 (see Figure 2) extending from the outer tank 2 (see Figure 1), and a connecting part 42c (see Figure 6) that connects to the drain hose 24 (see Figure 1). A circulation pump 20 is also mounted on the side of the filter case 42.

The circulation pump 20 has an impeller case 20c that houses the impeller 20b (see Figure 2). A connection portion 20d is formed in this impeller case 20c, which connects to the circulation path 31 (see Figure 2). Furthermore, the impeller case 20c is configured to communicate with the side surface of the housing portion 42a of the filter case 42.

Figure 4 is a top view of the filter section.
As shown in Figure 4, the filter section 41 comprises a substantially cylindrical base 41b that is inserted into the housing section 42a (see Figure 3) of the filter case 42, and a foreign matter collection section 41c that extends inward (rearward) from the base 41b. The base 41b is also provided with an annular packing (sealing member) 41d to prevent washing water from leaking out from the gap between the filter case 42 and the filter section 41 when the filter section 41 is attached to the filter case 42.

The foreign matter collection section 41c is designed to collect foreign matter such as lint, and comprises a lower collection section 41c1, a pair of side collection sections 41c2, 41c2 rising from the left and right edges of the lower collection section 41c1, and a front section 41c3 rising from the front edge of the lower collection section 41c1 and connected to the side collection sections 41c2. It has a concave shape with a rectangular opening at the top.

The lower side collection section 41c1 and the left and right side collection sections 41c2 are integrally constructed by insert molding, for example, a metal mesh member (see Figure 6 for the mesh shape of the side collection section 41c2). The mesh is primarily designed to capture lint and other debris. Furthermore, the mesh member is not limited to metal; it may also be made of a network of synthetic fibers.

The front portion 41c3 is a solid wall without a mesh member. Similarly, the wall surface 41b1 of the base portion 41b, which faces the front portion 41c3, is also a solid wall without holes.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the lint filter device, taken from the front after cutting the filter section midway in the front-to-back direction. Figure 5 shows the filter section 41 in a horizontal position. Also, Figure 5 omits the illustration of the electric motor 20a and impeller 20b.
As shown in Figure 5, the filter case 42 has an inlet 43 with a fan-shaped cross-section formed above the filter section 41, through which the washing water from the connection section 42b flows in. The filter case 42 also has an outlet 44 formed below the filter section 41, through which the washing water that has passed through the filter section 41 flows out. The outlet 44 is in communication with the connection section 42c. The outlet 44 is also in communication with the impeller case 20c via the suction port 42d.

The filter section 41 has a slight gap 42f between the side collection section 41c2 and the side surface 42e of the filter case 42. Furthermore, the side collection section 41c2 is inclined such that the gap 42f widens from the top end to the bottom end.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the lint filter device, taken by cutting the filter section in the center in the left-right direction and viewing it from the side.
As shown in Figure 6, the foreign object trap 40 is positioned inside the housing 1 (see Figure 1) such that the connection portions 42b and 42c of the filter case 42 extend horizontally in the front-rear direction. The connection portion 42b is located above the connection portion 2c. The connection portions 42b and 42c are formed to extend in the same direction (rearward). The foreign object trap 40 is also tilted such that the housing portion 42a of the filter case 42 is higher on the front side than on the rear side. Furthermore, since the foreign object trap 40 is installed at the bottom of the housing 1, the filter portion 41 is positioned upward at a predetermined angle (for example, 30°), so that the user's ability to attach and detach the filter portion 41 is not impaired. In other words, the foreign object trap 40 is set at an angle that is easy for the user to operate, so that the attachment and detachment direction (insertion angle) of the filter portion 41 is not at angles such as 80°, 90°, 0°, or 10°.

Furthermore, in the foreign matter trap 40, the filter section 41 is inserted into the housing section 42a of the filter case 42, so that the filter section 41 is inclined so that the front side is higher than the back side. At this time, the lower side collection section 41c1 of the filter section 41 is positioned to be smaller than the insertion angle of the filter section 41. That is, the lower side collection section 41c1 is the lowest surface of the filter section 41 (foreign matter collection section 41c), and is positioned to be at an angle α (angle of the lowest surface of the foreign matter collection section) with respect to the horizontal plane S. For example, angle α is 20°. Also, the filter section 41 is positioned so that its insertion angle with respect to the filter case 42 is at an insertion angle β (insertion angle of the foreign matter collection section) with respect to the horizontal plane S. For example, insertion angle β is 30°. Thus, the angle α of the lower surface collection section 41c1 of the filter section 41 (the angle of the lowest surface of the foreign matter collection section) is configured to be smaller than the insertion angle β of the foreign matter collection section 41c relative to the filter case 42. The angle α is set appropriately within a range that does not impair the amount of foreign matter collected by the foreign matter collection section 41c.

