CN117203389A

CN117203389A - Washing machine

Info

Publication number: CN117203389A
Application number: CN202280029127.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 新村光则
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Aqua Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Aqua Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-04-23
Filing date: 2022-03-29
Publication date: 2023-12-08
Also published as: WO2022222703A1; JP2022167547A

Abstract

A washing machine is provided with a drain filter (62). The drain filter (62) comprises: a filter body (210) having a filter screen (260) provided on the peripheral surface (210 b); a slider (220) which is disposed so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the peripheral surface (210 b) and which divides the interior of the filter body (210) into a first chamber (R1) and a second chamber (R2); and a coil spring (240) that imparts an elastic force to the slider (220) in a direction in which the second chamber (R2) expands. The outer peripheral end of the slider (220) is in contact with the surface of the filter screen (260). When the drain water flows into the first chamber (R1), the slider (220) slides in a direction to expand the first chamber (R1) according to the magnitude of the water pressure in the first chamber (R1), and when the drain water stops flowing into the first chamber (R1), the slider (220) slides in a direction to expand the second chamber (R2) by the elastic force of the coil spring (240).

Description

Washing machine

Technical Field

The present application relates to a washing machine.

Background

Conventionally, a washing machine provided with a drain filter provided in a drain path for draining water used in washing to trap foreign matters such as fluff contained in the drain is known (for example, refer to patent document 1).

In the washing machine, the efficiency of capturing fluff from the laundry, particularly the efficiency of capturing microplastic from the chemical fiber laundry can be improved by thinning the mesh of the drain filter. However, if the mesh of the drain filter becomes thin, clogging tends to occur, and therefore the frequency of cleaning the drain filter may increase, which may increase the burden on the user.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2013-81712

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the application

The present application has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a washing machine capable of reducing a cleaning frequency of a drain filter.

Solution for solving the problem

The washing machine according to the main aspect of the present application comprises: an outer cylinder disposed in the case; a washing cylinder disposed in the outer cylinder for accommodating laundry; a water discharge path for discharging water in the outer cylinder to the outside of the machine; a filter cartridge disposed in the drain passage and having an inlet through which drain water from the outer tube flows in and an outlet through which the drain water flows out; and a drain filter which is accommodated in the filter case so as to be removable from the filter case. Wherein, the drainage filter includes: a filter body having a cylindrical peripheral surface, and provided with a filter unit for allowing the drainage water to pass therethrough to capture foreign matter contained in the drainage water; a slider disposed in the filter body so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the peripheral surface, the slider partitioning the filter body in the axial direction in a region where the filter unit is disposed, the filter body having an inner portion divided into a second chamber and a first chamber connected to the inflow port; and an elastic member for imparting elastic force to the slider in a direction of expanding the second chamber. The outer peripheral end of the slider is in contact with the surface of the filter portion. When the drain water flows into the first chamber, the slider slides in a direction to expand the first chamber according to the magnitude of the water pressure in the first chamber, and when the drain water stops flowing into the first chamber, the slider slides in a direction to expand the second chamber by the elastic force of the elastic member.

According to the above configuration, the filter unit is automatically cleaned by the sliding of the slider caused by the inflow and the stop of the drain water, so that the frequency of cleaning the drain filter by the user can be reduced.

In the washing machine of the present aspect, the filter unit may be provided over the entire circumference along the circumferential direction of the circumferential surface.

According to the above structure, a large amount of foreign matter can be captured by the filter screen.

In the washing machine of the present embodiment, the following structure can be adopted: in the filter body, the end face of the first chamber side is opened, the slider is allowed to enter and exit from the inside of the filter body through the opening of the end face, and the end face is brought into contact with the surface of the filter case in which the inflow port is formed, so that the opening is connected to the inflow port.

According to the above configuration, the user can take out the slider to clean the filter unit from the inside of the filter body. Further, the drain water flowing into the inflow port can be made to flow into the first chamber through the opening.

In the case of the above-described structure, a handle may be provided on a surface of the slider facing the opening of the filter body.

With such a structure, the user can grasp the handle to slide the slider to manually clean the filter portion.

In the washing machine of the present aspect, the outlet port may be provided in a surface of the filter cartridge facing the peripheral surface of the filter body. In this case, in a state where the drain water stops flowing into the first chamber, a position where the slider partitions the inside of the filter body may be a position where the outflow port enters a region of the first chamber in the axial direction.

