EP3916144B1 - Laundry treatment machine with a nozzle for introducing a jet of liquid - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a laundry treatment machine, which has a rotatable drum located in a swinging tub and can be loaded with laundry through a door that is located in a substantially vertically oriented front and can be closed tightly, the door being secured against by means of a sleeve made of an elastically deformable material the front and the tub is sealed, and which has a conveyor and a nozzle for introducing a jet of liquid into the drum, the nozzle being arranged on the sleeve.

The document EP 1 505 191 A1 discloses a laundry treatment machine of this type. Disclosed there is a washing machine which is provided with a nozzle for spraying washing suds into a drum, the washing suds being distributed at a widened angle in the range of 30° to 40°. The washing machine comprises a tub for receiving the laundry solution, a drum for receiving laundry, which drum is rotatably arranged in the tub, a motor for rotating the drum and a circulation device for circulating the laundry solution so that it passes through the nozzle into the drum is sprayed into it.

The document DE 43 30 079 A1 discloses a front-loading drum washing machine with a spray nozzle for fresh water or washing liquor, which spray nozzle is arranged without obstruction for the operator and in an operationally safe manner for spraying the fresh water or washing liquor into the drum. For this purpose, the spray nozzle is arranged in a door closing the tub and its inflow opening, when the door is in the closed state, is connected via a seal to the outlet opening of a supply line which is arranged on the side of the loading and unloading opening of the tub and the drum.

The document US 2011/0083477 A1 discloses a laundry treatment machine which includes a housing with a container disposed therein in which a drum for receiving laundry is rotatably arranged, and which includes a sleeve disposed between the container and the housing. Furthermore, at the Cuff a plurality of nozzles arranged to spray washing water into the drum.

document WO 2019/161898 A1 discloses a laundry treatment machine with a tub, a drum rotatably arranged therein, and a door arranged on the front of the washing machine, the door being sealed against the tub with an elastic sleeve. Furthermore, the elastic sleeve has a nozzle for introducing a jet of liquid into the drum.

In such a known laundry treatment machine, designed as a washing machine or as a washer-dryer, which combines the function of washing laundry with the function of drying laundry, the washing or rinsing solution is circulated by means of a corresponding conveying system and a nozzle through which it comes out of the tub pumped out washing or rinsing solution is sprayed back into the drum and onto the laundry located there, a particularly intensive wetting of the laundry with the washing or rinsing solution.

Particles are usually suspended in the washing or rinsing solution in a laundry treatment machine and are detached from the laundry during washing and rinsing. These are dirt particles and fiber particles that come off the textile materials of the laundry and are usually referred to as lint. Such dirt particles and lint can aggregate into conglomerates in the washing or rinsing solution, which can clog the conveyor and especially the nozzle through which the washing or rinsing solution is transferred.

In the known laundry treatment machine, however, the jet of circulated washing or rinsing solution emerging from the nozzle does not reach deep enough into the drum, and the wetting of the laundry in the drum by the jet is uneven. The wetting of laundry that is far away from the drum's filling opening is particularly poor.

There is therefore a need for a generic laundry treatment machine which is both less sensitive to clogging by dirt particles and lint and also enables better distribution of the circulated washing or rinsing solution.

To solve this problem, according to the invention, a laundry treatment machine is specified with the generic features listed at the beginning and in the preamble of claim 1, which additionally has the features of the characterizing part of claim 1.

Preferred embodiments of the laundry treatment machine according to the invention are listed in the dependent patent claims and in the following description and can also be used in combinations with one another, as far as technical considerations permit, even if this is not explicitly stated here.

To solve the problem, according to the invention, a laundry treatment machine is specified, which has a rotatable drum located in a swinging tub and can be loaded with laundry through a door that is located in a substantially vertically oriented front and can be closed tightly, the door being opened by means of a a sleeve consisting of an elastically deformable material is sealed against the front side and the tub, and which has a conveying device and a nozzle for introducing a jet of liquid into the drum, the nozzle being arranged on the sleeve. In addition, the nozzle is made of an elastically deformable material and has an exit surface which is stretched along a longitudinal axis and is concave several times.

According to the invention, the nozzle consists of an elastically deformable material on the one hand and has a shape determined by the outlet surface, which, due to its relatively large circumference, promotes elastic deformation of the nozzle if a conglomerate of dirt particles and/or dirt particles forms in or near its outlet surface. or lint should deposit and thus an increased pressure drop will occur across the nozzle when liquid is circulated. This nozzle can deform in such a way that the conglomerate can emerge from the nozzle through the exit surface. This effectively prevents the nozzle from becoming blocked.

