JPS6230038B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a dehydrating and dehydrating washing machine configured to receive washing water in its own rotating tub.

In this type of dehydrating/washing machine, one that captures lint by generating a circulating water flow using the back blade of the stirring blade is known, for example, from Japanese Utility Model Application No. 159173/1983, and an air trap for operating the rotating tank and water level switch is known. A system for controlling the water supply level by communicating the water level with the water level detection path is also known, for example, from Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 44462/1983. However, a dehydrating/washing machine that generates a circulating water flow for capturing lint using the back blade of the stirring blade, is equipped with an air trap that communicates with the rotating tank, and controls the amount of water supplied using a water level switch. Unfortunately, it has not yet reached the stage of practical application. The reason for this is that in order to maintain the air trap in constant communication with the rotating tank that is rotated during dewatering, the water inlet of the water level detection path must be located in the center of the bottom of the rotating tank, directly below the stirring blades. There is a restriction that it must be established by
Therefore, when the stirring blade rotates, the air pressure inside the air trap decreases due to the pumping action of the back blade, and as a result, the water level switch malfunctions, stopping the stirring blade and at the same time restarting the water supply. This is because the problem remains unsolved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a dehydrating and washing machine that can effectively prevent the influence of the pumping action of the back blade from spreading to the air trap, and can effectively eliminate the problem of malfunction of the water level switch.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes an outer box of the dehydrating/washing machine, which is made up of a lower box 2 and an upper box 4 integrally having a partition plate 3 at the bottom. Reference numeral 5 denotes a base frame which is swingably supported within the lower box body 2 via a hanging rod 6. A housing 7 is arranged and fixed to this base frame, and a casing 8 is fitted to the upper end thereof. The casing 8 is located within an opening 9 formed in the partition plate 3, and a water seal bellows 10 is installed between the casing 8 and the opening 9. Reference numeral 11 denotes a rotating tub for both washing and dehydration, which has the upper box body 4 as an outer tank and is disposed inside thereof.A dehydrating shaft 13 is connected to the bottom of the rotating tub 11 via a holder 12. 13
is inserted and supported in the housing 7 via a bearing 14. A circular concave portion 15 with a large diameter is formed at the bottom of the rotary tank 11, and a back blade 1 is disposed within the concave portion 15.
A rotating shaft 18 of the stirring blade 17 is inserted into and supported by the dewatering shaft 13 via a bearing 19. Note that the rotation of the drive motor 20 is selectively transmitted to the dewatering shaft 13 and the rotating shaft 18 by a clutch mechanism 21. The rotary tank 11 has a non-porous shape for storing water, and has a peripheral wall tapered to expand upward to pump up the water inside by centrifugal force and release it from the opening at the upper end. The released water is received by the upper box body 4 and discharged from the drain port 22 formed in the partition plate 3 to the outside of the machine via a drain hose 23. Further, on the right side of the peripheral wall of the rotating tank 11 as shown in the figure, a recessed part 11a is formed which extends upward from the recessed part 15 and bulges outward. A circulation path 25 is formed. A filter mounting part 27 is formed in the balance ring 26 of the rotating tank 11, and a container-shaped filter 28 is removably attached thereto, and the filter is moved up in the circulation path 25 by the pump action of the back blade 16 of the stirring blade 17. This water is discharged from an opening 24a at the upper end of the cover 24 and flows into the filter 28. On the other hand, 29 is an annular cap located inside the casing 8 and fitted onto the dewatering shaft 13 so as to be in watertight contact with the lower surface of the holder 12;
Seals 30 and 31 that are in sliding contact with the cap 29 and the dewatering shaft 13 are fitted into the casing 8 to watertight the inside of the casing 8 from the outside. and receipt 1
Holes 12a and 2 are connected to each other in the cap 29 and the cap 29.
9a intermittently, and a water inlet hole 32 is intermittently formed in the center of the concave portion 15 of the rotating tank 11.
Thus, the inside of the casing 8 is communicated with the inside of the rotating tank 11 through the holes 12a, 29a and the water inlet hole 32.
A hose 33 has one end connected to the casing 8, and the other end of the hose 33 communicates with the drain hose 23 via a drain valve 34. The casing 8 and hose 33 configured as described above form a water level detection path 35, and an air trap 36 is integrally formed in the hose 33.
is connected to a water level switch 39 in an operation box 38 via a tube 37. Reference numeral 40 denotes a partition member disposed between the stirring blade 17 and the bottom of the concave portion 15, and this partition member 40 is connected to the circular base portion 40.
a to divide the space between the stirring blade 17 and the bottom of the concave portion 15 into two vertically, and approximately fan-shaped ribs 40b are integrally protruded from, for example, three parts of the lower surface of the substrate portion 40a, thereby increasing the space below the substrate portion 40a. Three independent chambers 41 are formed inside. Then, an elongated hole 42 is formed in a portion near the center of the substrate portion 40a to communicate the chamber 41 in each rib 40b with the space above the substrate portion 40a. A water passageway (indicated by an arrow 43 for convenience) is formed which communicates with the circulation passage 25 through
A water conduit (indicated by an arrow 44 for convenience) is connected to the water inlet hole 32 of the water level detection path 35 while being isolated from the water level detection path 35. Further, the partition member 40 is a substrate portion 40
An annular rising portion 40c surrounding the stirring blade 17 is integrally provided on substantially the entire circumference of the periphery of a, excluding the portion corresponding to the circulation path 25. Entrance portions 43a and 44a of the water passageway 43 and the water supply channel 44, which open toward the inside of the rotating tank 11, are alternately present in the circumferential direction between the rotary tank 11 and the circumferential surface. Reference numeral 45 denotes an annular strainer, which is removably attached to the rising portion 40c of the partition member 40 so as to close the gap existing between the inner circumferential surface of the concave portion 15 and the stirring blade 17, and the laundry is inserted into the gap. It has the effect of preventing it from getting inside. The inlet portion 43a of the water passage 43 of the strainer 45
A large number of holes 46 for water passage with a relatively large diameter are formed in a portion corresponding to the inlet portion 44 of the water conduit 44.
A large number of relatively small diameter holes 47 for water passage are formed in the portion corresponding to a. A cylindrical portion 48 surrounding the rotating shaft 18 is integrally protruded from the center of the bottom of the concave portion 15 to prevent the lint from becoming entangled with the rotating shaft 18.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained.