When the drain water flows into the first chamber, the drain water passing through the filter portion near the outlet directly flows into the outlet when the outlet enters the region of the first chamber in the axial direction of the peripheral surface, and therefore, the flow resistance of the drain water in the first chamber is reduced, and the drain flow rate can be increased.

According to the above configuration, in a state where the inflow of the drain is stopped and the water pressure is not applied to the first chamber, the outflow port enters the region of the first chamber in the axial direction of the peripheral surface, and therefore, even if the slider is slid in a direction of expanding the first chamber without the water pressure, a good drain flow rate can be ensured.

Effects of the application

According to the present application, a washing machine capable of reducing a cleaning frequency of a drain filter can be provided.

The effects and meaning of the present application will be more apparent from the following description of the embodiments. However, the following embodiment is only an example in carrying out the present application, and the present application is not limited by the content of the following embodiment.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side sectional view showing the structure of a drum washing machine of an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a filter device of an embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of a filter device of an embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the filter device of the embodiment taken along line A-A' of fig. 2.

In fig. 5, (a) is a side sectional view of the drain filter according to the embodiment, and (b) is an enlarged sectional view of a main portion of the drain filter according to the embodiment.

In fig. 6, (a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of the filter body and the slider, respectively, taken along the same positions as in fig. 4, according to the embodiment.

Fig. 7 (a) to (c) are cross-sectional views schematically showing the main part of the filtration device of modification 1, according to modification 26, correction 08.04.2022.

Description of the reference numerals

10: a case; 20: an outer cylinder; 23: a drum (washing drum); 40: a water drainage path; 61: a filter cartridge; 62: a drain filter; 103: an inflow port; 104: an outflow port; 210: a filter body; 210b: a peripheral surface; 210c: an opening; 220: a slider; 222b: a peripheral end; 223: a handle; 240: coil springs (elastic members); 260: a filter screen (filter part); r1: a first chamber; r2: a second chamber.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a drum type washing machine as an embodiment of the washing machine of the present application will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side sectional view showing the structure of a drum washing machine 1.

The drum washing machine 1 includes a square casing 10. A circular input port 11 into which laundry is input is formed in the front surface of the casing 10. The inlet 11 is covered with a door 12 that is openable and closable.

An outer tube 20 is elastically supported in the case 10 by a plurality of dampers 21 and springs 22. A drum 23 is rotatably disposed in the outer tube 20. The drum 23 rotates around a horizontal axis. The drum 23 has a circular opening 23a on the front surface. The outer tube 20 has a circular opening 20a in front of the opening 23a of the drum 23. The drum 23 corresponds to a washing drum of the present application.

The peripheral edge of the opening 20a of the outer tube 20 is connected to the peripheral edge of the inlet 11 of the case 10 by an annular gasket 24 made of an elastic material. The peripheral surface of the closed door 12 contacts the gasket 24 to seal the water between the inlet 11 and the door 12.

A plurality of dehydration holes 23b are formed on the inner circumferential surface of the drum 23. Further, on the inner peripheral surface of the drum 23, a ring-shaped balancer 25 is provided at the front, and three lifting ribs 26 having a nearly triangular prism shape are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

A drive motor 30 for generating a torque for rotating the drum 23 is disposed behind the outer tube 20. The drive motor 30 is, for example, an outer rotor type DC brushless motor. During the washing and rinsing processes, the driving motor 30 rotates the drum 23 at a rotational speed at which the laundry is tumbled by a centrifugal force applied to the laundry in the drum 23 smaller than the gravity force. On the other hand, during the dehydration process, the driving motor 30 rotates the drum 23 at a rotational speed at which the centrifugal force applied to the laundry in the drum 23 is much greater than the gravity force to make the laundry adhere to the inner circumferential surface of the drum 23.

A concave portion 20b recessed downward is provided at the bottom of the outer tube 20. A drain 40 for draining water in the outer tube 20 to the outside is connected to a drain provided in the bottom surface of the recess 20b.

The drain passage 40 is provided with two filter devices 50 and 60 on the upstream side and downstream side for capturing foreign matters such as fluff contained in the drain water from the outer tube 20.

The upstream filter device 50 is disposed at a front lower portion in the casing 10. The filtering device 50 includes: a filter case 51 disposed in the drain passage 40; and a drain filter 52 that is accommodated in the filter cartridge 51 so as to be removable from the filter cartridge 51. The filter case 51 is connected to an inlet and outlet provided in a lower portion of the front surface of the casing 10, and the drain filter 52 can be moved into and out of the filter case 51 through the inlet and outlet. A door may be provided at the doorway. For example, a filter unit described in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2020-103718 can be used as the filter device 50.