The nozzle of the laundry treatment machine according to the invention is free and can be produced by methods usually used in the processing of corresponding materials and can therefore be shaped, positioned and connected to the cuff according to its function. This means that a jet of circulated liquid can be achieved, which reaches deep into the drum with the laundry to be treated and thus ensures uniform, intensive wetting of the laundry.

In the invention, the exit surface is symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal axis and has several indentations on both sides of the longitudinal axis. This results in one for the uniform distribution of liquid over the laundry treated in the drum, particularly suitable shaping of the jet through the nozzle, which can extend in particular from an area of the drum close to the nozzle deep into the drum.

In the invention, the exit surface has a circumferential line which is formed from circular arcs. This makes the nozzle particularly easy to construct and manufacture and particularly suitable for forming the jet of circulated liquid.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the indentations lie opposite each other in pairs along the longitudinal axis and narrow the exit surface perpendicular to the longitudinal axis to 50% of its maximum width perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. This also makes the nozzle particularly easy to construct and manufacture and particularly suitable for forming the jet of circulated liquid.

In an additional preferred embodiment of the invention, the number of indentations is equal to 4. As a result, the exit surface appears to be formed from three adjacent, separate circles, which are connected to one another by two corresponding circular arcs. The corresponding nozzle can be easily deformed elastically and is easy to construct and manufacture.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the nozzle protrudes openly from the sleeve. This facilitates the deformation of the nozzle since it is largely unhindered by other components of the laundry treatment machine, in particular the cuff.

In yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the nozzle is connected to the conveyor device via a nozzle holder, the nozzle holder crossing the sleeve and connecting the nozzle to the conveyor device, and the nozzle having support ribs on both sides along the longitudinal axis, which hold the nozzle against the nozzle holder support. This results in the largely unhindered deformability of the nozzle combined with an improved alignment of the nozzle thanks to the support ribs in order to support the uniform distribution of the circulated liquid in the drum.

In yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the nozzle holder is aligned on the inside with the sleeve. This creates a step or depression in the surface near the nozzle, which is advantageous in terms of avoiding deposits of lint or dirt particles near the nozzle.

In yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the sleeve is essentially circular and has a central axis. This results in opportunities for advantageous additional training, particularly as described below.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the nozzle is arranged in a vertical plane perpendicular to the central axis and above a horizontal axis lying in the vertical plane and intersecting the central axis.

In one of the previous, corresponding preferred embodiments of the invention, a position line starting from the central axis, lying in the vertical plane and leading to the nozzle forms an angle with the horizontal axis between 30° and 60°, in particular of approximately 45°. Thus, the nozzle is located between a two o'clock position and a three o'clock position on the cuff. On the one hand, this prevents an operator from interfering with the loading and unloading of the laundry treatment machine and, on the other hand, a favorable position of the nozzle is achieved for the formation of a jet that evenly wets the laundry in the drum.

In order to achieve a jet that evenly wets the laundry, it depends on the design of the conveyor device, in particular on what amount of liquid it can convey and at what pressure it can deliver it to the nozzle. Appropriate design and operating parameters for the conveyor device should therefore be selected within the framework of normal practice. In addition, within the scope of a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the nozzle is aligned in such a way that the jet formed by the conveyor device and the nozzle wets the laundry in the drum as evenly as possible.

Furthermore, the operating parameters of the conveying device, in particular the speed of a pump, can also be varied during operation in order to set different delivery rates and pressures. Such a variation of the operating parameters can advantageously influence the formation of the beam, see above that the laundry which faces the nozzle and which is also positioned in an area deep in the drum, for example just in front of the rear wall of the drum, is wetted evenly. It is also possible to vary the operating parameters of the conveyor device depending on the amount of laundry loaded.

In a corresponding preferred embodiment of the invention, the exit surface therefore determines an exit plane which forms an angle between 20° and 40°, in particular approximately 28°, with the position line.

In another corresponding preferred embodiment of the invention, the longitudinal axis therefore forms an angle with the vertical plane of between 15° and 30°, in particular of approximately 22°.