Furthermore, a suction port 42d leading to the circulation pump 20 is formed on the side surface of the housing portion 42a of the filter case 42. This suction port 42d is, for example, a circular hole, and in the side view shown in Figure 6 (a side view from the axial direction of the suction port 42d), it is positioned so as not to overlap with the foreign matter collection portion 41c. In other words, a portion of the foreign matter collection portion 41c is located above the suction port 42d. Note that in this embodiment, a portion of the foreign matter collection portion 41c is located above the suction port 42d, but the entire foreign matter collection portion 41c may also be located above the suction port 42d.

Furthermore, the connecting portion 42b is formed in a tubular shape with its axial direction horizontal and communicates with the upper part of the housing portion 42a. The opening 42b1 of the connecting portion 42b to the housing portion 42a has its base portion 41b1 positioned on the forward extension line. The connecting portion 42c is also formed in a tubular shape with its axial direction horizontal and communicates with the lower part of the housing portion 42a. The opening 42c1 of the connecting portion 42c to the housing portion 42a has its upper part facing the front portion 41c3.

In the foreign matter trap 40 configured as described above, during the washing or rinsing process, when the circulation pump 20 is driven (ON), the water (wash water) stored in the outer tub 2 is introduced from the connection part 42b to the foreign matter collection part 41c of the filter part 41. Foreign matter such as lint accompanying the wash water is collected and accumulated in the foreign matter collection part 41c, and the wash water exits through the mesh portion of the foreign matter collection part 41c to the outlet part 44. The wash water is then drawn in through the suction port 42d and discharged into the drum 3 via the circulation path 31 (see Figure 2) by the circulation pump 20. After washing and rinsing are complete, the circulation pump 20 stops, the drain valve 23 (see Figure 1) opens, and the wash water is discharged through the connection part 42c and the drain hose 24 (see Figure 1) to the drain port outside the washing machine 100.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the movement of lint during drainage in the filter section of this embodiment. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the movement of lint during drainage in the filter section of a comparative example. Note that the filter section in Figure 8 is also a mesh.
As shown in the upper part of Figure 7, when the circulation pump 20 is driven during washing and rinsing, the washing water introduced from the connection part 42b to the foreign matter collection part 41c hits, for example, the wall surface 41b1 of the filter part 41, and foreign matter 50 (lint) accumulates on the wall surface 41b1 side (base side) of the foreign matter collection part 41c. Also, before draining, the water level 60 is located above the foreign matter trap 40, and the foreign matter trap 40 is completely submerged.

As shown in the lower diagram of Figure 7, when the drain valve 23 (see Figure 1) is opened and the wash water is drained, the water level 60 gradually decreases while remaining parallel to the installation surface (floor) of the washing machine 100. At this time, the foreign matter 50 (lint) collected and accumulated in the foreign matter collection section 41c can remain on the base side wall 41b1 (upper side) of the foreign matter collection section 41c, separate from the decrease in the water level 60. This is because the angle α of the lower collection section 41c1 of the foreign matter collection section 41c is smaller than the insertion angle β of the foreign matter collection section 41c.

On the other hand, as a comparative example, the foreign matter trap 200 shown in the upper part of Figure 8 comprises a filter case 110 and a filter part attached to the filter case 110. The angle α100 of the lower side collection part 120a of the foreign matter collection part 120 of the filter part is the same as the insertion angle β100 of the foreign matter collection part 120 (for example, 30°). In the foreign matter trap 200 as a comparative example configured in this way, as shown in the upper part of Figure 8, when the foreign matter trap 200 is submerged in water, foreign matter 50 is collected and accumulated on the base side (right side in the figure) of the lower side collection part 120a of the foreign matter collection part 120. Then, when the drain valve is opened and the washing water is drained, the water level 60 of the washing water gradually decreases while maintaining a state parallel to the installation surface (floor surface) of the washing machine 100. At this time, as shown in the lower diagram of Figure 8, the foreign matter 50 accumulated in the foreign matter collection unit 120 flows to the back side (left side in the diagram) of the foreign matter collection unit 120 as the water level 60 drops, and as indicated by the arrow, it eventually flows out with the wash water to the outside of the foreign matter collection unit 120 and is discharged outside the machine through the drain hose. Therefore, there is a risk that the foreign matter may clog the drain trap, causing it to become blocked.

