JP2001054698A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing machine provided with a highly practical ion exchanging means by providing a water supply path of the washing machine with the ion exchanging means to eliminate calcium and magnesium ion contained in washing water, and simplifying regenerative treatment of the ion exchanging means. SOLUTION: A deionizing means is provided with a first chamber for accommodating an ion exchanging functional material 31; chambers 60b, 60c respectively formed on the upper side and lower side of the first chamber; a second chamber 60a provided on the upper side of the upper chamber 60b to accommodate a regenerative agent 62 for the ion exchanging functional material 31; a water supply channel opening/closing valve for opening/closing a water supply channel for supplying water to the second chamber 60a; a passage for communicating the upper chamber 60b with the second chamber 60a; and a check valve 60f for allowing the flow from the second chamber 60a to the upper chamber 60b. The passage is constituted to allow water to flow from the lower chamber 60c to the upper chamber 60b through the first chamber.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a means for removing a hardness component from water used for washing and a washing machine equipped with the means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Washing water used for washing in a washing machine is:
Water is supplied to the washing machine by a hose from a water source represented by tap water, etc., and is supplied to the washing tub in the washing machine by a user's operation.
Used for washing clothes. However, for example, in tap water, anions such as hypochlorite ion for the purpose of sterilization of various bacteria, calcium as a hardness component contained in tap water, magnesium, or tap water supply piping system It contains cations such as copper, iron, and chromium that melt from the
Various adverse effects are exerted on the detergency of the detergent used. What has a great influence on the detergency of the detergent is divalent cations such as calcium and magnesium ions as hardness components. These react with the surfactant in the detergent to form insoluble metal soap, reduce the amount of the surfactant contributing to cleaning, and reduce the detergency. In addition, the above-mentioned metal soap is insoluble and remains on the laundry, and appears as white spots particularly on black clothing. Further, when the adhesive is deposited on the outer wall of the washing tub, mold and the like may propagate there. Conventionally, phosphates have been mixed into detergents in order to prevent the above-mentioned adverse effects of the hardness component. However, the impact of phosphate on the social environment, known as the Lake Biwa pollution issue, was discussed. For this reason, research on alternative builder alternatives to phosphate, which has been used as a builder previously included in detergents, has been progressing, and synthetic zeolites have attracted attention as a phosphate alternative builder and have been used in many commercial detergents. . If calcium and magnesium ions are contained in the washing water, the zeolite will certainly remove these ions by adsorption from the washing water when the artificial zeolite-containing detergent is added to the detergent, but these ions will remain in the detergent even during the adsorption. Metallic soap of the surfactant. For this reason, the effect of mixing zeolite is diminished. Originally, it is preferable to remove these ions from the washing water, and then dissolve the detergent in the washing water and use it for washing. Furthermore, when a large amount of this artificial zeolite is mixed in a detergent as a builder, there is a problem that zeolite particles adhere to the clothes after washing and the finish is deteriorated. As a method for removing the adverse effects of these metal ions, there is a washing machine described in JP-A-4-20395 or a washing method and a washing apparatus described in JP-A-5-115681. In these methods, after removing metal ions from the supplied washing water, washing is performed by supplying water to a washing tub in which a detergent is charged. The washing machine described in JP-A-4-20395 is provided with a washing tub for washing clothes, and a water supply means for supplying water to the washing tub. Means are provided. It is also disclosed that an ion exchange resin or activated carbon is used as the ion removing means. Further, this publication discloses that attention is paid to the limit of the adsorption capacity of activated carbon for removing anions, a water supply path is provided in parallel with the ion removal means, and the life is extended by selectively using the water supply path. Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
In Japanese Patent No. 115681, water on the anode side from which metal ions have been removed by applying a voltage between a pair of electrodes facing each other via a diaphragm to remove metal ions is used as washing water, and a cleaning agent is added to the water. A method of washing in contact with laundry is disclosed.

[0003]

However, in the prior art described in each of the above publications, the flow rate required for supplying the washing water,
No consideration is given to the amount of ion exchange resin or the efficiency of ion removal. That is, in the washing machine described in JP-A-4-20395, a large amount of ion exchange resin is required to secure a sufficient flow rate, and it is difficult to house the ion removing means inside the washing machine or to configure it compactly. Become. On the other hand, if the amount of the ion exchange resin is reduced to make the ion exchange means compact, it is difficult to obtain a flow rate of 10 to 15 L per minute which is normally required. Further, in order to store the ion exchange means inside the washing machine, if the ion exchange means is to be arranged below the washing machine, it is necessary to provide a long water supply passage before and after the ion exchange means, and pressure loss in this water supply passage is reduced. And it becomes more difficult to secure the flow rate.
In addition, the ion-exchange resin loses its removal effect after adsorbing a certain amount of ions.Therefore, it is necessary to treat a certain amount of washing water and then regenerate it. No consideration is given to recycling the limited amount of ion exchange resin possible. Further, the washing method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 5-115681 is a method in which washing water is applied between electrode pairs to remove metal ions contained therein, and then a detergent is added thereto for washing. Since the processing speed is generally slow, the energization time in the state of still water needs to be about 5 to 30 minutes. Therefore, it is difficult to compactly configure the removing means for securing the flow rate of 10 to 15 L per minute inside the washing machine. Further, the circuit price is increased due to the energization treatment, and in a home washing machine that uses water, consideration must be given to electric shock, consideration to hydrogen gas generated by electrolysis of water, and the like.

An object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine with a compact ion removing means for quickly supplying water while removing cations contained in washing water.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a washing machine according to the present invention comprises an ion removing means having an ion exchange function material in a water supply path for supplying water to a washing tub for storing laundry. In the washing machine in which the water supply path is opened and closed by a water supply electromagnetic valve, the ion removing means includes a first chamber accommodating an ion exchange functional material, and chambers formed on the upper side and the lower side of the first chamber, respectively. A second chamber provided above the upper chamber and containing a regenerant for regenerating the ion exchange function of the ion exchange function material, a water supply path for supplying water to the second chamber, and opening and closing the water supply path A water supply path opening / closing valve, a flow path communicating the upper chamber and the second chamber, and a flow path provided in the flow path and allowing flow from the second chamber to the upper chamber to allow the flow to flow to the upper chamber. A check valve for stopping the flow from the second chamber to the second chamber. A water supply passage in the water removing means so that water flows from the lower chamber through the first chamber to the upper chamber, and discharges the regenerated agent after the regenerating treatment to the lower chamber. An outlet is provided. At this time,
The second chamber may be formed in a container in which the first chamber is formed. According to the above configuration, after the water to be supplied to the washing tub is introduced into the chamber formed below the first chamber, the layer of the ion-exchange functional material can be raised uniformly, and the regenerating agent can be used in the second chamber. From the room.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a fully automatic washing machine according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. The fully automatic washing machine has a structure in which a synthetic resin outer tub 4 is suspended by a suspension rod 2 and a vibration isolator 3 made of a coil spring or elastic rubber in an outer frame 1 made of steel plate. The outer tub 4 is suspended and supported from the upper four corners of the outer frame 1 by four sets of hanging rods and a vibration isolator. A stainless steel washing and dewatering tub 5 is rotatably provided in the outer tub 4 for storing water to be washed. The washing and dewatering tub 5 is provided with a large number of dewatering holes 5a, and a rotary blade 6 is rotatably provided at the center bottom. During the washing and rinsing steps, the washing and dewatering tub 5 is stopped, and the rotary wing 6 is rotated clockwise (forward) and counterclockwise (reverse). During the spin-drying step, the washing and spin-drying tub 5 is rotated in one direction. The rotation of the rotating blades 6 and the washing and dewatering tub 5 is performed by a driving device.

The driving device includes a motor 7 and a transmission means 8 including a pulley 8a and a belt 8b for transmitting the rotation of the motor 7 to the rotating blade 6 or the washing and dewatering tub 5, and the rotating blade 6 during the washing and rinsing steps. Rotating only or washing and spinning tub during the spinning process (hereinafter called washing tub) 5
And a clutch solenoid 9a for switching the clutch device 9.