The downstream filter 60 is disposed at the front upper portion of the inside of the casing 10. The filtering device 60 includes: a filter case 61 disposed in the drain passage 40; and a drain filter 62 which is accommodated in the filter case 61 so as to be removable from the filter case 61. The filter box 61 is connected to an inlet and outlet provided in an upper portion of the front surface of the casing 10, and the drain filter 62 can be moved into and out of the filter box 61 through the inlet and outlet. A door may be provided at the doorway. The drain filter 62 can catch foreign matter of a smaller size than that which can be caught by the drain filter 52 on the upstream side, in particular, microplastic as fine fluff from chemical fiber washings. The structure of the filter device 60 will be described in detail later.

A drain pump 70 is disposed between the upstream filter 50 and the downstream filter 60 in the drain passage 40. In the drain passage 40, the first drain hose 41 is connected to the recess 20b of the outer tube 20 and the filter device 50, and the second drain hose 42 is connected to the filter device 50 and the drain pump 70. A third drain hose 43 is connected to the drain pump 70. The third drain hose 43 is lifted to the upper portion of the tank 10 to be connected with the filtering device 60. A fourth drain hose 44 extending to the outside is connected to the filter device 60.

The drain path 40 is filled with water to the same level as the water level of the water stored in the outer tub 20. When the drain pump 70 is operated, the water stored in the drain path 40 and the water in the outer tub 20 are discharged to the outside. At this time, the discharged water from the inside of the outer tub 20 passes through the two filter devices 50, 60, and the foreign matter is caught by the two filter devices 50, 60. In the upstream filter device 50, the large foreign matter is captured to prevent the drain pump 70 from malfunctioning due to the large foreign matter entering the drain pump 70. In the downstream filter device 60, only foreign matter passing through the upstream filter device 50 is caught by the drain filter 62, so that the drain filter 62 is less likely to be clogged.

A water supply portion 80 is disposed at the rear portion in the case 10. The water supply part 80 includes a water supply valve 81 and a water supply hose 82. One end of the water supply hose 82 is connected to the water supply valve 81, and the other end is connected to a water filling port 20c provided in the rear surface of the outer tube 20. When the water supply valve 81 is opened, tap water from the tap flows through the water supply hose 82 and is supplied from the water filling port 20c into the outer tube 20.

A detergent dispenser, not shown, is also provided in the casing 10. The detergent input device contains detergent and softener before the washing operation. During the water supply in the cleaning process, detergent is supplied from the detergent supply device into the drum 23, and during the water supply in the rinsing process, softener is supplied from the detergent supply device into the drum 23.

The drum washing machine 1 performs washing operations in various operation modes. In the washing operation, a washing process, an intermediate dehydrating process, a rinsing process, and a final dehydrating process are sequentially performed. Depending on the operation mode, the rinsing process and the intermediate dehydrating process are sometimes performed more than two times.

During the washing process, the water containing the detergent is stored in the outer tub 20 to a predetermined water level corresponding to the load of the laundry accommodated in the drum 23, and the laundry immersed in the water is tumbled by repeating the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the drum 23. The water containing the detergent permeates into the interior of the laundry, and dirt adhering to the surface and the interior of the laundry is peeled off by the force of the detergent and the mechanical force generated by tumbling.

In the rinsing process, the drum 23 rotates forward and backward to tumble the laundry in a state where water is stored in the outer tub 20 to a predetermined water level. Thus, the detergent contained in the laundry is discharged together with the water, and the laundry is rinsed.

During the intermediate dehydration process and the final dehydration process, the driving motor 30 is unidirectionally rotated at a high speed, and the drum 23 is unidirectionally rotated at a rotational speed at which centrifugal force acting on laundry in the drum 23 is much greater than gravity. The laundry is pressed against the inner circumferential surface of the drum 23 by the centrifugal force, and is dehydrated. During the final dehydration, the drum 23 rotates at a higher rotational speed than during the intermediate dehydration.

Next, the structure of the filter device 60 will be described in detail.

Fig. 2 and 3 are side sectional views of the filter device 60. Fig. 2 shows a state in which drain water does not flow into the filter 210. Fig. 3 shows a state in which the slider 220 is slid to the maximum extent by the water pressure when the drain water flows into the filter body 210. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the filter device 60 taken along line A-A' of fig. 2. Fig. 5 (a) is a side sectional view of the drain filter 62. Fig. 5 (b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of the drain filter 62. Fig. 6 (a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of the filter body 210 and the slider 220, respectively, taken along the same positions as fig. 4. In fig. 4, the coil spring 240 is not shown.

