JPS6249074B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a washing machine, and more particularly to a detergent dispenser.

In conventional washing machines, powdered detergent is sprinkled into the washing tank along with the clothes to be washed, or a detergent tray is installed in the water supply channel to the washing tank, and the detergent is poured into the washing tank along with the water supplied to the washing tank. The detergent was dissolved in water by the water flow generated by the pulsator. For this reason, if powdered detergent absorbs moisture and hardens, it will be difficult to dissolve in water and may clog drains such as drain valves. In particular, natural detergents (so-called powdered soaps made from oils and fats) are difficult to dissolve in cold water, absorb moisture, and easily solidify, so they become particles and float in the water, stick to clothes and remain, or drain drains. There were times when it got clogged. Detergents dissolve well when hot water is used, but it is very uneconomical to prepare enough hot water to fill a washing tank or to continuously supply hot water from a water heater.

In order to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, this invention provides a container in which detergent and water can be put in at the upper part of one side of the washing tank, and also includes a stirring device that stirs the water in order to dissolve the detergent in the water in the container. The concentrated detergent solution produced in the container is supplied to the washing tank from a supply port provided on one side of the container, so that the detergent is well dissolved in the water in the washing tank. Especially for detergents that are difficult to dissolve in cold water, such as natural detergents, a small amount of warm water is supplied into the container, or a small amount of warm water is made in the container, and the detergent is well dissolved in the warm water before being supplied to the washing tank. Do it like this.

In particular, this invention prevents the detergent solution in the container from remaining as residual water by the action of the siphon pipe when the detergent solution produced in the container is supplied to the washing tank together with water from the water source. It is.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a washing machine, which has a washing tank 2 with an open top and a control box 3 equipped with a time switch and the like on the top. . Reference numeral 4 denotes a container for dissolving detergent in water, which is made of a transparent or translucent material in the shape of a bottomed box with an opening 4a on the top surface, and is fixed to a part of the control box 3 above the washing tank 2. be. Reference numeral 5 denotes a lid that covers the upper opening 4a of the container in an openable and closable manner.

This container 4 has an inner volume that can accommodate a sufficient amount of water to dissolve the amount of detergent necessary to obtain an appropriate detergent concentration for the specified amount of washing water indicated by the water level line 6 of the washing tank 2, and has a front surface. It has scales 7 and 8 for displaying the amount of detergent and water. In place of these scales 7 and 8, as shown in Fig. 1, a measuring cup 8a for measuring the required amount of detergent and a measuring cup 7a for measuring the amount of water are provided, and the detergent and water are poured into the container from both cups. You may.

9 is a stirring blade for stirring the water in the container 4;
It is rotatably supported by a shaft 10 near the bottom of the container 4. This shaft 10 has a gear 11 at the tip,
An internal gear 13 formed on the inner surface of the back side of a disk 12 rotatably supported on the front surface of the container 4 is engaged with the gear 11, and the disk 12 is rotated by holding the knob 12a of the disk 12, thereby stirring. The wings 9 can be rotated.

The control box 3 has a protruding part 3a that overlaps a part of the upper part of the container 4, and has a hose connection port 14 on the upper surface of the protruding part 3a for a water supply hose 13 connected to a water source such as a water faucet. A water supply port 14a, that is, a lower end opening of the hose connection port, which faces the inside of the container 4, is opened on the lower surface of the same portion.

The container 4 has an overflow port 15 formed by cutting out the upper end of the back wall 4b, and an inverted U-shape extending across the back wall 4b below the overflow port.
A siphon tube 16 which is shaped like a letter and has one end opened at the bottom of the container and the other end opened at a lower position than the opening at the other end.
has. The overflow port 15 and the siphon pipe 16 form a supply port for supplying detergent solution from the container 4 to the washing tank 2, as will be described later.

There is a gap 17 between the container 4 and the control box 3 behind the overflow port 15, and the washing tank 2 has a conduit 1 on the side that connects to the gap 17 and extends downward.
It has 8. Further, a plate 19 is provided between the water conduit 18 and the washing tank 2 so that the outer end of the siphon pipe 16 is opened into the water conduit 18.

Detergent and water (preferably warm water at 30℃) in container 4
(Note that the specified internal volume of the container is set at a water level 7 lower than the upper end 16a of the siphon tube 16), and the stirring blades 9 are rotated to dissolve the detergent in the water and create a concentrated detergent solution. When water is supplied from a water source such as a water faucet to the container 4 through the water supply hose 13, the concentrated detergent solution is diluted and flows out from the overflow port 15, and is supplied from the water conduit 18 to the washing tank 2. At this time, the detergent solution also flows out from the siphon pipe 16. When water is supplied to the specified water level 6 in the washing tank 2, the water supply from the water supply hose 13 is stopped, but most of the dilute detergent solution in the container 4 flows out due to the siphon action of the siphon pipe 16. Since the liquid in the washing tank 2 is a detergent solution with an appropriate concentration, the washing operation can be started immediately.