These driving devices are fixed to the bottom of the outer tub 4 using a support plate 10 made of steel plate. The outer tub 4 is provided with a water level sensor tube 12 for transmitting water pressure in the outer tub to a water level sensor 11 and a drainage device 13 for draining washing water in the outer tub 4. In the drainage device 13, a drainage electromagnetic valve 13 a is provided immediately after the drainage hole 14 on the bottom surface of the outer tub 4, and an outlet opens into the drainage device 13. An abnormal overflow pipe 15 having an open upper end is provided on the side surface of the outer tub 4, and the lower end opens into the drainage device 13. The abnormal overflow pipe 15 is provided in case of an abnormality in the water supply and overflow of the washing water from the outer tub 4 or in a case where the washing water jumps out of the outer tub due to the movement of the laundry during washing. The overflowing washing water flows into the drainage device 13 from the abnormal overflow pipe 15 and drainage hose 1
At 6 the water is discharged out of the washing machine.

In the upper part of the outer frame 1, a loading port 17a for loading laundry, an ion removing means, a water tap, a rear storage box 17b for storing a water supply solenoid valve and the like, and a front operation for storing electrical components such as a microcomputer. A top cover 17 having a box 17c is provided. A lid 18 made of synthetic resin is provided at the inlet 17a.

An operation panel 19a shown in FIG. 3 is mounted on the upper surface of the front operation box 17c, and a control circuit 19b having a built-in microcomputer as a control unit is provided below the operation panel 19a. In the front operation box 17c, there is provided a water level sensor 11 for detecting whether or not water has accumulated to a specified water level by detecting the water pressure in the outer tub 4. On the operation panel 19a, a power switch 20, various displays 21, various operation buttons 22, a buzzer 23, and the like are arranged. A user operates the washing machine with the operation buttons 22, and the operation state is displayed on the display 21. , Can be confirmed by the buzzer 23. Further, there are a water softening display 24 made of a light emitting diode for displaying an ion removal process (softening) and a salt throw-in display 25 made of a light emitting diode for indicating the regeneration of the ion removing means.

FIG. 4 is a plan view (a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 1) of the rear side of the rear storage box 17b, which is a main component of the present invention, for removing water for washing water when the upper lid is removed. The front side is omitted.) A water tap 26 connected to a hose from a water tap or the like is connected to the rear storage box 17b, followed by a water supply solenoid valve 27, an ion removing means 28 composed of a cylindrical container, and discharging the regenerated salt water in the cylindrical container. Manual salt water discharge valve 34, bath water suction pump 4 for absorbing bath water
5. The inclined tub 46 for flowing the washing water is stored in the washing tub 5. On the upstream side of the inclined flow path 46, a room A47 and a room B48 opening to the flow path 46 are provided.

FIG. 5 shows details of the ion removing means 28 and the manual salt water discharging valve 34 which are main components of the present invention.
(A) is an overall perspective view of the ion removing means 28, (b) is a longitudinal sectional view thereof and a configuration of a manual salt water discharge valve 34. The ion removing means 28 includes a cylindrical container 29 and a lid 30. The cylindrical container 29 is provided with a water inlet 29a at a lower portion, a discharge port 29b at an upper portion, and a salt water outlet 29c at a bottom surface. A room 2 whose upper and lower surfaces are separated by a mesh filter 29d made of polyethylene or the like between the inner water inlet and the inner outlet.
9e, which is filled with a sodium-type strongly acidic cation exchange resin (hereinafter referred to as ion exchange resin) 31, which is a member having ion exchange ability. The cylindrical container 29 is fixed to the bottom surface of the rear storage box 17b so that the salt water discharge port 29c passes through the bottom surface of the box. Water passes between the ion exchange resins 31 by the mesh filter 29d. This is room 2
It prevents the ion exchange resin 31 from leaking from inside 9e. The lid 30 is provided with a female screw 30a around the circumference, and a gasket 30b on a thin ring is provided along the female screw 30a. A male screw 29f is provided on the upper circumference of the cylindrical container 29, and the lid 30 is fixed to the cylindrical container 29 by screws. At this time, the gasket 30b contacts the upper circumferential end surface of the cylindrical container 29 to prevent water from leaking. As the member having the ion exchange ability, in addition to the ion exchange resin 31, a material in which the ion exchange resin is dispersed and held in a fiber such as polyester or a material in which the polymer material having the ion exchange ability is made into a fibrous material is used. Is also good.

In this state, the interior of the cylindrical container 29 is in a room 29e.
Are divided into an upper space 32 and a lower space 33. The upper and lower spaces are provided to prevent water from being formed only in a part of the ion-exchange resin 31, to allow tap water to flow down the entire resin layer uniformly, and to increase exchange efficiency. is there. The tap water once fills the lower space 33, then rises uniformly to the resin layer surface by the water pressure, and the upper space 3
2, and then flows out of the discharge port 29b.

The hose from the tap is connected to the tap 26. Tap water is supplied to the cylindrical container 2 by opening and closing the water supply solenoid valve 27.
9 and fills the lower space 33 and passes through the room 29e filled with the ion exchange resin 31 while rising. The tap water is softened here, that is, the calcium and magnesium ions are removed and fills the upper space 32 and flows out from the discharge port 29b. Then, the water flows down from the room A47 to the inclined flow path 46 and is supplied to the washing tub 5.

The installation of the ion removing means 28 composed of the cylindrical container 29 in the rear storage box 17b in which the water tap 26 is installed can shorten the length of the water supply pipe, reduce the flow path loss, and reduce the flow rate, This is because the water supply time can be reduced. In the water supply, tap water passes through the room 29e filled with the ion exchange resin 31, so that the pressure loss of the resin filling is large.
In order to cover even a small amount of this loss, the pipe length from the water tap to the cylindrical container 29 is desirably 100 mm or less. The washing water supply flow rate of the conventional washing machine is 10 to 15 liters / min, depending on the tap water pressure, and the above-described consideration is necessary to obtain a flow rate close to this in this embodiment.

The manual salt water discharging valve 34 discharges the salt water when the ion exchange resin 31 in the cylindrical container 29 is regenerated. The rotary valve plug 34a is fixed to the back surface of the rear storage box 17b, and the rotary valve 34b therein is rotated by a user's pushing operation to open and close the plug to drain the salt water. When the user presses the push button 34c, the connecting rod 34d rotates the rotary valve 34b to open the rotary valve plug 34a. The push button 34c has a lock mechanism (not shown), and stops when pressed down. Pressing down again releases the lock mechanism, and returns with the spring 34e. Returning the push button 34c closes the rotary valve plug 34a.

The salt water discharge port 29c of the cylindrical container 29 and the inlet of the rotary valve plug 34a are connected by a tube 35, and the outlet thereof is connected to a salt water discharge tube 36. The other end of the salt water discharge tube 36 is inserted into the abnormal overflow pipe 15 (see FIG. 2). The salt water remaining in the cylindrical container 29 for regenerating the ion-exchange resin 31 is opened by the user pressing the push button 34c to open the rotary valve plug 34a.
From the salt water outlet 29c, the tube 35, the rotary valve stopper 3
4a, Flow with salt water discharge tube 36, abnormal overflow pipe 1
5 is discharged from the drainage hose 16 to the outside of the washing machine via the discharge device 13.

A magnet 37 is fixed to the rotary valve 34b, and a magnetoresistive element 38 whose resistance changes by a magnetic field is fixed to the rotary valve plug 34a. The magnet 37 rotates according to the rotation of the rotary valve 34b by pressing the push button 34c. This rotation is detected by a magnetoresistive element to detect the open / closed state of the valve plug 34a. As will be described later, when the user pushes down the push button 34c (the valve plug 34a is opened) and water supply for the next washing is started, part of the tap water passing through the ion removing means 28 is started. This is to prevent the waste water from leaking out of the washing machine from the salt water discharge port 29c and being wasted. If it is in the open state at this time, the user is notified that the push button 34c is pushed up.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a washing machine control section mainly composed of the microcomputer 50. The microcomputer 50 is also connected to the operation button input circuit 51 and the water level sensor 11, and receives information of the user's button operation and the water level for washing in the washing tub. The output from the microcomputer 50 is connected to a drive circuit 52 composed of a bidirectional three-terminal thyristor or the like, and supplies commercial power to the electric motor 7, the water supply solenoid valve 27, the drain solenoid valve 13a of the drain unit 13, and the like. To control the opening and closing or rotation of these. Further, in order to inform the user of the operation of the washing machine, it is also connected to notification means such as a buzzer 23 and a display 21. The power supply circuit 53 rectifies and smoothes a commercial power supply to create a DC power supply required for the microcomputer 50. Reference numeral 54 denotes a light emitting diode which lights up to indicate the soft water treatment. Light emitting diode 5
Reference numeral 4 is mounted on the front operation box 17c, and is lit when water is passed through the ion exchange resin, to notify the user with the water softening display 24 that the water softening is being performed. Reference numeral 55 denotes a light-emitting diode which lights up to indicate the introduction of salt. Light emitting diode 55
Is mounted on the front operation box 17c and is turned on when it is necessary to input salt to the ion removing means, and notifies the user of the input of salt by a salt input display 25.

Next, the operation of the ion removing means 28 according to the present invention will be described. When the user puts the laundry in the washing tub 5, presses the power switch 19 and operates the start button,
The microcomputer 50 opens the water supply electromagnetic valve 27. Tap water passes from the tap 26 through the water supply solenoid valve 27 and flows into the lower space 33 of the cylindrical container 29 from the water inlet 29a. The inflowing tap water, while filling the lower space 33, rises in the room 29e by the pressure, passes through the space between the sodium-type strongly acidic cation exchange resins 31 filled with the room 29e sandwiched between the mesh filters 29d, While filling the upper space 32, it flows out from the discharge port 29b, and the room A47
Through the ramp 46. While passing through the ion exchange resin 31, tap water removes calcium and magnesium ions contained therein by an ion exchange action. Then, the flow is straightened in the inclined passage 46 and flows into the washing tub 5. During this washing water supply, the light emitting diode 54 lights up and the water softening display 2
The display or the notification during the ion removal is performed using the 4 or the buzzer 23.

The microcomputer 50 that has learned that the required washing water has been supplied into the washing tub 5 by the water level sensor 11.
Closes the water supply electromagnetic valve 27 to stop water supply. Then, the rotor 6 is rotated forward and backward to start washing. Since the washing water supplied into the washing tub 5 does not contain cations such as calcium and magnesium, the washing water reacts with a surfactant in the inputted detergent to form insoluble metal soap,
The amount of surfactant contributing to cleaning is not reduced and the detergency is not reduced.

Sodium type strongly acidic cation exchange resin 31
Is a synthetic resin in which an ion exchange group such as a sulfonic acid group is bonded to a crosslinked three-dimensional polymer substrate by a chemical bond, as is well known. When tap water containing divalent cations such as calcium and magnesium flows between cation exchange resins, fixed ions such as sulfonic acid groups, which are ion exchange groups of the cation exchange resin, and cations in the tap water become ions. Exchange, and as a result, cations in tap water are removed.

Formula 1 shows the ion exchange reaction formula of the sodium type strongly acidic ion exchange resin.

[0025]

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[0026]

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The sodium type is an exchange resin having an anion of -SO3 as a fixed ion and a cation of Na as a counter ion.
Calcium contained in water using the selectivity of ions,
It removes polyvalent cations such as magnesium.
In the case of a strongly acidic cation exchange resin at a low concentration and at room temperature, the ion selectivity is higher for ions having higher valence, and is higher for ions having higher valence at the same valence. In the ions contained in natural water,

[0028]

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The order is as follows. Calcium and magnesium ions in the water passing through the ion exchange resin are represented by chemical reaction formula 1,
In the reaction from left to right in 2, the ion is exchanged with the sodium ion of the resin and removed. Conversely, when high-concentration salt water is applied to the resin adsorbing calcium and magnesium ions, the calcium and magnesium ions of the resin are ion-exchanged with sodium ions and desorbed by the reaction from the right to left in chemical reaction formulas 1 and 2, and the resin is desorbed. It returns to its original state and is played back.

Conventionally, a water softening apparatus used in a commercially available laboratory or the like uses 2 L or more of the above-mentioned resin, and performs a water softening treatment on raw water such as natural water at a minute flow rate of about 10 L / hour. As described above, in a home washing machine, water is supplied directly from a faucet to a washing tub at a flow rate of 10 L or more per minute in order to shorten the water supply time. For this reason, at a flow rate similar to that of a water softener, it is inevitable to use a batch processed using a time other than washing after temporarily storing it in a water storage tank. Further, since the resin amount of 2 L occupies a large volume, it cannot be mounted on a home washing machine. That is, in a home washing machine, it is necessary to solve the problems of the flow rate of the ion exchange resin and the capacity of the resin used.

According to water supply statistics conducted in the past, among the number of cases investigated, the number of cases having a total hardness of 40 ppm or less was half, and the number of cases exceeding 100 ppm was as high as 15%. The arithmetic mean is 54.5 ppm.

FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the cleaning rate and the hardness when washing is performed using a commercially available synthetic detergent containing zeolite while changing the total hardness using the concentration as a parameter. For example, at a detergent concentration of 0.067 w% (standard use amount), the cleaning rate can be increased by about 50% by halving the arithmetic average hardness of 54.5 ppm. At a hardness of 100 ppm, the amount of detergent is reduced by half (concentration of 0.133 w%).
The washing rate when doubling is obtained. That is, the cleaning rate when the detergent amount (concentration) is twice the standard can be obtained with the standard detergent amount by decreasing the hardness. By removing calcium and magnesium ions, which are hardness components, the washing power of the washing machine can be greatly improved. In addition, the amount of detergent used can be reduced. In this way, there is no need to use more detergent than necessary, and the impact on the environment is reduced.

When a synthetic detergent containing zeolite is used, as shown in FIG. 7, when the hardness is 40 ppm or less, the washing rate tends to be almost saturated. This indicates that the zeolite contained blocks the hardness component, and it is desirable that when the synthetic detergent containing zeolite is used for washing, calcium and magnesium ions, which are the hardness components, can be removed up to about 40 ppm. On the other hand, natural powder soap does not saturate the cleaning rate as shown in FIG.

The ion exchange capacity of the ion exchange resin is about 2.
0meq / mL-R (2.0 equivalents per 1 mL of resin), for example, a hardness component contained in 72 L of tap water having a total hardness of 100 ppm (amount of water required for washing 7 kg per wash) 7.
In order to exchange 2 g (in terms of CaCO 3), a small amount of 72 mL is sufficient. However, this volume is ideal (theoretical) where all ion exchange groups are active and all sodium ions are exchanged for calcium and magnesium ions.
Value. Actually, for the reason described below, a resin whose theoretical value is higher than the theoretical value, for example, 3 to 4 times the theoretical value is required.

FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the flow rate and the concentration of leaked calcium ions that could not be removed by the ion exchange resin (using raw water hardness of 100 ppm as input), using the amount of resin as a parameter. The leaked ion concentration increases in proportion to the flow rate. Also, the smaller the amount of resin, the higher the leakage ion concentration. This is explained by the time at which the calcium ions flowing between the resins contact the ion exchange groups. If the flow rate is large and the amount of the resin is small, the amount of calcium ions that simply pass between the resins without performing the ion exchange reaction increases. Flow rate of conventional water softener (10 L / hr = 0.17 L / min)
Can exchange most calcium ions, but at a flow rate like a washing machine (10-15 L / min) 40 ppm
Calcium ions near (１ ／ of the input) leak without being exchanged (when the resin amount is 260 mL). However, as described above, if the hardness component is 40 ppm or less, the cleaning performance can be improved, so that even this leakage amount, that is, the flow rate, can be effective. The amount of resin confirmed in the experiment at this time was 260 mL, which was 3 to 4 times the theoretical value. The washing water required for one washing with a washing capacity of 5 to 9 kg is about 50 to 90 L, and from the above, the resin amount is 150 to 36 L.
It will be 0 mL. In flowing water, the ion exchange capacity of the ion exchange resin changes with the particle size of the resin. This is because if the particle size is small, the surface area increases, and the probability that calcium ions come into contact with the ion exchange group increases. As a result, the leakage concentration with respect to the flow rate in FIG. 8 also decreases. In the experiment, if the average particle size was reduced by about 20%, the leakage concentration could be reduced by about 20%.
Taking this into account, the resin amount on the left is about 100 to 300 m
L. This amount of resin is an amount that can be mounted on a home washing machine. However, if the tap water is continuously passed through this resin, all the ion exchange groups will be exchanged for calcium and magnesium ions, and it will not be possible to further remove calcium and magnesium ions. That is, chemical reaction formula 1,
Regeneration treatment with salt water, which is a reaction from the right to the left of Step 2, is required.

In FIG. 9, tap water (input raw water calcium concentration 100 p
pm) shows the relationship between the leaked calcium concentration and the integrated flow rate. The line shown at the first time in the figure is a case where water is poured from the initial state. This amount of ion exchange resin has an integrated flow rate of 2
Up to 00L, the leakage concentration is maintained at 40 ppm or less. Further, as the integrated flow rate increases, that is, as the amount of resin ion-exchanged with calcium ions increases, the leakage calcium concentration also increases. At an integrated flow rate of 500 L, the resin loses ion exchange capacity, and a regeneration process is required for the next washing. This reproduction processing will be described later.

When the washing step is completed, the microcomputer 50 opens the drain electromagnetic valve 13a of the drain device 13 to drain the washing water in the washing tub 5. After the drainage, the process proceeds to the rinsing step. First, the water supply electromagnetic valve 27 is opened, and rinse water is supplied into the washing tub 5 in the same manner as in the above-described wash water supply.
The amount of water supplied at this time is about the same as or less than the amount of water supplied for washing. This depends on the rinsing method. Once the water is stored, the rotor 6 is rotated to wash out the detergent remaining on the clothes and dilute the so-called detergent, so that a so-called rinse requires approximately the same amount of water as the previous washing water supply. The number of times of rinsing is at least once or twice. 72L in the previous washing water supply,
224L in total of 72L x 2 times of water supply in this rinse
It is. As shown in FIG. 9, the initial resin can maintain a hardness of 40 ppm or less up to almost this amount of water. However, in the regeneration with salt water described below, it is not possible to regenerate all of the ion exchange resin once ion-exchanged to the full ion exchange capacity. Therefore, in the second and third water supply, only the water amount having a hardness of 40 ppm or less is about 1/3 of the initial amount. I can't keep it.

After draining the rinse water, the process proceeds to a dehydration step. In the dehydration step, the microcomputer 50 controls the solenoid 9 a of the clutch device 9 to rotate the washing tub 5 at high speed by the electric motor 7. During this time, the drainage solenoid valve 1 of the drainage device
3a is open.

After the dehydration is completed, the microcomputer 50 turns on the light emitting diode 55 and displays the salt insertion display 25 to inform the user that the ion exchange resin needs to be regenerated. In view of this, the user opens the lid 30 of the ion removing means 28 to regenerate the ion exchange resin 31 and puts a predetermined amount of salt, for example, 2 spoons of about 30 g into the ion removing means 28.

The ion exchange resin 3 in the ion removing means 28
Reference numeral 1 denotes water for washing and rinsing as described above, which is ion-exchanged with many calcium and magnesium ions. At the end of the water supply (when the water supply solenoid valve is closed), the ion exchange resin 31 is immersed in the cylindrical container 29, and the tap water remains at the water level at the lower end of the discharge port 29b (FIG. 5B). Is indicated by a broken line A). The introduced salt enters the residual water on the resin, where it dissolves into salt water. This salt water gradually penetrates into the resin by diffusion.
The amount of residual salt in the cylindrical container is determined in consideration of the regeneration efficiency of salt water described later so that all of the supplied salt is dissolved.
In this embodiment, the amount of salt is about 30 g for two spoons, the amount of residual water is about 100 mL, and the amount of resin is 260 mL. These are (1) always use the salt in the home, can be measured with a spoon, (2) 10% in salt water regeneration of ion exchange resin
(3) The amount of salt (sodium chloride) required to make the hardness of the washing water (for washing) of at least one tank (90 L) each time at least 40 ppm or less in the amount of resin before and after (3) the most efficient. It is set in consideration of such factors.

After a lapse of a predetermined time, for example, 10 minutes (the time may be sufficient for dissolving the salt), when the user presses down the push button 34c, the salt water is removed from the ion exchange resin 3.
It flows down one space and is discharged from the salt water discharge port 29c. As a result, the salt water flows in the ion-exchange resin 31, and a reaction from the right to the left in the chemical reaction formulas 1 and 2 occurs, whereby calcium, magnesium ions and sodium ions adsorbed on the resin by ion exchange are replaced. As a result, the ion exchange resin 31 is regenerated and its ion exchange ability is restored again, and calcium and magnesium ions are extracted into the salt water.

The microcomputer 50 detects the end of the regeneration process of the ion exchange resin by the regeneration process detecting means, turns off the light emitting diode 55, and erases the salt introduction display 25. At this time, in the present embodiment, the reproduction processing detecting means detects the user's operation of the push button by changing the output of the magnetoresistive element 38 from the rotation of the magnet 37 due to the depression of the push button 34c and the magnetic field fluctuation caused by the rotation. It can be implemented in. Of course, if the user does not input the salt and presses the push button even after the lapse of the predetermined time after the dehydration, the user can be notified of the salt input and the push button operation using a display, a buzzer, or the like. Since the salt water used for regeneration contains a large amount of calcium and magnesium ions, the salt water is not supplied from the washing tub 5 but from the salt water outlet 29c to the abnormal overflow pipe 15 through the tube 35, the rotary valve plug 34a, and the salt water discharge tube 36. It is guided and discharged from the drainage device 13 to the outside of the washing machine by the drainage hose 16.

The point indicated by the arrow in FIG. 9 indicates that the regeneration process was performed at this time by charging 29 g of salt and manually discharging 10 minutes later. Subsequent curves show the integrated flow rate and the leaked calcium concentration from the beginning. 40p hardness compared to the initial
The amount of water that is not more than pm is 100 L or less. And 30
The exchange capacity is lost when the water volume is about 0L. This indicates that not all of the ion-exchange groups could be regenerated in the regenerating process described above. When the amount of ion exchange in the initial state is calculated from FIG. 9 (from the area above the first curve in the figure), the amount of calcium ion is about 26 g (in terms of CaCO 3). For this purpose, if chemical reaction formulas 1 and 2 are used, approximately the same amount of salt (sodium chloride) of about 30 g is required. But 29g
Calculate the ion exchange amount (area above the second curve) in the same manner as described above at the second time after the addition of salt and regeneration treatment, and about 8.5 g
(In terms of CaCO3). From now on, even if 29 g of a salt sufficient to regenerate almost all of the ion-exchange groups is introduced, actually 1/3 of the ion-exchange groups (≒ 8.5 / 29)
It can be seen that only the data is reproduced. This indicates that only about 10 g, one third of the salt charged, could contribute to the regeneration of the ion exchange groups. Although the amount of the introduced salt is 29 g, all of the salt does not contribute to the regeneration, so that the regeneration efficiency is about 30%, that is, only one third of the ion exchange group is regenerated. This is because the flowing speed of the salt water in the ion exchange resin is greatly affected.

However, it is washing water supply that must remove calcium and magnesium ions. The washing water supply amount is, for example, 72 kg with a capacity of 8 kg and a bath ratio of 9 L / kg.
m or less. If the amount of water required in the subsequent rinsing step exceeds 40 ppm in hardness, there is no effect on the cleaning performance.

The above description is for a hardness of 100 ppm. Maintaining a hardness of 40 ppm at this time means removing 2/3 of the ions contained in the raw water. Naturally, if the performance is this, if the hardness of the raw water is 60 ppm, after treatment,
It is shown that it can be maintained at 20 ppm or less, which is / 3.

When the water supply for the next washing is started with the push button 34c kept pressed, a part of the tap water passing through the ion removing means 28 leaks from the salt water outlet 29c, and the abnormal overflow pipe 15, Discharge device 13, drain hose 1
From 6 the waste will be wasted outside the washing machine. To prevent this, as described above, the microcomputer 5
0 is the output of the magnetoresistive element 38 during water supply and the rotary valve plug 3
The open / close state of 4a is monitored. If the push button 34c is kept pressed, the light emitting diode 54 is made to blink,
The user can be informed of this by blinking the water softening display 24, informing the user that the push button 34c is pressed again to release the lock mechanism, and that the push button 34c is pulled up by the spring 34e. (Normally, when water is supplied via the ion removing means, the water softening display 24 is illuminated.) For maintenance or replacement of the ion removing means 28, the pipe connected to the cylindrical container 29 must be disconnected. This is carried out by removing it from the rear storage box 17b.

As described above, the present invention is characterized in that (1) the removal of a predetermined amount of calcium and magnesium ions is limited only to washing and water supply, and (2) the ion removal performance allowed for washing is adjusted according to the detergency of the detergent. (3) The amount of ion-exchange resin required is minimized in that it is set lower than that of the water softener and (3) regeneration is carried out by adding a predetermined amount of salt every washing.
For this reason, the ion removing device can be made small and inexpensive, and can be mounted on a washing machine. Further, since the amount is small, the pressure loss due to the insertion of the resin into the flow path can be reduced, and the flow rate can be reduced by 10%.
The required performance is maintained even at a large flow rate of Ｌ15 L / min or more to prevent an increase in water supply time.

For the regeneration process, a simple operation of removing the lid 30 of the cylindrical container 29, putting inexpensive salt from any household into a spoon (about 30 g), and pressing the push button. Therefore, the user can easily perform this. Also, salt is very inexpensive, so there is little cost for regeneration. Further, by using the ion removing means, if the amount of the detergent used excessively due to the hardness component is reduced, the cost for washing can be reduced and the influence on the environment can be reduced.

Further, since the salt water used for regeneration is not discharged into the washing tub, but is discharged from the washing machine through the abnormal overflow pipe, the salt water does not flow into the washing tub and does not rust. In addition, the desorbed high-concentration calcium and magnesium ions do not flow into the washing tub, and the surfactant is not metal-soaped in the next washing, so that the washing power is not reduced.

In this embodiment, the operation of removing calcium and magnesium ions from tap water by the ion removing means has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, calcium and magnesium ions may be removed by the ion removing means 28 from the bath water self-primed by the bath water suction pump 45. For example, another water inlet is provided in the cylindrical container 29, and a pipe from the discharge port 45c of the bath water suction pump 45 is connected to this water inlet. Then, the bath water pump 45 may be driven when water is supplied to the washing tub by removing calcium and magnesium ions from the bath water. If two water inlets are provided in the cylindrical container in this way, calcium and magnesium ions can be removed therefrom while simultaneously supplying both tap water and bath water.

The details of the ion removing means 28 of the present invention have been described mainly with respect to the washing water supply operation.

FIG. 10 shows another ion removing means 28 of the present invention.
And an embodiment of the automatic salt water discharge valve 39 are shown.

In FIG. 10, the same reference numerals as those in FIG.
The piping to the water inlet and the outlet of the ion removing means 28 is omitted. In this embodiment, the manual salt water discharge valve 34 shown in FIG. 5 is replaced with an automatic salt water discharge valve 39 using a solenoid, and the ion exchange resin is made into a cartridge to facilitate maintenance and replacement. The microcomputer 50 automatically performs the pushing and pushing operation of the connecting rod 34d by the push button 34c in the previous embodiment by turning on and off the salt water discharge solenoid 40.
Is stored in the cartridge container 42, and this is
It can be attached and detached from. FIG. 11 shows a block diagram of the washing machine control unit in this case.

In the cylindrical container 29, a convex portion 29g is provided on the water inlet 29a, and the water inlet 29a is provided similarly to the embodiment of FIG.
The cartridge container 42 in which the space between the discharge port 29b and the ion exchange resin 31 is filled is housed with the bottom surface of the cartridge container 42 placed on the convex portion 29g. The cartridge container 42 is a cylindrical container, and most of the upper and lower surfaces thereof are constituted by a mesh filter 42a.
1 is filled and water is passed vertically. In the center, there is provided a handle 42b for taking out the cartridge container 42, and a protrusion 42b for preventing the container 42 from rising due to the water pressure at the time of passing water. For this reason, the projection 42 b has a length such that its tip almost contacts the lid 30.

After the completion of the dehydration as in the previous embodiment to regenerate the ion exchange resin 31, the microcomputer 50 turns on the light emitting diode 55 to inform the user that the ion exchange resin 31 needs to be regenerated. , Salt input display 25 is performed. In view of this, the user opens the lid 30 of the ion removing means 28 to regenerate the ion exchange resin 31 and puts a predetermined amount of salt, for example, 2 spoons of about 30 g into the ion removing means 28. Then, the salt introduced into the residual water dissolves into salt water.

After a lapse of a predetermined time, for example, 10 minutes (the time may be sufficient for the salt to be dissolved), the microcomputer 50 controls the salt water drain solenoid 40 to push down the connecting rod 34d and open the rotary valve 34a. . Then, the salt water flows down between the ion exchange resins 31 and is discharged from the salt water discharge port 29c. As a result, the salt water flows in the ion-exchange resin 31, and the reactions from right to left in the chemical reaction formulas 1 and 2 occur, and the calcium and magnesium ions adsorbed on the resin are replaced with sodium ions. As a result, the ion exchange resin 31 is regenerated and its ion exchange ability is restored again, and calcium and magnesium ions are extracted into the salt water. When the time for discharging the salt water has elapsed, the microcomputer 50 controls the salt water discharging solenoid 40 to close the rotary valve 34a. As described above, in the present embodiment, the manual opening and closing of the salt water discharge valve by the user of the previous embodiment is automated.

Tap water contains fine inorganic or organic substances. Therefore, when water is passed through the ion removal means for a long time,
These accumulate in the internal mesh filter or ion exchange resin and cause various problems. For example, water flow resistance increases due to clogging, so that a flow rate cannot be secured and water supply time increases. Alternatively, the ion exchange resin is contaminated with organic substances, and its ion exchange ability is deteriorated. In such a case, the user opens the lid 30 as in the case of salt injection, grasps the projection 42b by hand, and takes out the cartridge container 42. Then, after removing the clogging by washing with water, it is stored again. Or replace with a new cartridge container.

As described above, according to this embodiment, since the hardness component in tap water used for washing can be removed as in the previous embodiment, the washing performance of the washing machine can be improved. Further, since the discharge of the salt water used for the regeneration of the ion-exchange resin is automated, the user can simply input the salt and can omit the button pressing operation, and the regeneration operation can be performed more easily. In addition, the user does not forget to press the button and wastefully discharge a part of the water supply. Further, since the ion exchange resin is formed into a cartridge, maintenance and inspection and replacement are facilitated by attaching and detaching the cartridge.

FIG. 12 is a view showing another ion removing means of the present invention. (A) is an overall perspective view of the ion removing means 28, (b) is a longitudinal sectional view thereof and a salt water discharging mechanism. FIG.
2, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 5 and 10 denote the same components, and piping to the water inlet and the outlet of the ion removing means 28 is omitted.

In the previous embodiment, as described above, the user needs to recycle the ion-exchange resin 31 by removing the lid 30 of the ion removing means 28 and adding two spoons of about 30 g of salt after each washing. was there. In this embodiment, this is improved to reduce the amount of salt input to about once a week, thereby improving user convenience.

The ion removing means 28 comprises a cylindrical container 60 and a lid 6
It is composed of 1. The cylindrical container 60 is divided into four spaces. From above, a salt input space 60a, an upper space 60b in which the discharge port 29b opens, a room 29e in which the upper and lower surfaces between the water inlet 29a and the discharge port 29b are separated by a mesh filter 29d such as polyethylene, and a lower space in which the water inlet 29a opens. 60c. A room 29e between the water inlet 29a and the outlet 29b (between the upper space 60b and the lower space 60c) is filled with a sodium-type strongly acidic cation exchange resin (hereinafter referred to as ion exchange resin) 31 therein. Salt input space 6
0a and the upper space 60b are separated by a partition wall 60d.
0d is provided with a hole 60e. A check valve 60f is disposed below the hole 60e on the upper space 60b side, and closes the hole 60e while the upper space 60b is filled with water.
A salt grain outflow prevention filter 60g is arranged above the hole 60e and on the salt inlet space 60a side to prevent salt grains from flowing out to the upper space 60b. Further, on the upper surface of the salt injection space 60a, a salt water pipe 60i from the salt water inlet 60h is opened toward the lower surface. A salt water outlet 29c is provided in the lower space 60c on the bottom surface. The cylindrical container 60 is the rear storage box 1
A salt water outlet 29c is fixed to the bottom of the box 7b so as to penetrate the bottom of the box. Water passes between the ion exchange resins 31 by the mesh filter 29d. This also prevents the ion exchange resin 31 from leaking out of the room 29e. Lid 6
1 has a concave groove 61a in the inner circumference thereof, and an air hole 61b.
Is open. A convex portion 60j is provided on the outer circumference of the upper portion of the cylindrical container 60, and the lid 61 is fixed to the convex portion 60j of the cylindrical container 60 with a concave groove 61a fitted therein. Salt input space 6
Within 0a, about 200g of salt for one week by the user in advance
(7 times 29 g of salt required for one regeneration in the previous example) 62
Has been turned on. The salt input space 60a is disposed above the upper surface of the rear storage box 17b so that the user can easily open and close the lid 61, and all or a part of the peripheral wall surface is made transparent. The salt consumed in the regeneration of the ion exchange resin can be observed from the front of the washing machine.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing only the rear side portion of the rear storage box 17b for supplying the washing water when the ion removing means of this embodiment is used, when the upper lid is removed. A water tap 26 connected to a hose from a water tap or the like, and a water supply solenoid valve 27 connected thereto are connected to the rear storage box 17b.
And a salt water injection solenoid valve 63, an ion removing means 28 composed of a cylindrical container 60, an automatic salt water discharge valve 39 for discharging the regenerated salt water in the cylindrical container 60, a bath water suction pump 45 for absorbing bath water, and a washing tub 5 inside. And an inclined flow passage 46 for allowing the washing water to flow down. The outlet of the water supply electromagnetic valve 27 is connected to the water inlet 29a of the ion removing means 28, and the outlet of the salt water injection electromagnetic valve 63 is connected to the salt water inlet 60h. The discharge port 29b of the ion removing means is connected to the room A47. FIG. 14 shows a block diagram of the washing machine control unit in this case.

First, the water supply operation for washing and rinsing will be described. The hose from the tap is connected to the tap 26. When the user turns on the power switch and presses the start operation button, water supply for washing starts. The microcomputer 50 controls and opens the water supply electromagnetic valve 27.
At this time, the salt injection electromagnetic valve 63 is closed and the automatic salt water drain valve 3 is closed.
9 is also controlled to a closed state. The tap water is guided to the water inlet 29a of the cylindrical container 60 through the water supply electromagnetic valve 27, fills the lower space 60c, and then passes through the room 29e filled with the ion exchange resin 31 while rising. The tap water is softened here, that is, the calcium and magnesium ions are removed, and flows out of the discharge port 29b while filling the upper space 60b. Then, the water flows down from the room A47 to the inclined flow path 46 and is supplied to the washing tub 5. When the required amount of tap water is accumulated in the washing tub by the water level sensor 11, the microcomputer 5
0 controls the water supply solenoid valve 27 to stop water supply. Then, the washing process is performed by rotating the rotor 6 forward and backward. 1 following washing
The same applies to the second rinsing step. During the water supply, the upper space 60b of the ion removing means 28 is filled with tap water, and this pressure causes the check valve 60f to close the hole 60e. Therefore, the tap water does not flood into the salt input space 60a during the supply of water. When water is not being supplied, the upper space 60b is open to the atmosphere, and the check valve 60f is open.

Subsequently, when the final (second) rinsing water supply is started and the upper space 60b is filled with tap water (this becomes clear after a predetermined time has elapsed), the microcomputer 50 starts the salt injection. The electromagnetic valve 63 is controlled to inject water into the salt input space 60a. This water injection volume is 100mL
It is adjusted to the small amount before and after the opening control time of the salt injection electromagnetic valve 63. Tap water fills the upper space 60b from the water supply solenoid valve 27 and closes the check valve 60f. The salt injection space 60h and the salt injection pipe 60i are passed through the salt injection solenoid valve 63 to the salt injection space 60.
Pour water into a. The opening of the salt injection pipe 60i has a narrow nozzle shape, and tap water is injected into the upper part of the salt 62 in a shower shape. After a predetermined amount of time, for example, 100 mL of water injection, the microcomputer 50 switches the salt injection electromagnetic valve 63
To stop this water injection. At this time, the water supply electromagnetic valve 27 is still open, and water supply is continuing. The injected 100 mL tap water gradually dissolves the salt 62, and becomes a certain concentration of salt water during the water supply time (3 to 5 minutes). This concentration is determined by the injection time, that is, the amount of water, the time during which salt is immersed in water, and the amount of salt. The solubility of the salt is 35.7 g per 100 mL of water, and if sufficient stirring can be performed over time, the saturated salt solution concentration becomes 26 w%. In other words, the salt does not reach a higher concentration and the excess salt remains. There is enough salt in 100 mL of tap water, and the concentration becomes about 23 w% when left for about 1 minute.
At this time, the amount of salt in 100 mL of salt water is about 30 g. This is almost the same as the input salt amount in the embodiment of FIG.

When a predetermined amount of water is supplied by the water level sensor,
The microcomputer 50 closes the water supply electromagnetic valve 27.
Then, the tap water in the cylindrical container 60 flows out of the discharge port, and remains at the water level at the lower end of the discharge port 29b (indicated by a broken line A in the figure). As a result, the check valve 60f is opened, and the salt input space 6 is opened.
The salt water in Oa flows down into tap water remaining in the upper space 60b. At the same time, the microcomputer 50 controls the salt water discharge solenoid 40 to open the rotary valve 34a. While being poured onto the residual water, the salt water gradually flows down the ion exchange resin 31 together with the residual water, and is discharged from the salt water discharge port 29c. As a result, the salt water flows in the ion exchange resin 31, and a reaction from the right to the left in the chemical reaction formulas 1 and 2 occurs,
Calcium and magnesium ions that have been ion-exchanged in the conventional water supply are replaced with sodium ions in the salt water. As a result, the ion exchange resin 31 is regenerated and its ion exchange capacity is restored again, so that it can be used again in the next washing water supply. Conversely, calcium and magnesium ions are desorbed and extracted into salt water.

Since the salt water used for the regeneration contains a large amount of calcium and magnesium ions, the salt water is discharged not through the washing tub 5 but through the salt water discharge port 29c through the tube 35, the rotary valve plug 34a, and the salt water discharge tube 36. It is guided to the overflow pipe 15 and discharged from the drainage device 13 to the outside of the washing machine by the drainage hose 16. After a lapse of a predetermined time required for discharging the salt water, the microcomputer 50 controls the salt water discharge solenoid 40 to close the rotary valve 34a.
Thus, the regeneration process of the ion exchange resin is completed.

The flow rate of the salt water in the ion exchange resin is determined by the diameter of the hole 60e and the salt water discharge port 29c, but a flow rate of about 100 mL in three minutes is desirable. Therefore, in the embodiment, the diameter is about 2 mm.

Each time the water is regenerated, the salt 62 in the salt input space 60a is consumed as regenerated salt water in an amount of about 30 g and gradually decreases. The user looks at the amount of salt remaining in the salt input space 60a through the transparent window, and opens the lid 61 as soon as the amount runs out, to replenish the salt.

The maintenance or replacement of the ion removing means 28 is performed by disconnecting the pipe connected to the cylindrical container 60 and removing it from the rear storage box 17b as in the embodiment of FIG.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the hardness component in tap water used for washing one washing tub can be removed as in the previous embodiment, the washing performance of the washing machine can be improved.
Further, the salt water used for the regeneration of the ion exchange resin is automatically prepared every time by using a large amount of salt (for example, seven times) previously introduced into the salt input space, and automatically flows down the ion exchange resin 31 to regenerate the salt water. Therefore, it is not necessary to add salt after each washing as in the previous embodiment, and the convenience for the user is further improved. Further, since the salt water used for the regeneration is not discharged into the washing tub, but is discharged out of the washing machine from the abnormal overflow pipe, the salt water does not flow into the washing tub and does not rust. In addition, the desorbed high-concentration calcium and magnesium ions do not flow into the washing tub, and the surfactant is not metal-soaped in the next washing, so that the washing power is not reduced.

FIG. 15 shows another ion removing means 28 of the present invention.
FIG. In FIG. 15, the same reference numerals as those in FIG.

This embodiment eliminates the salt water discharging mechanism such as the automatic salt water discharging valve 39, the salt water discharging port 29c, the tube 35, and the salt water discharging tube 36 of the embodiment of FIG. 12 to reduce the cost and reduce the cost for the user. A washing machine is provided.
Further, the ion exchange resin is made into a cartridge to facilitate the maintenance exchange.

For this reason, the cylindrical container 60 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 12 is separated into two parts, and the ion exchange resin 31 is stored in the cartridge container.
It is housed in a cylindrical container fixed to b and can be detached from it. The ion removing means 28 is separated into a cylindrical container 71 for charging salt and a cylindrical container 60, and one cylindrical container 60 is fixed in the rear storage box 17b.

In the cylindrical container 60, a convex portion 60j is provided above the discharge port 29b, and the ion exchange resin 31 is placed in a space between the water inlet 29a and the discharge port 29b (between the upper space 60b and the lower space 60c). The filled cartridge container 70 is stored with the bottom surface of the cartridge container 70 placed on the convex portion 60j. The cartridge container 70 is a cylindrical container, and most of the upper and lower surfaces thereof are formed of a mesh filter 70a, and the internal space is filled with the ion exchange resin 31 and has a structure in which water flows vertically. In the center, there is provided a projection 70b as a handle for taking out the cartridge container 70.

A female screw 60 is provided around the upper end of the cylindrical container 60.
k is cut, and the salt input container 71 is connected to the bottom of the container by a male screw 71a cut on the bottom circumference.

A male screw 71a is formed on the circumference of the bottom surface 71d of the salt charging container 71, and a gasket 71 is formed around the lower end of the screw.
b is provided to prevent water leakage when the screw is connected to the cylindrical container 60 with a screw. A hole 71e is formed in the bottom surface 71d (corresponding to the partition wall 60d in the embodiment shown in FIG. 12), similarly to the embodiment shown in FIG. An outflow prevention filter 71g is provided. Further, a salt inlet 71h is provided in the salt inlet space 71a on the bottom surface 71d.
Is opened toward the lower surface. The salt 62 is charged in the salt charging container 71 in advance, and the upper end of the container is closed with the lid 61. The lid 61 is configured such that the concave portion 61a is fitted to the convex portion 71j of the container 71,
Fixed to

The water supply in the washing step and the first rinsing step is the same as in the embodiment shown in FIG. But tap water is inlet 2
9a, the cartridge container 70 filled with the ion-exchange resin 31 flows from top to bottom, and the room A4
7. Water is supplied to the washing tub 5 through the inclined flow path 46. Therefore, there is no lifting of the cartridge container 70 due to tap water pressure as in the embodiment of FIG. 10, and it is not necessary to prevent this. Next, the operation of regenerating the ion exchange resin 31 in the cartridge container 70 under the flow of salt water will be described in detail.

In the final rinsing step, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, water is injected from the salt injection port 71h and the salt injection pipe 71i into the salt injection space 71a to produce about 100 mL of salt water. When the water supply of the predetermined amount is completed by the water level sensor, the microcomputer 50 closes the water supply electromagnetic valve 27 to stop the water supply. Then, all the tap water in the cylindrical container 60 flows out from the discharge port 29b. Therefore, the check valve 71f is opened, and the salt water in the salt input space 71a flows down to the upper surface of the cartridge container 70 in the upper space 60b. The salt water gradually flows down uniformly in the ion exchange resin 31 filled in the cartridge container 70, and flows from the discharge port 29b to the room A47, and from the inclined flow path 46 to the washing tub 5 filled with final rinse water. . Part of the pool is stored at a position lower than the discharge port 29b in the lower space 60c. Under this flow, the salt water flows in the ion exchange resin 31,
Reactions from the right to the left in the chemical reaction formulas 1 and 2 occur, and calcium, magnesium ions and sodium ions adsorbed on the resin are replaced by the conventional water supply. As a result, the ion exchange resin 31 is regenerated and its ion exchange capacity is restored again, so that it can be used again in the next washing water supply. Conversely, calcium and magnesium ions are desorbed and extracted into salt water. After stopping the water supply, the microcomputer 50 controls the rotor 6 for the laundry for rinsing, and agitates the laundry in the supplied rinse water. When a predetermined time has elapsed (while rinsing water still remains in the washing tub 5), the water supply solenoid valve 27 is opened again, a few liters of tap water is flown into the ion removing means 28, and the tap water is retained in the lower space 60c. The regenerated salt water containing a large amount of calcium and magnesium is discharged from the discharge port 29b into the room A4.
7. Rinse into the washing tub 5 through the inclined flow path 46. This salt water is stirred and mixed with a large amount of rinse water supplied earlier (usually, in the case of a reservoir rinse, a capacity of 7 kg and about 72 L as described above) to be diluted. Then, at the end of the rinsing, the microcomputer 50 opens the drainage electromagnetic valve 13a and discharges it from the drainage hose 16 to the outside of the washing machine.

As described above, the hardness component affects the cleaning performance but does not affect the rinsing performance. In addition, since a small amount of salt water used for regeneration is diluted with a large amount of water, there is no possibility that rust is generated on stainless steel or the like constituting the washing tub 5. By the way, 130 mL of salt water (about 30 g of salt) having a concentration of 23 w%
When diluted with L of water, the concentration is 0.04 w%, which is lower than 0.9 w% of physiological saline.

Tap water contains fine inorganic or organic substances. Therefore, when water is passed through the ion removal means for a long time,
These accumulate in the internal mesh filter or ion exchange resin and cause various problems. For example, water flow resistance increases due to clogging, so that a flow rate cannot be secured and water supply time increases. Alternatively, the ion exchange resin is contaminated with organic substances, and its ion exchange ability is deteriorated.

In such a case, the user can use the rear storage box 17b.
Is removed, the pipe to the salt injection port 71h is removed, and the screw of the salt supply container 71 is turned to remove it from the cylindrical container 60. Then, the protrusion 70b of the cartridge container 70 in the cylindrical container 60 is grasped by hand and taken out. Then, after removing the clogging by washing with water, it is stored again. Or replace with a new cartridge container.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the regenerated salt water can be diluted with rinsing water and can be discharged using the ordinary drainage path. Therefore, the automatic salt water discharge valve 39, the salt water discharge port 29c, the tube, and the like in the embodiment of FIG. 35, the salt water discharging mechanism such as the salt water discharging tube 36 can be omitted, the cost can be reduced, and the user can be provided with an inexpensive washing machine. Further, since the ion exchange resin is formed into a cartridge, maintenance and inspection and replacement are facilitated by attaching and detaching the cartridge.

FIG. 16 shows another ion removing means 28 of the present invention.
FIG. In FIG. 16, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. Reference numeral 64 denotes a drain pipe connected to the salt water outlet 29c.

The cylindrical container 60 is provided with a water inlet 29a so as to open to the lower space 60c, and a discharge port 29b so as to open to the upper space 60b. For this reason, the tap water guided to the ion removing means 28 flows upward through the ion exchange resin 31 and flows from the discharge port 29b through the room A47 and the inclined flow path 46 to be supplied to the washing tub. The drain pipe 64 connected to the salt water discharge port 29c may be lifted to a height convenient for piping as shown in the figure, but it is always lowered to the lower end of the cylindrical container 60 and opened to the inclined flow passage 46. Connected.

Most of the tap water from the water inlet 29a passes through the ion-exchange resin 31 to remove calcium and magnesium ions.
7, water is supplied to the washing tub 5 through the inclined flow path 46, but a part of the water flows through the drain pipe 64 from the salt water discharge port 29c,
6 to the washing tub 5. If the diameters of the salt water discharge port 29c and the drain pipe 64 are set to about 2 mm, the leakage from the drain pipe is 0.5 L / min or less with respect to the flow rate of 13 L / min passing through the ion-exchange resin 31, and the influence is small. Immediately after the water supply ends (immediately after the water supply electromagnetic valve 27 is closed), tap water remains as far as the lower end of the discharge port 29b as in the embodiment of FIG. 5, but this remaining water is drained to the salt water discharge port 29c. Tube 6
4 is slowly discharged into the washing tub 5.