The filter case 61 is formed of a resin material, and has a bottomed cylindrical shape with an open front end face and a closed rear end face. The filter cartridge 61 includes a filter housing 101 and a handle housing 102 located in front of the filter housing 101 and having an outer diameter larger than the filter housing 101.

A circular inlet 103 is formed in the filter housing 101 at the center of the rear end surface 101a, and a circular outlet 104 is formed at the lowest position of the rear end of the peripheral surface 101 b. The filter housing 101 has a cylindrical connection portion 105 protruding rearward from the inflow port 103, and the third drain hose 43 is connected to the connection portion 105. The filter housing 101 has a cylindrical connecting portion 106 protruding downward from the outflow port 104, and the fourth drain hose 44 is connected to the connecting portion 106.

The handle housing 102 is provided with a tapered portion 107 having a gradually decreasing outer diameter at a rear end portion. Further, an annular fitting flange 108 is provided at the tip end portion of the handle housing 102. The fitting flange 108 is fitted to the front surface of the case 10 by screws or the like. The opening 102a of the front end surface of the handle housing 102 is aligned with the entrance of the front surface of the case 10.

The drain filter 62 includes a filter body 210, a slider 220, a slider guide 230, a coil spring 240, and a handle 250.

The filter body 210 is a bottomed cylindrical body having a closed front end surface and an open rear end surface, and is made of a resin material, and the front end surface 210a has a circular shape and the peripheral surface 210b has a cylindrical shape. The filter screen 260 is provided on the peripheral surface 210b of the filter body 210 over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction. The filter screen 260 is formed of a metal material such as stainless steel, and has a cylindrical shape. For example, the filter 260 may be formed by knitting a wire into a mesh shape, or may be formed by forming a plurality of holes in a sheet-like material. In the latter configuration, the size of the pores is the size of the mesh. The mesh size of the filter 260 is set to, for example, about 30 to 50 μm. The filter screen 260 corresponds to a filtering portion of the present application.

The filter mesh 260 is integrally formed with the filter body 210 by insert molding. In the front-rear direction, that is, in the axial direction of the peripheral surface 210b of the filter body 210, more than half of the front side from the rear end portion of the peripheral surface 210b of the filter body 210 is occupied by the filter screen 260. In the filter body 210, a plurality of (e.g., eight) axially extending grid bars 211 are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction in the region of the filter screen 260. A part of the filter screen 260 is buried in each of the bars 211, dividing the region of the filter screen 260 into a plurality of regions in the circumferential direction. The number of the grid bars 211 may be determined in consideration of the strength of the filter body 210. In addition, the grill 211 may not be provided in the filter body 210.

A recess 212 is formed in the center of the inner side of the front end surface 210a of the filter body 210, and a cylindrical mounting boss 213 is provided in the center of the recess 212. The outer peripheral edge portion of the concave portion 212 is provided deep.

The slider 220 is slidably disposed inside the filter body 210. The slider 220 is formed of a resin material, and includes a slider body 221, a flange 222, and a handle 223, and the slider body 221 has a bottomed cylinder shape with a front end surface open and a rear end surface closed. The flange 222 has an annular shape and is provided at a predetermined position on the peripheral surface of the slider body 221. As shown in fig. 6 (b), at the outer peripheral end of the flange 222, recesses 222a are formed at positions corresponding to the plurality of the grid bars 211 of the filter body 210, which recesses are recessed in the radial direction to have a shape corresponding to the shape of the grid bars 211. As shown in fig. 5, an outer peripheral end 222b of the flange 222, which is an outer peripheral end of the slider 220, is in contact with a surface of the filter screen 260. A gap slightly occurs between each of the bars 211 of the filter body 210 and the recess 222a of the flange 222. The grip 223 has a plate shape and protrudes rearward from the rear end surface of the slider body 221. In the case where the grill 211 is not provided in the filter body 210, the recess 222a is not provided in the flange 222.

The slider 220 partitions the inside of the filter body 210 in the axial direction of the filter body 210 at a region where the filter screen 260 is provided by the slider body 221 and the flange 222. Thereby, the interior of the filter body 210 is divided into a second chamber R2 and a first chamber R1 connected to the inflow port 103 of the filter cartridge 61.