(i) Water supply process In the water supply process that precedes each washing process of detergent and rinsing, when a water supply valve (not shown) opens, tap water is supplied into the rotating tank 11. The water supplied into the rotating tank 11 first passes through the holes 47 of the strainer 45,
The water flows into the hose 33 through the water conduit 44, the water inlet hole 32, and the casing 8 in this order, and then flows into the hose 33,
The casing 8 is filled with water in this order, and thereafter the water level in the rotating tank 11 gradually rises. Rotating tank 11
As the water level within the air trap 36 rises, the air pressure within the air trap 36 also gradually rises, and when it reaches a predetermined water level,
The water level switch 39 is activated in response to the air pressure of the air trap 36 to stop the water supply and energize the motor 20 to rotate the stirring blades 17.

(ii) Washing steps of detergent and rinsing When the stirring blades 17 are driven to rotate as described above, a swirling water flow is generated in the rotating tub 11 due to the stirring action, and the laundry is washed. At the same time, due to the pump action of the back blade 16 of the stirring blade 17, the water in the rotating tank 11 passes through the hole 46 of the strainer 45, the chamber 41 of the water passage 43, and the elongated hole 42 in order, and the water flows through the back blade 16.
It is sucked into the inside of the back blade 16 and further sent out to the outside of the back blade 16 and flows into the circulation path 25. The water that has flowed into the circulation path 25 is pushed up by the pump action of the back blade 16, is discharged from the mouth 24a at the upper end of the cover 24, and flows into the filter 28.
By repeating the same operation, the water in the rotating tank 11 is forcibly circulated through the circulation path 25, and the circulating water is passed through the filter 28. The lint contained in the water will be captured by the filter 28 as it passes through the water. By the way, stirring blade 1
7 rotates, the water in the rotating tank 11 flows through the holes 46 of the strainer 45 into the water passage 43 as described above.
However, since the diameter of the hole 46 is relatively large, the lint does not get caught in the hole 46 and is captured by the strainer 45, and can easily pass through the hole 46. Eventually, it will be captured by the filter 28. Therefore, there is no possibility that the holes 46 of the strainer 45 will be clogged with lint, so it is possible to prevent the amount of circulating water from decreasing and improve the lint capture efficiency. Moreover, since the inlet portion 43a of the water passage 43 is provided not only at one location but intermittently at multiple locations around the stirring blade 17, the water in the rotating tank 11 is evenly sucked in from substantially the entire circumference of the bottom. This further improves lint capture efficiency. On the other hand, when the stirring blade 17 rotates, the passage from the inlet portion 43a of the water passage 43 to the back blade 16 becomes under negative pressure due to the pumping action of the back blade 16. However, the water conduit 44 communicating with the water level detection path 35 is separated by the partition member 40.
3, there is no phenomenon in which the water conduit 44 and even the water level detection channel 35 become negative pressure under the influence of the pump action of the back blade 16, and therefore the air pressure of the air trap 36 The problem of the water level switch 39 malfunctioning due to a decrease in water level does not occur at all.