In a further corresponding preferred embodiment of the invention, the nozzle is aligned in such a way that the jet formed by the conveyor passes through the center of the drum. This ensures that the jet formed by the conveyor device and the nozzle wets the laundry in the drum as evenly as possible. This is particularly advantageous when the laundry is wetted, when the laundry is distributed against the drum wall due to a higher drum speed and a free space has formed in the middle of the drum.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the material from which the nozzle is made is the same as the material from which the sleeve is made. This simplifies the design and construction of the nozzle and also ensures that the sleeve and the nozzle function unaffected by incompatibilities between different materials.

In a further preferred corresponding embodiment of the invention, the material is a synthetic rubber, in particular EPDM, or a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). Such materials have proven their worth when used to produce a cuff for a laundry treatment machine. In particular, such materials offer the possibility of use under all of the temperatures (from 0 ° C to 100 ° C), ambient and operating conditions to be considered here. In an even more preferred corresponding embodiment of the invention, the material has a Hardness Shore A between 35 and 50, especially between 35 and 41 or between 42 and 48.

Fig. 1

einen horizontalen Schnitt durch eine Wäschebehandlungsmaschine;

Fig. 2

eine vertikale Ansicht einer Manschette für eine Wäschebehandlungsmaschine, in welcher eine Düse angebracht ist;

Fig. 3

eine Ansicht der Manschette in Fig. 2 senkrecht zur dortigen Linie A-A;

Fig. 4

eine Ansicht der Manschette in Fig. 2 senkrecht zur dortigen Linie B-B;

Fig. 5

eine Ansicht der Manschette in Fig. 4 senkrecht zur dortigen Linie C-C;

Fig. 6

eine Vergrößerung des Kreises D in Fig. 5; und

Fig. 7

eine schematische Teilansicht einer Düse.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing. Show it:

Fig. 1

a horizontal section through a laundry treatment machine;

Fig. 2

a vertical view of a cuff for a laundry treatment machine in which a nozzle is mounted;

Fig. 3

a view of the cuff in Fig. 2 perpendicular to line AA there;

Fig. 4

a view of the cuff in Fig. 2 perpendicular to the line BB there;

Fig. 5

a view of the cuff in Fig. 4 perpendicular to line CC there;

Fig. 6

an enlargement of the circle D in Fig. 5 ; and

Fig. 7

a schematic partial view of a nozzle.

Figure 1 shows a horizontal section through a laundry treatment machine 1, which has a rotatable drum 3 located in a swinging tub 2 and can be loaded with laundry through a door 5 located in a substantially vertically aligned front side 4 and which can be closed tightly. The position of the front 4 is in Fig. 1 only indicated schematically by a dashed line. From door 5 is in Fig. 1 For the sake of clarity, only one sight glass is shown; For the sake of clarity, further components have not been shown. The door 5 is when it is like in Fig. 1 is closed by means of an elastic Deformable material existing cuff 6 is sealed against the front 4 and the tub 2. The cuff 6 must be movable because it must accommodate movements of the tub 2, which it carries out despite a (not shown) damping suspension in the housing of the laundry treatment machine 1 when the drum 3 rotates with laundry filled in it, and in the process the tub 2 against the door 5 permanently seal.

A central axis 7 defines both the spatial center of the door 5 or its sight glass and the sleeve 6 as well as the axis of rotation of the drum 3, which is rotatably mounted in the tub 2 and cantilevered by means of a drum bearing 8. The drum 3 is driven to rotate through the drum bearing 8 by means of a motor, not shown. Carriers 9 are mounted in the drum 3, which serve to lift and mix items of laundry located in the drum 3 in a washing or rinsing process during the rotation of the drum 3 in order to process them mechanically. The drivers 9 can also serve to scoop lye out of the tub 2 and let it flow down onto the laundry.

The on Figure 1 The following figures of the drawing show how the sleeve 6 is provided with means to - possibly in addition to the scooping function of the drivers 9 - an intensive circulation of washing or rinsing solution (hereinafter referred to collectively as "lye" or "liquid") in the tub 2 and to wet the laundry to be treated intensively with such washing or rinsing solution.

Figure 2 shows a vertical view of the cuff 6 for the laundry treatment machine 1 Figure 1 . In this essentially circular sleeve 6, an inlet 10 is first attached, through which fresh lye or fresh water can be introduced into the tub 2 by means of a corresponding feed device (not shown). There is also a drain 11 through which lye that has collected in the folds of the sleeve 6 can drain away, preferably back into the lye container 2. There is also a nozzle 12 which is provided to intensively circulate liquid in the tub 2 during a laundry treatment process. For this purpose, a conveyor device 14 is provided, which pumps liquid out of the tub 2 and the nozzle 12 for introducing a jet of liquid into the Drum 3 feeds. This nozzle 12 is arranged on the sleeve 6 and is formed from an elastically deformable material. It has a specifically shaped exit surface 23, to be described in more detail with reference to the following figures, which is stretched along a longitudinal axis 22 and is concave several times. The nozzle 12 also protrudes openly from the sleeve 6. This serves in particular to allow the nozzle to deform if a foreign body, for example a conglomerate of dirt particles and lint, enters the nozzle 12 through the conveyor device 14 with the liquid to be circulated. Due to the deformation, the nozzle 12 can allow such a foreign body to pass through, thereby effectively preventing the nozzle 12 from becoming blocked.

The nozzle 12 is in a vertical plane perpendicular to the central axis 7 and above a horizontal axis 16 lying in the vertical plane and intersecting the central axis 7, which in Fig. 2 also represents the vertical plane. A position line 17 starting from the central axis 7 and lying in the vertical plane and leading to the nozzle 12 encloses a first angle 18 with the horizontal axis 16, which can be between 30 ° and 60 ° and according to Fig. 2 is about 45°.

Out of Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 It turns out that the nozzle 12 has a specific orientation and is accordingly tilted and rotated with respect to the horizontal as well as the vertical. This serves the purpose of ensuring that the jet formed by the conveyor device and the nozzle wets the laundry in the drum as evenly as possible. This also depends on the design of the conveying device 14, in particular on what amount of liquid it can convey and at what pressure it can deliver it to the nozzle 12. Appropriate design and operating parameters for the conveyor 14 should therefore be selected within the scope of normal practice. In particular, the nozzle 12 is aligned in such a way that the jet formed by the conveyor device 14 traverses the center of the drum 3 and evenly wets the laundry in the drum 3. Accordingly, the longitudinal axis 22 of the nozzle forms a second angle 20 with the vertical plane, which can be between 15 ° and 30 ° and according to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 is about 22°.

According to the Figures 5 and 6 , where Fig. 6 a part of the Fig. 5 shows enlarged, the nozzle 12 is connected to the conveyor 14 via a nozzle holder 13, the Nozzle holder 13 traverses the sleeve 6 and connects the nozzle 12 to the conveyor 14. The nozzle 12 has a support rib 21 on both sides along its longitudinal axis 22, the support ribs 21 supporting the nozzle 12 against the nozzle holder 13. The shape of the nozzle 12, stretched along the longitudinal axis, determines and maintains its deformability in order to allow conglomerates of dirt particles and/or fluff to pass through, even in the presence of the support ribs 21. An advantage of the support ribs is that they hold the nozzle 12 against the nozzle holder 13 support and thus ensure the alignment of the nozzle 12 to form said jet.

The nozzle holder 13 is aligned on the inside with the sleeve 6, as is best Fig. 6 to recognize. This avoids steps and depressions in the surface near the nozzle 12, which is sensible and advantageous in terms of avoiding deposits of lint or dirt particles near the nozzle 12.

The exit surface 23 of the nozzle 12 is symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal axis 22, specifically mirror-symmetrical, and has several, specifically four, indentations on both sides of the longitudinal axis 22. The exit surface 23 has a circumferential line which is formed from circular arcs. The indentations lie opposite each other in pairs along the longitudinal axis 22, and the exit surface 23 is thereby narrowed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 22 to 50% of its maximum width perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 22. This configuration has proven to be particularly suitable for the intended operation of the nozzle 12.

Fig. 7 shows a simplified partial view of the nozzle 12, from which some details already mentioned are particularly clear. Fig. 7 also shows how the nozzle 12 is tilted with respect to its local vertical, which is defined by the position line 17. For this purpose, the exit surface 23 determines an exit plane, which includes a third angle 26 with the position line 17, which can be between 20° and 40° and in the present case is approximately 28°.

The material from which the nozzle 12 is made is the same as the material from which the sleeve 6 is made. Materials such as synthetic rubber, especially EPDM, and thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are particularly important to consider, although when selecting the latter it is important to ensure that the materials in the Laundry treatment machine 1 conceivable temperatures, i.e. 0 ° C to 100 ° C, and ambient conditions, which are determined in particular by the presence of strongly alkaline washing liquors, are sufficiently inert. In particular, materials come into consideration whose Shore A hardness is between 35 and 50, in particular between 35 and 41 or between 42 and 48.

According to the invention, the nozzle 12 consists, on the one hand, of an elastically deformable material and has a shape determined by its exit surface 23, which, due to its relatively large circumference, promotes elastic deformation if a conglomerate of dirt particles and / or lint should be deposited and an increased pressure gradient is created across the nozzle 12 when liquid is circulated. This nozzle 12 can deform in such a way that the conglomerate can emerge through the exit surface 23. This effectively prevents the nozzle from becoming blocked. This makes it possible to create a jet of circulated liquid that reaches deep into the drum with the laundry to be treated and ensures uniform, intensive wetting of the laundry.

Reference symbol list

1

Laundry treatment machine

2

Lye container

3

drum

4

Front

5

door

6

cuff

7

Central axis

8th

Drum bearing

9

taker

10

Intake

11

Sequence

12

jet

13

Nozzle holder

14

funding facility

15

Laundry deflector

16

Horizontal axis

17

Position line

18

First angle

19

Perpendicular to the exit surface

20

Second angle

21

Support rib

22

Longitudinal axis

23

exit surface

24

Entry surface

25

Central axis parallel

26

Third angle

Claims (14)

1. Laundry treatment machine (1), which has a rotatable drum (3) located in an outer tub (2) suspended in an oscillatory manner and can be loaded with laundry through a door (5) which is located in a substantially vertically aligned front side (4) and can be closed in a tight manner, wherein the door (5) is sealed against the front side (4) and the outer tub (2) by means of a collar (6) consisting of an elastically deformable material and which has a delivery facility (14) and a nozzle (12) for introducing a jet of liquid into the drum (3), wherein the nozzle (12) is arranged on the collar (6), the nozzle (12) is formed from an elastically deformable material and has an exit face (23), which extends along a longitudinal axis (22) and is repeatedly concave, and wherein with which the exit face (23) is symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal axis (22) and has a number of indentations on both sides of the longitudinal axis (22), characterised in that with which the exit face (23) has a peripheral line which is formed from arcs of a circle.
2. Laundry treatment machine (1) according to claim 1, with which the indentations face one another in pairs along the longitudinal axis (22) and taper the exit face (23) at a right angle to the longitudinal axis (22) up to 50% of its maximum width at a right angle to the longitudinal axis (22).
3. Laundry treatment machine (1) according to claim 2, with which the number of indentations equates to 4.
4. Laundry treatment machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, with which the nozzle (12) projects in an open manner from the collar (6).
5. Laundry treatment machine (1) according to claim 4, with which the nozzle (12) is connected to the delivery facility (14) by way of a nozzle holder (13), wherein the nozzle holder (13) traverses the collar (6) and connects the nozzle (12) with the delivery facility (14), and wherein the nozzle (12) has a supporting rib (21) in each case on both sides along the longitudinal axis (22), which supporting ribs (21) support the nozzle (12) against the nozzle holder (13).
6. Laundry treatment machine (1) according to claim 5, with which the nozzle holder (13) is aligned internally with the collar (6).
7. Laundry treatment machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, with which the collar (6) is substantially circular, the collar (6) has a central axis (7) and with which the nozzle (12) is arranged in a vertical plane at a right angle to the central axis (7) and above a horizontal axis (16) lying in the vertical plane and intersecting the central axis (7).
8. Laundry treatment machine (1) according to claim 7, with which a position line (17) originating from the central axis (7), lying in the vertical plane and leading to the nozzle (12), draws a first angle (18) of between 30° and 60°, in particular of approximately 45°, with the horizontal axis (16).
9. Laundry treatment machine (1) according to claim 8, with which the exit face (23) determines an exit plane, which draws a third angle (26) of between 20° and 40°, in particular approximately 28°, with the position line (17).
10. Laundry treatment machine (1) according to one of claims 7 to 9, with which the longitudinal axis (22) draws a second angle (20) of between 15° and 30°, in particular approximately 22°, with the vertical plane.
11. Laundry treatment machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, with which the nozzle (12) is aligned so that the jet formed by the delivery facility (14) traverses the drum (3) centrally.
12. Laundry treatment machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, with which the material of which the nozzle (12) consists is the same as the material of which the collar (6) consists.
13. Laundry treatment machine (1) according to claim 12, with which the material is a synthetic rubber, especially EPDM, or a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).
14. Laundry treatment machine (1) according to one of claims 12 and 13, with which the material has a Shore hardness A of between 35 and 50, in particular between 35 and 41 or between 42 and 48.

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