EP1849906B1

EP1849906B1 - Integrated tub overflow system for top-loading washing machine

Info

Publication number: EP1849906B1
Application number: EP06008714A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Laurent Paillat
Original assignee: Electrolux Home Products Corp NV
Current assignee: Electrolux Home Products Corp NV
Priority date: 2006-04-27
Filing date: 2006-04-27
Publication date: 2009-11-04
Anticipated expiration: 2026-04-27
Also published as: PL1849906T3; EP1849906A1; DE602006010177D1; RU2008146774A; WO2007124806A1; ES2333148T3; ATE447638T1; RU2425916C2

Abstract

This integrated overflow system is constituted of a labyrinth (10) incorporated in the machine tub body comprising an ascending baffle (11) that begins inside the tub body (1) and communicate with it, opening into a meander that forms a siphon (12) which opens into a little room (13) that includes an L-shaped deflector in its upper part, which communicates, with a descending baffle (14) next to the ascending baffle (11) opening into the open air and with a nozzle (15) connected directly to the room (13) and coming out behind the room L-shaped deflector (131).

Description

The invention refers to an integrated tub overflow system for a top-loading rotating-drum horizontal axis washing machine.
On this type of machine, it was deemed essential to equip the tub with an integrated overflow system designed to avoid any overflow of the tub inside the machine, which would be likely to cause short-circuits and damage to the machine electrical equipment in case the machine malfunctions during use.
Currently, the integrated overflow system consists of a flexible pipe connected to the tub, directing excess water to the base of the machine away from the electrical equipment.
However, during machine operation, and especially during spin-drying, the flexible pipe accommodating any overflow is subjected to vibrations that pound it against the fixed parts of the machine, which over time results in the progressive disconnection of the pipe from the machine tub overflow nozzle, which causes leaks around the connection, thereby generating and maintaining humidity that is initially undetectable by the user since in this case the liquid flows by trickling along the tub, behind the machine body. The same problem arises with potential overflows of foam, which break itself for a large part of the integrated overflow system designed to evacuate liquid.
EP 0 335 452 describes a top-loading washing machine comprising a drum rotating an horizontal axis, a tub body lateraly closed by lateral flanges and a tub overflow system limiting the filing in quantity of water in the tub integrated in the said tub body forming a labyrinth fitted on a lateral flange of the tub body comprising a trap for foam and a siphon forming a conduit comprising three tubular parts forming an arc of a circle put side by side concentrically to the drum rotation axis ; the three tubular parts being connected by some elbows. The trap for foam and the siphon being fitted with a hole communicating with the tub in order to eliminate the water kept in the trap for foam after an overflow and to avoid this water to stagnate.
EP 0 421 442 describes a drum-type washing machine including a resin drum which is rotatably supported in a frame by a horizontal shaft. The resin drum includes a body portion molded out of a synthetic resin, and an end surface is formed at one end of the body portion and the other end is opened. The other end surface for sealing or closing an opening is fixed to the other end of the body portion via a fluid balancer including a hollow annular member and a predetermined amount of saltwater sealed therein. The drum is so constructed that its diameter is increased from the one end to the other end due by utilizing a rapping slope.
Therefore, the wash in the drum is moved to the vicinity of the fluid balancer at the other end of the drum along the slope of the inner surface of the drum, thereby to exhibit a maximum balancing effect of the fluid balancer.
Principal objects of these inventions being to obtain a good balancing effect when the drum is rotated to prevent the wash from being jumped out at a timing of opening a cover for a clothes entering part of the drum and prevent the wash from being damaged and prevent a water from being excessively overflowed.
None of these tubs overflows systems are able to avoid any overflow of the tub inside the machine and the potential overflows of foam or vapour production which break itself of the integrated apparatus designed to evacuate the liquid.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a solution for these disadvantages. The invention, as it is characterised in the claims, resolves the problem by creating an integrated overflow system for a top-loading washing machine, whereby, on the one hand, all evacuation piping, be it rigid or flexible, is eliminated and, on the other hand, the said system be fully integrated in the machine tub during its manufacturing of the tub, without use of additional parts.
The advantages procured by this invention consist primarily in that there is no risk of a leak around the overflow connection or any risk of foam overflow or vapour production. Mounting the tub in its frame is facilitated by the lack of specific parts to attach and connect. The flow resulting from a potential overflow is channelled towards an area removed as far as possible from the electrical equipment.
Other characteristics and advantages will appear in the following description of a method of making the system according to the invention, given as a non-limiting example with regard to the appended drawings where:

figure 1 shows a partial plan view of a tub's body flange joint, around the system, corresponding flange dismounted,
figure 2 shows a partially exploded perspective view of the tub, around the system, corresponding flange dismantled and a bit spaced,
figure 3 shows a side perspective view of the tub body, corresponding flange dismounted and the other one mounted.

The figures represent an integrated overflow system for a top-loading drum horizontal axis washing machine according to the invention, whose tub includes, around its joint face with the corresponding flange 3, a system forming a labyrinth 10 open on the side of the junction plane with one 3 of its two lateral flanges 3, 4, including an ascending hollow baffle 11 that starts inside the tub at a predetermined spot and opens into a meander forming a siphon 12, which opens into a room 13 with an L-shaped deflector 131 by communicating on the one hand with a descending baffle 14 next to the ascending baffle 11 and coming into the open air around the base of this last baffle and, on the other hand, with a nozzle 15 connected directly to the room 13 and coming out behind the L-shaped deflector 131.
In examining the figures in more detail, one notices first of all, by simultaneously and comparatively examining figures 1 and 2, that the labyrinth 10 for the flow of excess water is made as a hollow in the junction plane of the tub body 1 with the corresponding to flange 3 in the left tub's body side in this example, which includes the labyrinth 10 lid 31 that in this way, during assembly of the left flange 3 with the machine tub body 1, definitively materialises the baffles 11 and 14 of the labyrinth 10 thereby constituting the overflow according to the invention. The tub body 1 is assembled with its flange 3 according to the conventional technique, without any other constraint than to align the system with its lid 31, as shown in figure 2.
One also notes on the same figures that the siphon 12, provided it is filled with water, resists the passage of foam and vapour. Regarding condensation water than can appear in the upper part of the system, it flows normally inside the drum through the ascending baffle 11 of the labyrinth 10 by overflowing the siphon 12 as soon as the siphon is full.
In referring to figure 2, one notes that the nozzle 15 coming out inside and behind the L-shaped deflector 131 can, given the shape of the said deflector 131, prime the siphon 12 without any risk of projection at the entry to the descending baffle 14. However generally, the siphon 12 fills up with condensed vapour produced during the wash cycle.
If one now refers to figure 3, showing a side perspective view of the tub before its left flange 3 is mounted, one sees that the overfill does not cause any oversizing of the machine, given its position.
The overflow according to the invention has been designed for top-loading rotating-drum washing machines, but there is no reason it cannot be used on front-loading machines, subject to minor adaptations according to current techniques.

Claims

A top loading washing machine comprising a drum rotating around an horizontal axis, a tub body (1) having two lateral flanges (3,4), and an overflow system integrated in said tub body (1), said overflow system forming a labyrinth (10) as an hollow in one side of the tub body (1) at the junction plane with one (3) of its two lateral flanges (3,4) said hollow being overlapped by this lateral flange (3) upon assembly of the tub body (1).
Top loading washing machine according to claim 1 wherein the labyrinth (10) comprises an ascending hollow baffle (11) beginning inside the tub body and communicating with the interior of said tub body (1), said baffle (11) opening into a meander forming a siphon (12) which then opens into a room (13), said room (13) :
a) including an L-shaped deflector (131) in its upper part ;

b) communicating with a descending baffle (14) positioned next to said ascending baffle (11), said descending baffle (14) communicating to the open air ;

c) communicating with a nozzle (15) positioned behind said L-shaped deflector (131).
Top loading washing machine according to claim 2 wherein the overlap of said labyrinth (10) is made by a plate forming a lid (31) of corresponding dimensions arranged radially on the periphery of the corresponding lateral flange (3) at the junction plane between said flange (3) and the tub body (1).