The slide guide 230 is disposed inside the filter body 210. The slide guide 230 is formed of a resin material, and has a bottomed cylindrical shape with a front end face closed and a rear end face open. The slide guide 230 is fixed to the center of the front end surface 210a of the filter body 210. That is, the tip end portion of the slide guide 230 has a shape corresponding to the concave portion 212 of the tip end surface 210a and is fitted into the concave portion 212. The fitting boss 213 is fitted into a fitting recess 231 provided in the front end surface of the slide guide 230, and the fitting recess 231 is fixed to the fitting boss 213 by a screw 232. The outer peripheral surface of the front end portion of the slide guide 230 and the inner peripheral surface of the recess 212 are water-tightly sealed by an O-ring 233.

The slide guide 230 is inserted into the inside of the slide body 221, supporting the slide 220 to be slidable. As shown in fig. 4, a plurality of (e.g., eight) ribs 234 extending in the axial direction are formed on the peripheral surface of the slide guide 230 at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. These ribs 234 contact the inner peripheral surface of the slider body 221, thereby enabling reduction of frictional resistance when the slider 220 slides. An annular spacer 235 is provided at the tip end of the slide guide 230. The pad 235 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the slider body 221. Thereby, water is prevented from entering the inside of the slider body 221 and the slide guide 230.

The coil spring 240 is housed inside the slide guide 230 at the front end side, and protrudes rearward from the slide guide 230 at the rear end side. The coil spring 240 corresponds to an elastic member of the present application.

As shown in fig. 2, the position at which the rear end surface of the slider body 221 contacts the rear end of the natural length coil spring 240 is the initial position of the slider 220. When the water is not discharged from the outer tube 20, that is, when the inflow of the water into the first chamber R1 is stopped, the slider 220 is present at the initial position. At this time, the position of the slider 220 partitioning the inside of the filter body 210, that is, the position of the flange 222 of the slider 220 is the position where the outflow port 104 enters the region of the first chamber R1 in the axial direction of the filter body 210, and the outflow port 104 exists directly below the first chamber R1.

An attaching portion 214 to which the handle 250 is attached is integrally formed at the front of the filter body 210. The attachment portion 214 has a cylindrical shape, and an outer diameter larger than that of the filter body 210. The attachment portion 214 has a flange 214a at the middle portion, and an O-ring 215 is attached to the rear side of the flange 214 a. Further, a claw 214b is formed at the tip end of the attachment portion 214.

The handle 250 is formed of a resin material, and includes a disk-shaped base portion 251 and a plate-shaped handle 252 protruding from a central portion of the base portion 251. The handle 250 is attached to the attachment portion 214. At this time, the claw 251a provided on the base portion 251 engages with the claw 214b of the attaching portion 214. Thus, the handle 250 is rotatable without being exposed forward relative to the attachment portion 214.

In the drain filter 62 inserted into the filter cartridge 61, the filter body 210 is accommodated in the filter accommodating portion 101, and the handle 250 is accommodated in the handle accommodating portion 102. The grip 250 has an external screw portion, not shown, provided on the outer peripheral surface of the base portion 251, and the grip accommodating portion 102 has an internal screw portion, not shown. When the handle 250 is rotated, the male screw portion is engaged with the female screw portion, and the filter 210 moves rearward together with the handle 250. The O-ring 215 is pressed against the tapered portion 107 of the handle housing 102 to water-seal the attachment portion 214 from the tapered portion 107. Thereby, water leakage from the inside of the filter cartridge 61 is prevented.

The rear end surface of the filter body 210 contacts the rear end surface 101a of the filter housing 101, and the opening 210c of the rear end surface of the filter body 210 is connected to the inflow port 103. An annular projection 216 is formed at the rear end of the filter body 210, and the projection 216 is fitted into an annular groove 109 formed in the rear end surface 101a of the filter housing 101. Accordingly, the drain water flowing into the first chamber R1 is less likely to leak out of the filter body 210 from between the rear end surface of the filter body 210 and the rear end surface 101a of the filter housing 101.

Next, the operation of the filter device 60 will be described.

When the drain pump 70 is operated, the drain from the outer tube 20 flows into the first chamber R1 of the filter 210 through the inflow port 103. The slider 220 slides forward even in the direction in which the first chamber R1 expands to a position in which the water pressure in the first chamber R1 balances with the sliding resistance generated by the coil spring 240 and the spacer 235. For example, the spring constant of the coil spring 240 may be set so that the slider 220 is stationary or jogged in a stage where little foreign matter such as micro plastic is trapped in the region of the filter screen 260 contained in the first chamber R1.

The drain water flowing into the first chamber R1 flows out of the filter body 210 through the filter screen 260 and flows into the flow outlet 104. Foreign matter contained in the drain is captured by the filter 260 and accumulated on the surface of the filter 260. Since the drain water easily flows through a path having a small flow resistance, foreign matter is particularly likely to accumulate in the portion of the filter screen 260 near the outflow port 104.

As foreign matter accumulates in the region of the filter 260 contained in the first chamber R1, the hydraulic pressure in the first chamber R1 increases, and the slider 220 slides forward. Since the region of the filter screen 260 contained in the first chamber R1 expands, the decrease in the flow resistance of the drain water is suppressed, and the decrease in the drain flow rate is suppressed. As shown in fig. 3, the slider 220 can slide to the front end position of the filter screen 260 at the maximum, and when the slider 220 moves to this position, the drain water can pass through the entire area of the filter screen 260.

When the drain pump 70 is stopped, the water pressure in the first chamber R1 decreases, and accordingly, the slider 220 is pushed by the elastic force of the coil spring 240 to slide rearward even in the direction in which the second chamber R2 expands. When the slider 220 slides, the outer peripheral end 222b of the flange 222, which is the slider 220, slides over the surface of the filter 260, and foreign matter accumulated on the surface of the filter 260 is pushed out rearward. The pushed foreign matter is accumulated in the first chamber R1 behind the stopped slider 220, that is, after the slider 220 has completed sliding.

In this way, the slider 220 slides according to the change in the water pressure in the first chamber R1, thereby cleaning the surface of the filter screen 260 in the sliding range. As a result, a large amount of foreign matter can be captured by the filter 260 before the entire filter 260 is clogged to such an extent that the minimum drainage flow rate cannot be ensured. Thus, the frequency of cleaning the drain filter 62 by the user can be reduced.

As shown in fig. 2, when the drain water flows into the first chamber R1, if the flange 222 of the slider 220 is located on the front side of the outflow port 104 and the outflow port 104 enters the region of the first chamber R1 in the axial direction of the filter body 210, the drain water passing through the portion of the filter screen 260 near the outflow port 104 directly flows into the outflow port 104, and therefore, the flow resistance of the drain water in the first chamber R1 becomes small, and the drain flow rate can be increased. In the present embodiment, since the outflow port 104 has entered the region of the first chamber R1 with the slider 220 in the initial position, even if the slider 220 is slid forward by the water pressure from the stage where the filter screen 260 is not clogged, a good drainage flow rate can be ensured even if the first chamber R1 is expanded. Accordingly, the slider 220 does not have to be slidable under low water pressure, and accordingly, the elastic force of the coil spring 240 can be increased. Therefore, when the slider 220 is slid rearward by the elastic force even in the direction in which the second chamber R2 expands, the foreign matter accumulated on the surface of the filter screen 260 can be pushed out strongly, and the foreign matter can be removed easily.

When the slider 220 reciprocates, air passes through the ventilation holes 217 penetrating the front end surface 210a of the filter body 210 and the front end surface of the slider 230, and enters and exits the slider body 221 and the slider 230. Thereby, the slider 220 can be smoothly slid.

Further, since the drain pump 70 is configured to feed drain water to the drain filter 62, which is the filtering device 60, a sufficient drain flow rate can be easily obtained even if the mesh of the filter screen 260 is reduced so that microplastic can be captured.

The user can remove the drain filter 62 from the filter cartridge 61 to clean the filter screen 260.

As shown in fig. 5 (a), the user can grasp the grip 223 to pull the slider 220 rearward of the initial position. The outer peripheral end 222b of the flange 222 slides on the surface of the filter screen 260 in a region where the slider 220 does not slide due to a change in water pressure, which is the surface of the filter screen 260 behind the initial position, and foreign matter accumulated in the filter screen 260 is pushed out from the opening 210c of the filter body 210.

As shown in fig. 5 (b), the inner peripheral wall surface of the rear end portion of the filter body 210 bulges slightly inward than the filter screen 260, and when the flange 222 of the slider 220 moves to the rear end portion, the outer peripheral end portion of the flange 222 comes into contact with the bulge 218. Thus, the slider 220 is not easily accidentally detached from the inside of the filter body 210 through the opening 210 c.

On the other hand, when the slider 220 is forcibly pulled from a state where the outer peripheral end of the flange 222 is in contact with the bulging portion 218, the rear end of the filter body 210 and the flange 222 are elastically deformed, and the flange 222 passes over the bulging portion 218, so that the slider 220 is separated from the inside of the filter body 210. Thus, the user can clean the surface of the filter screen 260 from the inside of the filter body 210 using a cleaning tool such as a brush to remove foreign matter.

As shown in fig. 5 (b), the bulge 218 has an inclined surface 218a that expands the opening 210c of the front end surface of the filter body 210. This allows the removed slider 220 to be easily returned from the opening 210c to the inside of the filter body 210.

Effect of the embodiments >

According to the present embodiment, in the drain filter 62, the inside of the filter body 210 having the filter screen 260 at the peripheral surface 210b is partitioned by the slider 220 into the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2. When the drain water flows into the first chamber R1, the slider 220 slides in a direction to expand the first chamber R1 according to the magnitude of the water pressure in the first chamber R1, and when the drain water stops flowing into the first chamber R1, the slider 220 is pressed by the coil spring 240 to slide in a direction to expand the second chamber R2. When the slider 220 slides in the direction of expanding the second chamber R2, the outer peripheral end 222b of the slider 220 slides on the surface of the filter screen 260 to remove foreign matter accumulated on the surface of the filter screen 260. In this way, the filter screen 260 is automatically cleaned by the sliding of the slider 220 caused by the inflow and the stop of the drain water, so that the cleaning frequency of the drain water filter 62 by the user can be reduced.

Further, since the slider 220 is slid without using a driving device such as a motor, the filter device 60 can be realized at low cost.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the filter screen 260 is provided so as to extend over the entire circumference along the circumferential direction of the circumferential surface 210b of the filter body 210, a large amount of foreign matter can be captured by the filter screen 260.

Further, according to the present embodiment, in the filter body 210, the rear end surface, which is the end surface on the first chamber R1 side, is opened, and the slider 220 can be moved into and out of the filter body 210 through the opening 210c in the rear end surface. The rear end surface of the filter body 210 contacts the rear end surface 101a of the filter cartridge 61, and the opening 210c is connected to the inflow port 103. Thus, the user can remove the slider 220 to clean the filter screen 260 from the inside of the filter body 210. Further, the drain water flowing into the inflow port 103 can be made to flow into the first chamber R1 through the opening 210 c.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the handle 223 is provided on the rear end surface of the slider 220 facing the opening 210c of the filter body 210, the user can grasp the handle 223 and slide the slider 220 to manually clean the filter screen 260.

Further, according to the present embodiment, in a state where the inflow of the drain is stopped and the water pressure is not applied to the inside of the first chamber R1, the outflow port 104 enters the region of the first chamber R1 in the axial direction of the filter body 210, and therefore, even if the slider 220 is slid in the direction of expanding the first chamber R1 by the water pressure from the stage where the filter screen 260 is not clogged, a good drain flow rate can be ensured. Accordingly, since the slider 220 does not have to be slidable under low water pressure, and accordingly the slider 220 can be strongly slid by increasing the elastic force of the coil spring 240, foreign matter accumulated on the surface of the filter screen 260 can be easily removed.

The embodiments of the present application have been described above, but the present application is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications may be made in the embodiments of the present application other than the above.

< variant 1 >)

Fig. 7 (a) to (c) are cross-sectional views schematically showing the main part of the filter device 60 of modification 1.

In the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, the drain filter 62 is configured to: when the inflow of the drain into the first chamber R1 is stopped and the slider 220 is at the initial position, the position of the slider 220 separating the inside of the filter body 210, that is, the position of the flange 222 of the slider 220 is located forward of the outflow port 104, and the outflow port 104 enters the region of the first chamber R1 in the axial direction of the filter body 210.

In this modification 1, as shown in fig. 7 (a), the drain filter 62 is configured to: when the inflow of the drain into the first chamber R1 is stopped and the slider 220 is at the initial position, the position of the slider 220 separating the inside of the filter body 210, that is, the position of the flange 222 of the slider 220 is located rearward of the outflow port 104, and the outflow port 104 is deviated from the region of the first chamber R1 in the axial direction of the filter body 210.

In modification 1, by appropriately setting the spring constant of the coil spring 240 or the like, the slider 220 is slid forward to a position where the outflow port 104 enters the region of the first chamber R1 when the drain water flows into the first chamber R1 from the stage where the foreign matter is hardly trapped in the region of the filter screen 260 included in the first chamber R1, as shown in fig. 7 (b).

As shown in fig. 7 (c), when the water pressure in the first chamber R1 increases as foreign matter accumulates in the region of the filter 260 contained in the first chamber R1, the slider 220 slides forward to the front end position of the filter 260 to the maximum extent.