(iii) Drainage/dewatering process When each washing process of detergent and rinsing is completed, the drain valve 34 is opened and the rotary tank 11 is driven to rotate by the motor 20. As a result, rotating tank 1
A part of the water in 1 flows through the headrace channel 44, water level detection channel 35,
The water is drained out of the machine via the drain valve 34 and the drain hose 23 in order, and most of the remaining water is pumped up from the upper end of the rotating tank 11 to the upper box body 4 by centrifugal force.
The water is discharged into the machine, and is then discharged to the outside of the machine via the drain port 22 and the drain hose 23. By the way, during the above-mentioned drainage, the water in the rotary tank 11 flows into the conduit 44 through the hole 47 of the strainer 45, but since the diameter of the hole 47 is relatively small, there is no chance that the water will contain lint. Even if the lint gets caught in the hole 47, it will be captured.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent inconveniences such as lint getting caught in the drain valve 34 and causing so-called valve clogging. When the water in the rotary tub 11 is almost completely drained, the water shaken off from the laundry is discharged into the upper box 4 by the above-mentioned pumping action and drained from there. A so-called dehydration operation is performed in which water is discharged outside the machine via a hose 23.

In this embodiment, a plurality of inlets 43a and 44a of the water passage 43 and the water conduit 44 are provided intermittently around the stirring blade 17, but the number may be one. If the inlet portions 43a, 44a are provided as one each, the strainer 45 does not need to be a large annular strainer, but may be small enough to fit over each of the inlet portions 43a, 44a.

As is clear from the above description, the present invention generates a circulating water flow for capturing lint using the back blade of the stirring blade, and also includes an air trap that communicates with a rotating tank and controls the amount of water supplied using a water level switch. The dehydrating/washing machine is characterized in that the space between the agitating blades and the bottom of the rotating tank is divided by a partition member into a water passage connected to the circulation path and a water conduit connected to the water level detection path. As a result, even if the water passageway becomes negative pressure due to the pumping action of the back blade, the air passageway that connects to the air trap via the water level detection path is completely isolated from the airflow passageway, so the air pressure inside the air trap will decrease. There is no risk that the water level will decrease due to the influence of the pump action, and therefore, the problem of malfunction of the water level switch can be effectively solved, which is an excellent effect.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the entire dehydrating and washing machine showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line ``-'' in FIG. 1 with the stirring blade removed; 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the main part taken along the line ``-'' in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the main part taken along the line ``--'' in FIG. 2 and shown together with the filter. In the figure, 8 is a casing, 11 is a rotating tank, 16 is a back blade, 17 is a stirring blade, 25 is a circulation path, 28 is a filter, 32 is a water inlet, 34 is a drain valve, 35 is a water level detection path, and 36 is an air trap. , 39 is a water level switch, 43 is a water passage, 44 is a water conduit, 45 is a strainer, and 46, 47 are holes.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A rotating tank for both washing and dehydration, a stirring blade provided at the inner bottom of the rotating tank and equipped with a back blade, and a pumping action of the back blade as the stirring blade rotates. and an air trap for operating a water level switch, which is provided so as to maintain constant communication with the rotating tank through a circulation path that guides water sent out from the back blade to the filter, and a water inlet hole located below the stirring blade. a water level detection path that communicates with the water level detection path; and a partition that divides the space between the stirring blade and the bottom of the rotating tank into a water conduit that communicates with the water level detection path and a water flow path that communicates with the circulation path via the back blade. A dehydrating and washing machine comprising: 2. The dehydrating and washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the openings of the water conduit and the water conduit into the rotating tank are arranged alternately around the stirring blade. 3 A strainer is attached to the opening of the headrace and the waterway into the rotating tank, and the water passage hole of the strainer is formed to have a small diameter for the headrace and a large diameter for the waterway. A dehydrating and washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: