JPS631880B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application This invention relates to a drainage device for a washing machine of the type used in general households.

Conventional Structure and Its Problems FIG. 1 is an overall diagram of the basic structure of a conventional washing machine. In the figure, 1 is an outer frame of the washing machine, and 2 is an upper body, which covers the upper opening of the outer frame 1. 3 is a panel on which electrical components are attached to control the mechanical movement of the washing machine. The lid 4 is arranged in the center of the upper body 2 so as to be openable and closable. Reference numeral 5 denotes a water receptacle serving as an outer tub of the washing tub, and has a substantially cylindrical shape for receiving washing water. Reference numeral 6 denotes a dehydration tub/washing tub, and 7 designates a dehydration hole provided on the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the dehydration tub/washing tub 6. 8 is a stirring blade, which stirs the laundry. The stirring blade 8 is provided at the center bottom of the dehydration tub/washing tub 6. Reference numeral 9 denotes a motor, which transmits its rotation via a motor pulley 10 and a V-belt 11 to a mechanical case 12 with a built-in clutch mechanism, and rotates the stirring blade 8 during washing and the spin-drying tub/washing tub 6 during spin-drying. The motor 9 and mechanical case 12 are provided with a reinforcing plate 13
is attached to. In addition, these entire mechanical parts are
It is suspended by a vibration isolator 14. Reinforcement plate 1
Spherical receivers 15 are provided at the four corners of the outer frame 1, and a vibration isolator 14 is slidably attached to the spherical receivers 15 via rods 16 at the upper part of the outer frame 1. Reference numeral 17 denotes adjustment legs provided at the four corners of the bottom of the outer frame 1, which are used to adjust so that there is no wobbling when the frame is installed on the floor. The adjustment legs 17 are usually provided at one or two locations. 18 is a fixed leg. 19
is a drain frame, which is provided with a drain valve inside the frame, and is opened when draining washing water into the water receiver 5 to discharge it to the outside of the machine. At this time, the drainage hose 20 connects the drainage frame 19 and the outside of the machine.
It uses Reference numeral 21 denotes a balance ring, which has a liquid sealed inside, and when the laundry in the spin-drying tub/washing tub 6 is unevenly dehydrated, the liquid moves to balance the laundry according to the unevenness. Reference numeral 22 denotes a dewatering tray cover that reinforces the upper opening of the water tray 5. Reference numeral 23 denotes an air trap chamber, which is connected to a pressure switch 25 by an air hose 24, and the joint portion of the air hose 24 is treated to prevent air leakage. Therefore,
When the washing water in the water tray 5 is supplied, the air in the air trap chamber 23 is compressed, and when the water level reaches a certain level, the pressure switch 25 is operated to stop the water supply. The pressure switch 25 is usually attached to the panel 3 and has a built-in diaphragm made of rubber to sense pressure changes.

In such a conventional washing machine, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the optical sensor 26 is connected to the tubular drain port 2.
A sensor-type washing machine was provided that could be attached to a washing machine to detect dirt in the washing water. FIG. 2 shows the mounting portion of the optical sensor 26. A tubular drain port 27 protrudes from the bottom of the water receiver 5, and a drain pot frame 19 having a guide pipe 28 connected to the tubular drain port 27 is arranged. An optical sensor 26 is attached to this guide pipe 28 as shown in FIG. 3, and a light emitting element (LED) 29 and a light receiving element (phototransistor) 30 are incorporated into the optical sensor 26. The washing water flows from the water receiver 5 to the tubular drain port 27, the guide pipe 28, and the drain valve 31 built into the drain tank frame 19. The amount of light is detected by receiving the light and converting it into voltage. The drain frame 19 is fixed to the bottom of the water receiver 5, and a drain valve 31 made of an elastic material such as synthetic rubber is installed inside the drain frame 19.
is arranged, and the valve seat surface 32 is always pressed by a spring 33 to prevent washing water from leaking. When draining the washing water, the electromagnetic solenoid 34 is energized to attract the suction section 35, and the second and first cross sections 36 and 37 connected to the suction section are moved in the direction A by the second lock spring 38. let At this time, the drain valve 31 is opened in the A direction via a spring guide 39 attached to the drain valve 31 to drain the washing water. Drain valve 31
Rubber material is generally used, and the bellows part 40
are integrally molded to satisfy flexibility. The drain valve 31 is attached to the drain pot frame 19 with a pot lid 41 providing sealing properties.

However, in the conventional configuration, the light emitting and light receiving elements 29 and 30 of the optical sensor 26 were simply arranged on the outer periphery of the tubular drain 27 and the guide pipe 28, so that the inside of the tubular drain 27 and the guide pipe 28 due to dirt from washing water. Dirt on the inner wall becomes a problem, and detergent scum and scale due to water quality adhere, resulting in the dirt blocking the light from the light-emitting element 29, preventing light from being transmitted to the light-receiving element 30, and preventing normal washing water from being transmitted. It was impossible to detect dirt.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a drainage device for a washing machine that can automatically clean the inside of a guide pipe for draining water and can always accurately detect drainage stains using an optical sensor.

