FR2632665A1 - WASHING MACHINE PROVIDED WITH A DIPPING PHASE - Google Patents

Abstract

Washing machine with a wetting phase among its operating cycles, characterised in that it includes in its operation a laundry wetting phase (to-t2) of adjustable duration, followed, without any interruption in time, by a laundry washing phase (t2-t).

Description

-Q 2632665

  WASHING MACHINE PROVIDED WITH A DAMPING PHASE

  The present invention relates to washing machine provided

a soaking phase.

  In a washing machine to increase washing performance, two known solutions have been proposed, one consists in increasing the washing liquid temperature in a washing phase of an operating cycle and the other to be added to a normal washing phase, a pre-washing phase with a fixed duration where a short washing takes place with normal stirring of the laundry in a liquid provided with detergent and at a temperature of the order of 30 C to 40 C, and an emptying liquid at the end of this prewash phase. It is found that an increase in the temperature of the washing liquid promotes a physicochemical action of the detergents on dirt and makes washing more effective but is revealed beyond a certain level, incompatible with a certain number of

  textiles that do not tolerate too high a temperature.

  Adding a prewash phase to a normal washing phase in a washing machine gives a good washing result. However, this addition greatly increases consumption of water, heating energy and detergent. The amount of detergent used for the two prewash and wash phases can then exceed 1.5 times a usual dose of

  detergent for a normal washing phase.

  The aim of the present invention is to avoid these drawbacks and makes it possible to produce a high-performance washing machine which is economical in washing, as well for sensitive fragile laundry.

  at the temperature, only for a linen resistant to it.

  According to the invention, a washing machine provided in its operating cycles with a soaking phase, characterized in that it includes in its operation a soaking phase of the laundry with adjustable duration, followed without interruption

  in time, through a washing phase.

  To better understand the invention, a number of embodiments are described below, illustrated in an appended drawing which represents operating curves of a washing machine implementing the invention. A washing machine which implements the invention comprises a tank, a washing drum, a drive motor, elements for heating the washing or rinsing soaking liquid, devices for supplying water and products. detergents and systems for measuring water levels, and control elements, which are those of known types, and do not

  are not shown and described in detail below.

  According to the invention, the washing machine comprises in its operating cycles, a soaking phase of adjustable duration, followed without interruption over time by a washing phase, in other words, the soaking phase is not separated from the washing phase by an indefinite stop of the washing machine. The washing machine controls automatically and directly switch from the soaking phase to the washing phase. During the soaking phase and the washing phase, the temperature of the soaking liquid and the washing liquid is maintained at a relatively low value between

 C and 45 C.

  In the example illustrated, this temperature is 40 ° C. and represented in solid lines by a curve II, the temperature

ambient being Ta.

  A dose of a predetermined detergent for an operating cycle of this washing machine is introduced into the soaking liquid during the soaking phase. No liquid is drained between the soaking phase and the washing phase, and during these two phases. The liquid introduced into the washing machine in the soaking phase thus constitutes a common liquid for soaking and washing the laundry. The soaking phase comprises a short and sufficient stirring of the laundry, carried out at the beginning of this phase, to perfect a total wetting of this laundry with the soaking liquid provided with detergent, and a rest for the remainder of this phase where the linen in the immobile state is soaked in this liquid. In the washing phase following the soaking phase, the laundry is subjected to continuous stirring at usual rates, from the start to the end of this phase. The stirring of the linen is represented by undulations, in a curve III of the attached drawing. Thus in the soaking phase to t2, the brewing of the laundry occupies part of the time to-t1 and a rest imposed on this laundry extends between t1 and t2, and in the washing phase t2-t, the brewing of the laundry occupies throughout this phase tt. According to another characteristic, in the soaking phase to-t2 and a first part t2-t3 of the washing phase t2-t, a common soaking and washing liquid is admitted into the washing machine up to an intermediate level N (curve I) and in the second part t3-t of the washing phase t2-t, the common soaking and washing liquid is raised to

  a predetermined maximum level N2.

  This washing machine filling mode makes it possible to have a soaking liquid and a washing liquid in the beginning of the washing phase, high in concentration of detergent which exerts a powerful action on dirt and to obtain an excellent washing result without the temperature of this soaking and washing liquid being raised to a value

greater than 45 C.

  In such a washing machine where the working temperature is less than or equal to around 45 ° C., a fragile cloth sensitive to temperature and a solid cloth resistant to it can be washed without any risk.

damage to this laundry.

  Comparative tests of washing a cotton linen carried out with the same detergent unexpectedly reveal that a similar washing result is obtained successively in a washing machine implementing the invention o the temperature of the soaking liquid and washing is at a value of approximately 40 ° C., and in a known washing machine where a conventional prewash phase (recalled in previous paragraphs) is added to a washing phase, and in the washing phase, the temperature of the washing liquid is brought to a value of 60 ° C., and that in addition a consumption of detergent, water and heating energy in the washing machine implementing the invention is much lower than in the

known washing machine.

  This excellent result is probably due to the effective factors revealed by the invention, namely a good concentration of detergent during soaking and a first part of the washing phase obtained by dissolving this product in an intermediate quantity of liquid N1 in the washing machine, moderate temperature of the soaking and washing liquid, reduced movement of the laundry

during soaking.

  In a variant (not shown) of implementation of the invention, times for stirring the laundry respectively separated by longer periods of rest of the laundry are carried out along the soaking phase to promote good penetration of the liquid of soaking in the laundry and uniformity of contact between the soaking liquid

  and the entire surface of this linen.

  According to another alternative embodiment of the invention, for washing temperature-resistant laundry, the temperature of the soaking liquid and of the washing liquid is raised during the soaking phase (to-t2) to a value between 30 C and 45 C, and during the washing phase (t2- t) at a value between 45 C and 90 C, the residual physicochemical action of the detergent used in the washing machine, which can thus be fully developed. An excellent washing result is

then obtained.

Claims (8)

  1. Washing machine provided in its operating cycles with a soaking phase, characterized in that it includes in its operation a soaking phase of the laundry (to-t2) With adjustable duration, followed without interruption over time , by a laundry washing phase (t2-t). 2. Washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that during the soaking and washing phases of the laundry (tO-t), the temperature of the soaking liquid and the   washing is maintained at a value between 30 C and 45 C.   3. Washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that during the soaking phase (to-t2) the temperature of the soaking liquid and the washing liquid is raised to a value between 30 C and 45 C, and during the washing phase (t2-t), the temperature of this washing liquid is raised to a value between 45 C and 90 C.   4. Washing machine according to one of claims i A 3,   characterized in that a dose of a predetermined detergent for a washing machine operating cycle is   introduced into the soaking liquid.   5. Washing machine according to one of claims 1 to 4,   characterized in that it comprises a common liquid for soaking and washing and an absence of drainage of this liquid   between and during the soaking and washing phases.   6. Washing machine according to one of claims 1 to 5,   characterized in that in the soaking phase (to-t2) the laundry is subjected, at the start of this phase (to-t1), to stirring for total wetting of this laundry with the soaking liquid at a temperature between 30 C and 45 C, and during the remainder of this phase (t1-t2), at rest for soaking   without stirring this cloth in this liquid.   7. Washing machine according to one of claims 1 to 5,   G characterized in that in the soaking phase, the laundry is subjected to stirring times respectively separated by longer rest periods.   8. Washing machine according to one of claims 1 to 7,   characterized in that in the soaking phase (to-t2) and a first part of the washing phase (t2-t3), the common soaking and washing liquid is admitted into the washing machine up to an intermediate level N1, and in a second part of this washing phase (t3-t), the liquid is raised to a level predetermined maximum N2.