3 to 5 show other embodiments of the present invention, in which the same parts as in the previous embodiment are given the same reference numerals. The washing machine of this embodiment automatically performs at least the process from water supply to washing operation (including draining and rinsing operations as necessary) using a time switch or the like. For this reason, a water supply valve 14b is provided between the hose connection port 14 and the water supply port 14a.

The stirring blade 9 is connected to a motor 22 via gears 20 and 21.
The container 4 is driven by a heater 23 near the bottom.
Equipped with. The lid 5 of the container 4 has a lower surface 5a formed to have a volume that can be used as a measuring cup for measuring the required amount of detergent.

Figure 5 is an electrical circuit diagram, 24 is a power plug, 2
5 is a bimetal that responds to the temperature of the heater 23;
6 is a changeover switch operated by a bimetal 25, and 27 is a switch operated by a push button 28.

To supply water after adding the detergent in the container 4, pull the time switch knob 30 to close the main time switch 29 of the time switch. At this time, if the changeover switch 26 is closed to the low temperature side contact a and the push button 28 is not pressed, the switch 27 is closed.
Since contact a is closed, power is supplied to the washing machine control device (including the water supply valve) 31, and the water supply valve 14b is closed.
is opened and supplied into the container 4. When water has been supplied to scale 7 (below the upper end 16a of the siphon tube 16), press the push button 28 to turn the switch 27 on.
When closed to contact b, water supply stops and heater 23
Powered by At the same time, the notch 28 of the push button 28
A pawl 32 operated by the bimetal 25 engages with a to hold the push button 28 in the pressed state.

When the water in the container 4 is heated and reaches a predetermined temperature, the bimetal 25 switches the changeover switch 26 to contact a.
to b, the motor 22 is driven, and the stirring blade 9 is rotated for a short time until the bimetal 25 returns to its normal state due to the temperature drop. Changeover switch 26
When the contact is switched from contact a to contact b, the pawl 32 is removed from the notch 28a, and the action of the spring 33 causes the push button 28 to return to its protruding state. Therefore, even if the changeover switch 26 switches from contact b to a based on the return of the bimetal 25, power is not supplied to the heater 23, but power is again supplied to the washing machine control device 31 through contact a of the switch 27, and the water supply valve is switched on. 14b
opens.

By this water supply, the concentrated detergent solution made in the container 4 is diluted and supplied to the washing tank 2 in the same manner as in the previous embodiment. When water is supplied to the washing tank 2 up to a specified water level, a water level switch responsive to the water level in the washing tank 2 is switched to stop the water supply and start washing operation, similar to a well-known automatic washing machine.

In the washing machines of both embodiments, by putting bleach and fabric softener into the container 4 and supplying them to the washing tank along with the water supply, the bleach and fabric softener come into direct contact with the clothes and exert a local effect. can be prevented.

As described above, the present invention provides a container into which detergent and water can be put in at the upper part of one side of the washing tank, and a stirring device for stirring the water in order to dissolve the detergent in the water in the container. Since the container has a supply port on one side for supplying the detergent solution in the container to the washing tank, it is possible to dissolve the detergent well in the water using a stirring device before supplying it to the washing tank. This reduces the chance of undissolved detergent particles remaining on clothes or clogging drains. Especially when it is desirable to use hot water, such as natural detergents, there is no need to prepare a large amount of hot water to fill the washing tank or to continuously supply hot water by drawing a hose from the water heater as in the conventional method. Since the detergent is dissolved in a small amount of warm water that is sufficient to fill the container and diluted with water, washing can be done quickly and economically.

In particular, the present invention is a method in which a powdered detergent is sufficiently dissolved in a container in advance to create a concentrated detergent solution, and then supplied to a washing tank together with water from a water source. As shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 42-16541, etc., this method dissolves detergent more reliably than when powdered detergent is supplied from a water source while being dissolved little by little. be able to.
Therefore, even with detergents that are difficult to dissolve in water, such as natural detergents, there is no possibility that powdered detergents will remain attached to clothes or clog the discharge passage. In addition, when the water supply from the water source is stopped, most of the water in the container flows out due to the action of the siphon pipe, so the detergent solution can be used without wasting it, so it has extremely high utility value.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention, with FIG. 1 being a perspective view and FIG. 2 being a longitudinal sectional view. 3 to 5 show other embodiments of the present invention, in which FIG. 3 is a perspective view, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view,
FIG. 5 is an electrical circuit diagram. Explanation of numbers, 1 is washing machine, 2 is washing tank, 4
1 is a container, 9 is a stirring blade, 14a is a water supply port, 15 is an overflow port, and 16 is a siphon pipe.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A container 4 into which detergent and water can be put is provided at the upper part of one side of the washing tank 2, and a stirring device 9 is provided for stirring the water in order to dissolve the detergent in the water in the container 4. An overflow port 15 is provided for supplying the detergent solution in the container 4 to the washing tank, and further, below the overflow port 15, one end is opened at the bottom of the container 4 and the other end is opened toward the washing tank 2. A washing machine equipped with an inverted U-shaped siphon pipe 16.