Composition of the Invention The drainage device for a washing machine of the present invention includes an optical sensor provided at the outlet of the guide pipe, and a sliding part integrally formed in the center of the drain valve that closes the outlet of the guide pipe via a telescopic part. The sliding portion moves into a portion of the guide pipe corresponding to the optical sensor due to inertia caused by the impact when the drain valve is closed, and cleans this portion. Therefore, drainage stains can always be accurately detected by the optical sensor. In addition, an impact weight is provided in the lock for opening and closing the drain valve to ensure that the inertia of the sliding portion allows the entry operation to be performed reliably. Further, a ball is provided in the solid ball hole to be removably engaged with a recess provided in the impact weight. Therefore, the sliding portion and the impact weight are prevented from inadvertently entering the guide pipe and blocking the light from the optical sensor due to dehydration vibration, and malfunction can be prevented more reliably.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 4 to 7. In FIG.
The flange portion protruding from the cylindrical portion 7' is partially fitted and held. A sliding portion 43 having a flexible portion 42 is integrally provided at the substantially cylindrical center of the drain valve 31'.
Usually, it is housed in the tip of the drain valve 31'. A spring guide 39' is simultaneously molded into the sliding portion 43, and the valve spring 45 is hooked onto this spring guide 39' so that it is always set. 1st Kotsukurotsudo 37'
A step is provided inside the spring guide 39a, and a spring guide 39a is arranged so that the second click spring 38 can be hooked onto the step. The other end of the second locking spring 38 is connected to the second locking rod 36. The second spring 38 is set to always apply a tensile force, and the valve spring 45 is also set to the spring guide 39b so as to apply a tensile force. Here, it is assumed that the valve spring 45 has a smaller spring constant. Further, the first locking block 37' is pressed by the first locking spring 33, and the drain valve 31' is pressed against the valve seat surface 32 to prevent washing water from leaking. The first pot spring 33 is set in the pot lid 41, and the other end of the drain valve 31' is also pressed here between the drain pot frame 19 and the pot pot lid 41 to provide a seal. The optical sensor 26 is disposed in the direction in which the sliding portion 43 moves, and the guide pipe 28 is provided with light emitting and light receiving elements 29 and 30, respectively, centered on the X-X axis in the drawing.

An impact weight 47 is used to increase the inertia of the sliding part 43.
is secured to the sliding portion 43 by adhesive or the like. A groove 49 into which a spherical ball 48 is mounted is provided on the outer periphery of the impact weight 47, and the impact weight 47 is housed within the cylindrical shape of the first rod 37'.
It is possible to move freely inside. The first rod 3 faces the concave groove 49 of the impact weight 47
A ball hole 49' into which a ball 48 can be attached is provided in a part of the cylindrical portion of the first rod 3'.
A slider guide 50 that surrounds the outer periphery of 7' and serves as a sliding guide is fixed to the inner surface of the pot lid 41. Furthermore, a ball guide 51 is set to surround the outer periphery of the slider guide 50 and prevent the ball 48 from falling off. 1st Kotsukurotsudo 3
The drain valve 31' is set on the valve seat surface 32 by pressing the flange portion of the drain valve 7' with a first spring 33.

Figure 4 shows the drain valve 31' in a closed state, while Figure 5 shows the drain valve 31' in an open state using the electromagnetic solenoid 34 (Figure 2). The valve 31' has a dimension C from the valve seat surface 32.
It shows a state in which it has been moved in the A direction. This action drains all the washing water. Drain valve 31'
When the is moved in direction A, it is the time to perform the draining and spin-drying process, but during the spin-drying process, if the laundry in the spin-drying tub/washing tub 6 is pushed to one side and the laundry is spun, the entire mechanism part shakes violently. This horizontal shaking vibration is also transmitted to the impact weight 47 and generates vibration acceleration.
This results in extremely large vibrations, so it is necessary to use some kind of force to hold the impact weight 47 during dewatering. In order to perform this holding, the impact weight 47 and the sliding part 43 are engaged, and the ball 48 is set in the groove 49 of the impact weight 47 and the ball hole 49' of the first locking rod 37', and the slider The upper end of the ball 48 is held down by a guide 50. FIG. 5 shows a state diagram in which the impact weight 47 is pressed down and held by the ball 48.

FIG. 6 shows the movement of the sliding portion 43 immediately after the draining process and the dewatering process are completed. When the electromagnetic solenoid 34 is turned off, the drain valve 31' rapidly moves toward the valve seat surface 32 (direction B) by the force of the first spring 33, and the valve seat surface 32 and the tip of the drain valve 31' parts collide. At this time, the sliding part 43
However, since it has the bending portion 42, it moves by a dimension E in the B direction from the valve seat surface 32 due to the inertia force in the B direction generated by this collision. This amount of movement affects the shape of the flexible portion 42 and the mass of the sliding portion, but tends to be proportional to the dimension C. Therefore, since the sliding portion 43 moves by the dimension E, the light-emitting and light-receiving elements 29 and 30 of the optical sensor 26 may be installed at a dimension D portion closer to the valve seat surface 32 than the dimension E. In order to assist the movement of the sliding portion 43 having the dimension E, an impact weight 47 is provided, and this impact weight 47 must be able to slide freely when an inertial force is applied. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, when the upper end of the ball 48 comes off the slider guide 50, the ball 48 becomes free to move and is blown away by the inertial force generated by the impact weight 47 and escapes upward. I have to. Therefore, there is no resistance to the sliding of the impact weight 47. Further, although the ball 48 escapes upward, since the ball guide 51 is provided, the ball 48 does not fall out of the ball hole 49'.