Furthermore, in the foreign matter trap 200, the foreign matter collection section 120 is positioned so that it overlaps with the suction port 110a of the circulation pump in a side view. Therefore, there is a risk that laundry water may be drawn in from the side of the foreign matter collection section 120, flowing out of the foreign matter collection section 120 and allowing foreign matter 50 to flow out through the suction port 110a. To address this, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, the foreign matter collection section 41c is positioned so that it does not overlap with the suction port 42d in a side view, and a portion of the foreign matter collection section 41c is located above the suction port 42d. This allows the laundry water to flow mainly through the underside of the foreign matter collection section 41c (underside collection section 41c1) to the suction port 42d, thus ensuring that foreign matter 50 is reliably collected and accumulated in the foreign matter collection section 41c.

As described above, the washing machine 100 of this embodiment comprises a housing 1, an outer tub 2 housed in the housing 1 for storing water, a drum 3 enclosed within the outer tub 2 for storing clothes, a drain hose 24 for discharging the wash water from the outer tub 2, a circulation pump 20 for returning the wash water from the outer tub 2 to the inside of the drum 3, and a foreign matter trap 40 provided upstream of the circulation pump 20 for collecting foreign matter 50. The foreign matter trap 40 comprises a foreign matter collection section 41c for collecting foreign matter 50 and a filter case 42 that detachably houses the foreign matter collection section 41c. The angle α of the lower side collection section 41c1 (lowest surface) of the foreign matter collection section 41c is smaller than the insertion angle β of the foreign matter collection section 41c relative to the filter case 42 (see Figures 6 and 7). According to this design, foreign matter (lint) 50 can be retained in the foreign matter collection section 41c during drainage, suppressing the discharge of foreign matter 50 outside the machine and preventing clogging of the drain trap. Furthermore, since the insertion angle β of the foreign matter collection section 41c can be set to the same angle as conventional designs, the ease of attachment and detachment by the user is not impaired.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the foreign matter collection section 41c is configured in a mesh-like manner. This allows for the collection of finer lint (foreign matter) than a grid-like or comb-toothed foreign matter collection section.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the filter case 42 is equipped with an intake port 42d for drawing in wash water when the circulation pump 20 is driven. The foreign matter collection section 41c does not overlap with the intake port 42d in a side view, and a portion of the foreign matter collection section 41c is located above the intake port 42d. This prevents foreign matter from being sucked in from the side of the foreign matter collection section 41c, ensuring that foreign matter 50 is reliably collected within the foreign matter collection section 41c.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are included. For example, although this embodiment was described using a drum-type washer-dryer as an example, it can also be applied to a drum-type washing machine that does not have a drying function. Also, although this embodiment was described using a configuration in which the filter part 41 is attached to the filter case 42 by screwing it in, the filter part 41 does not necessarily have to be attached by screwing it in.

1. Enclosure 2. Outer tub 3. Drum (inner tub)
4 Outer tank cover 20 Circulation pump 20a Electric motor 20b Impeller 20c Impeller case 20d Connection part 23 Drain valve 24 Drain hose (drainage route)
40 Foreign object trap 41 Filter section 41a Knob section 41b Base section 41b1 Wall section 41c Foreign object collection section 41c1 Bottom collection section 41c2 Side collection section 41c3 Front section 42 Filter case (collection case)
42a Storage section 42b, 42c Connection section 42d Inlet 50 Foreign object 60 Water level 100 Drum-type washing machine (washing machine)
α angle (angle of the lowest surface of the foreign object collection section)
β Insertion angle (insertion angle of the foreign object collection section)

Claims (3)

The system comprises a housing, an outer tank housed within the housing for storing water, an inner tank enclosed within the outer tank for storing clothes, a drainage path for discharging the washing water from the outer tank, a circulation pump for returning the washing water from the outer tank to the inside of the inner tank, and a foreign object trap provided upstream of the circulation pump for collecting foreign objects.
The foreign object trap comprises a foreign object collection unit for collecting foreign objects and a collection case for detachably housing the foreign object collection unit.
A washing machine characterized in that the angle of the lowest surface at the base of the foreign matter collection unit with respect to the horizontal plane is smaller than the insertion angle of the foreign matter collection unit with respect to the horizontal plane . The washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the foreign matter collection section is configured in a mesh-like manner. The collection case is equipped with a suction port for drawing in laundry water when the circulation pump is driven,
The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the foreign matter collection unit does not overlap with the suction port in a side view, and a part of the foreign matter collection unit is located above the suction port.