In the structure of modification 1, since the portion of the filter screen 260 near the outflow port 104 where foreign matter is likely to accumulate is included in the sliding range of the slider 220, the portion can be automatically cleaned.

Note that the drain filter 62 may also be configured to: when the inflow of the drain into the first chamber R1 is stopped and the slider 220 is at the initial position, the position of the slider 220 separating the inside of the filter body 210, that is, the position of the flange 222 of the slider 220, is within the range of the outflow port 104, and a part of the outflow port 104 enters the region of the first chamber R1 in the axial direction of the filter body 210.

< other modification examples >)

In the above embodiment, the filter screen 260 is provided so as to extend over the entire circumference along the circumferential direction of the circumferential surface 210b of the filter body 210. However, the filter screen 260 may not be necessarily provided so as to extend over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction of the circumferential surface 210b of the filter body 210. The drain water flowing into the filter 210 easily flows downward. Thus, for example, the filter 260 may be provided at a lower half turn in the circumferential direction of the circumferential surface 210 b.

In the above embodiment, the filter screen 260 is formed of a metal material, but may be formed of a resin material.

The shape of the grip 223 provided on the slider 220 is not limited to the shape of the above embodiment, and any shape may be used as long as the grip can be grasped with fingers.

In the above embodiment, the downstream filter 60 is disposed at the front upper portion in the case 10, but may be disposed at the front lower portion in the case 10, that is, at a position lower than the recess 20b of the outer tube 20. In the case where the upstream filter device 50 is disposed in the front lower portion of the case 10 as in the above-described embodiment, the two filter devices 50 and 60 may be disposed apart from each other. In the case where the filter device 60 is disposed at the lower portion in the casing 10, the drain pump 70 may not be provided as long as the water supply pressure of the drain water flowing to the drain filter 62 can be appropriately obtained.

In the above embodiment, the coil spring 240 is used to apply the elastic force to the slider 220, but a spring other than the coil spring 240 or an elastic member other than the spring may be used.

In the above embodiment, the present application is applied to the drum washing machine 1 including the horizontal axis type drum 23. However, the present application is also applicable to a so-called vertical full-automatic washing machine including a vertical shaft type washing and dehydrating tub having a pulsator therein. In addition, the application can be applied to a drum-type washing and drying integrated machine with a drying function and a full-automatic washing and drying integrated machine.

In addition, the embodiments of the present application can be modified in various ways as appropriate within the scope of the technical idea shown in the technical proposal.

Claims

A washing machine is characterized by comprising:

an outer cylinder disposed in the case;

a washing cylinder disposed in the outer cylinder for accommodating laundry;

a water discharge path for discharging water in the outer cylinder to the outside of the machine;

a filter cartridge disposed in the drain passage and having an inlet through which drain water from the outer tube flows in and an outlet through which the drain water flows out; and

a drain filter which is accommodated in the filter case so as to be removable from the filter case,

the drain filter includes:

a filter body having a cylindrical peripheral surface, and provided with a filter unit for allowing the drainage water to pass therethrough to capture foreign matter contained in the drainage water;

a slider disposed in the filter body so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the peripheral surface, the slider partitioning the filter body in the axial direction in a region where the filter unit is disposed, the filter body having an inner portion divided into a second chamber and a first chamber connected to the inflow port; and

an elastic member for applying elastic force to the slider in a direction of expanding the second chamber,

the outer peripheral end of the slider is in contact with the surface of the filter portion,

when the drain water flows into the first chamber, the sliding member slides in a direction to expand the first chamber according to the magnitude of the water pressure in the first chamber,

when the drainage stops flowing into the first chamber, the slider slides in a direction expanding the second chamber by the elastic force of the elastic member.
A washing machine as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that,

the filter unit is provided so as to extend over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction of the circumferential surface.
A washing machine as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that,

in the filter body, the end face of the first chamber side is opened,

the sliding piece can enter and exit the filter body from the opening of the end face,

the end surface contacts a surface of the filter cartridge in which the inflow port is formed, and connects the opening to the inflow port.
A washing machine as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that,

a handle is provided on the surface of the slider facing the opening of the filter body.
A washing machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that,

the outlet port is provided on a surface of the filter cartridge opposed to the peripheral surface of the filter body,

in a state where the drain water stops flowing into the first chamber, a position at which the slider partitions the inside of the filter body is set to a position at which the outflow port enters a region of the first chamber in the axial direction.