In this way, the sliding part 43 and the impact weight 47
When the electromagnetic solenoid 34 is on, its movement is maintained, and when it is off, it can freely slide. When the sliding part 43 moves by the dimension E, the valve spring 45 is pulled in the direction B, and when the inertial force disappears again, the sliding part 43 is pulled back to its original position.

In this way, when draining washing water, the electromagnetic solenoid 34 is turned on and the drain valve 31' is opened, and then the drain valve 31' is opened when the draining is finished.
1', when the sliding part 43 jumps forward due to inertia using the law of motion, the guide pipe 28 to which the optical sensor 26 is attached emits light, and the light receiving elements 29, 30 Since the dirt on the inner wall, which is the area corresponding to the above, is rubbed off by the sliding part 43, the proper amount of light from the light emitting element 29 can be transmitted to the light receiving element 30. FIG. 7 is a graph in which the amount of light transmitted when dirty is replaced with the output voltage. If there is no dirt, the output voltage shows a constant value _V0 , but if dirt adheres to the inner wall of the guide pipe 28, the output voltage also shows a state of decreasing. In terms of performance, the deterioration of light detection is prevented by removing dirt as described above, but all of this is done naturally when the drain valve 31' is opened and closed.

Due to vibration acceleration of the impact weight 47 due to dehydration vibration, the ball 48 causes the pop-out phenomenon.
Let's do it. That is, the balls 48 press and hold each of them to generate a holding force sufficient to overcome the vibration acceleration. Moreover, since this holding force is released when the drain valve is turned off, it is possible to reliably apply inertia force to the impact weight 47 as well. When the popping phenomenon occurs, the optical sensor 26, which serves as a dehydration detection sensor, emits light,
The sliding portion 43 blocks the space between the light receiving elements 29 and 30 with vibration, making it impossible to perform proper detection. However, with this invention, it is possible to reliably obtain the sensor function, and there is no influence from dehydration vibration.
We can provide highly reliable products.

Effects of the Invention The drainage device for a washing machine according to the present invention automatically cleans the inside of a guide pipe for draining water, and can always accurately detect drainage dirt using an optical sensor. Also,
The provision of an impact weight ensures that the cleaning action is performed by the valve closing impact, and the provision of a ball that locks the impact weight prevents the impact weight from moving inadvertently due to dehydration vibration and blocking the light from the optical sensor. This has the effect of preventing this and providing even more reliable operation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional diagram showing a conventional washing machine;
The figure is a partially enlarged sectional view, FIG. 3 is a - line sectional view, FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS.
The figure is a graph showing the relationship between dirt and the amount of transmission, which also shows the characteristics of the optical sensor. 5...Water receiver (washing tub), 26...Light sensor, 2
7...Tubular drain port, 28...Guide pipe, 3
1'...Drain valve, 32...Valve seat surface, 33...Kotoku spring, 34...Electromagnetic solenoid, 37'...First tightening rod, 42...Flexible part (extensible part),
43...Sliding part, 45...Valve spring, 4
7... Impact weight, 48... Ball, 49... Concave groove, 49'... Ball hole, 50... Slider guide, 51... Ball guide.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A washing machine having an agitating means, a guide pipe connected to the drain of the washing machine and having a translucent part near the outlet, and light-emitting devices arranged facing each other across the translucent part of the guide pipe. an optical sensor that has an element and a light-receiving element and detects water contamination in the guide pipe; and a drainage device whose peripheral edge contacts a valve seat surface formed at the peripheral edge of the outlet of the guide pipe to open the guide pipe. a valve, a locking rod having a flange on the outer periphery of the tip and a peripheral edge of the drain valve attached to the flange, an opening/closing drive device that opens and closes the drain valve via the locking rod, and an extendable part at the center of the front surface of the drain valve. When the drain valve is closed, the drain valve is pushed into the transparent part of the guide pipe by the inertial force caused by the impact when it hits the valve seat surface, and the transparent part is pushed into the transparent part of the guide pipe. a sliding part to be cleaned; an impact weight having a ball-engaging recess on its outer circumferential surface and slidably fitted into the rod to increase the inertia of the sliding part;
a ball held in a ball hole provided in a sliding wall of the locking block and releasably engaging in the recess of the impact weight when the impact weight is in a retracted state; and a ball provided in the locking block and said sliding portion A washing machine drain device equipped with a valve spring that retracts and energizes the water.