FIG. 12 shows the preparation of salt water in the final rinsing step.
The description is omitted because it is similar to the embodiment. When the water level sensor 11 has finished supplying a predetermined amount of water in the final rinsing step, the microcomputer 50 closes the water supply electromagnetic valve 27 and stops water supply. The check valve 60f opens, and the salt water in the salt input space 60a flows down into the residual water in the upper space 60b. While the salt water is diluted with the residual water, the salt water gradually flows down uniformly in the ion exchange resin 31 to form a drain pipe 64 connected to the salt water discharge port 29c.
From the washing tub 5 slowly. Under this flow, the salt water flows in the ion exchange resin 31, and the reaction from the right to the left in the chemical reaction formulas 1 and 2 occurs, and the calcium and magnesium ions, which have been ion-exchanged in the conventional water supply, are replaced with sodium ions in the salt water. Is done. As a result, the ion exchange resin 31 is regenerated and its ion exchange capacity is restored again, so that it can be used again in the next washing water supply. Conversely, calcium and magnesium ions are desorbed from the resin and extracted into the salt water. After stopping the water supply, the microcomputer 50 controls the rotor 6 for the laundry for rinsing, and agitates the laundry in the supplied rinse water. After a predetermined time of stirring, the water supply electromagnetic valve 27 is opened again, a few liters of tap water is supplied to the ion removing means 28, and salt water containing a large amount of calcium and magnesium attached to the drain pipe 64 and the lower space 60c is removed. From the drain pipe 64 and the discharge port 29b, the washing tub 5
Wash off inside. This salt water is a large amount of rinsing water supplied earlier (usually, as described above, in the case of a rinsing with a 7 kg capacity of 7 kg).
(About 2L) with stirring and diluted. At the end of the rinsing, the microcomputer 50 sets the drain solenoid valve 13
Open a and discharge it from the drain hose 16 to the outside of the washing machine.

According to this embodiment, as in the embodiment of FIG.
The salt water discharge mechanism such as the automatic salt water discharge valve 39, the salt water discharge port 29c, the tube 35, and the salt water discharge tube 36 can be omitted, and the cost can be reduced, and the user can be provided with an inexpensive washing machine. Furthermore, even when the water inlet has to be provided at the lower end of the cylindrical container 60 due to the arrangement of the water supply solenoid valve and the piping, the ion exchange resin 31 can be regenerated by automatic salt water flow.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a washing machine control unit according to another embodiment. The same reference numerals as those in FIG. 14 indicate the same components. 65 is an electrically writable nonvolatile memory EEPR
OM.

This embodiment is to further extend the period of salt introduction into the salt introduction space of the embodiment of FIG. 15 to improve user convenience. For this reason, the tap water hardness and the amount of tap water necessary for washing are stored using the EEPROM 65, and the amount of salt water required to regenerate the ion exchange resin in the final rinsing step is calculated. Is performed.

Now, as in the embodiment shown in FIG.
The description will be made on the assumption that ion removal performance of 2/3 at 60 mL and a flow rate of 13 L / min, that is, 2/3 of hardness component ions of input raw water can be removed.

The washing machine maker stores the performance of the ion removing means 28 in the EEPROM 65, that is, the amount of the ion exchange resin and the removing performance at the standard flow rate (the performance of what percentage of the hardness component of the input raw water can be removed) before shipment. I do.

When starting to use the washing machine, the user checks the approximate hardness value of tap water to be used using a commercially available hardness indicator or the like, and stores the hardness value in the EEPROM 65. This operation is performed by the number of times the microcomputer 50 is set to the hardness value input mode by simultaneously pressing the reservation operation button and the course selection operation button using the operation button 21 and pressing the detergent amount / water amount setting operation button. For example, the frequency may be set to 20 ppm or less for one time and 20 to 40 ppm for two times. Such an operation is desirably performed when a sales clerk or the like delivers and installs a washing machine to a customer. The following description is based on the assumption that this input hardness value is 55 ppm and that this value is stored in the EEPROM 65. Further, an appropriate amount of, for example, about 200 g of salt is previously charged into the salt charging space 60a as in the embodiment of FIG.

When the user puts the laundry in the washing tub 5, presses the power switch 19, selects a washing course, and presses the start button to start washing. Hereinafter, a case will be described in which a course in which the rinsing process is performed twice is selected.

First, the microcomputer 50 rotates and stops the motor 7 as is well known, and detects the amount of cloth applied by the back electromotive voltage of the motor 7 induced at the time of stopping.
The amount of water supplied to the washing tub 5 in the washing and rinsing steps is determined from the detected cloth amount and the selected course. For example, if the amount of the detected cloth is 4 kg, the washing is about 40 L, and the washing is 120 L in total of about 80 L after rinsing twice.

The microcomputer 50 opens the water supply electromagnetic valve 27. Tap water passes through a water supply solenoid valve 27 from a water tap 26 and flows into the ion removing means 28. Tap water that has flowed into the cylindrical container 60 is mesh filter 28a.
Pass between the sodium-type strongly acidic cation exchange resin 31 filled and sandwiched by
Magnesium ions are removed and soft water flows out,
It flows out to the inclined flow path 46 through the room A47. Then, the flow is rectified in the inclined flow path 46 and flows down into the washing tub 5. During the washing water supply, the light emitting diode 54 is turned on, and the softening display 24 indicates that the water is being softened. The microcomputer 50 that has learned that the required washing water has been supplied (approximately 40 L) into the washing tub 5 by the water level sensor 11 closes the water supply electromagnetic valve 27 and stops water supply. Then, the rotor 6 is rotated forward and reverse to start washing. At the time when the washing water supply is completed, the microcomputer 50 calculates the actual amount of tap water that has passed through the ion exchange means 28 from the information of the water level sensor 11, and the ion exchange resin 31 is adsorbed based on the previous tap water hardness value and the removal capacity. The calculated amounts of calcium and magnesium ions are calculated and stored in the EEPROM 65. For example, 55
(Ppm) x 2/3 x 40 (L) = 1.46 g (CaC
O3 conversion) is stored.

After performing the washing for a predetermined time, the microcomputer 50 subsequently opens the water supply solenoid valve 27 and starts water supply to the washing tub 5 for the first rinsing. Tap water passes through the water supply solenoid valve 27 from the tap cock 26 and flows out as it is to the inclined flow path 46 via the room A47. Then, the flow is rectified in the inclined flow path 46 and flows down into the washing tub 5. When the water supply amount reaches a predetermined value by rinsing with the water level sensor 11, the microcomputer 50 closes the water supply electromagnetic valve 27 and stops water supply. At this time, the microcomputer 50 calculates the amount of tap water that has passed through the ion exchange means 28 from the information of the water level sensor 11 as in the case of washing, and the ion exchange resin 31 is adsorbed based on the previous tap water hardness value and the removal capacity. The amounts of calcium and magnesium ions are calculated, added to the amount of adsorption (at the time of washing and water supply), and stored in the EEPROM 65. For example, at this time, 1.46 × 2 = 2.92 g is accumulated and stored. Then, the rotor 6 is rotated forward and backward to start rinsing. Thereafter, the drainage electromagnetic valve of the drainage device 13 is opened to drain the rinse water.

In the next final rinse, the regeneration treatment of the ion exchange resin described in the embodiment of FIG. 15 is performed. Since the water supply amount in the final rinse is the same as that in the first rinse, the integrated adsorption amount of the hardness component at the time when the final rinse water supply is completed can be estimated. For example, it is estimated to be 1.46 × 3 = 4.38 g (accurately, if the flow rate exceeds 100 L, the performance is degraded, but this must also be taken into consideration, but the first approximation is sufficient for the first approximation). Then, at the same time as the final rinse water supply, tap water is injected into the salt charging space in an amount proportional to the integrated amount of the hardness component adsorbed. As described in detail in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the regeneration efficiency of the used ion removing means is 0.3 in this embodiment.
It is about. In other words, about three times the amount of salt that is adsorbed is required for regeneration. That is, the amount of water 44 that dissolves about 13 g of salt
Pour ml. The water injection amount is adjusted by the opening time of the salt injection electromagnetic valve 63. The regeneration process of the ion exchange resin 31 at the end of the final rinse water supply has been described in the embodiment of FIG.

Thereafter, a dehydration step is started, and the clutch device 10
, The washing tub 5 is rotated at high speed to perform dehydration.

In the above description, the integrated amount of adsorption is determined from the amount of water detected by the water level sensor 11 for each supply of water. As described above, the required amount of used water is determined by the course selection and the amount of cloth as described above. You may decide the amount of water injection.

As described above, since the water injection amount required for the ion exchange resin regeneration is determined in proportion to the actually adsorbed hardness component,
The minimum required salt is always consumed. Therefore, as compared with the case of always injecting a fixed amount (100 mL) as in the previous embodiment, the water consumption is about half, that is, about half the salt consumption as described, and the salt consumption in each regeneration process can be reduced. it can. This means that the salt injection period can be extended.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the amount of salt required for regenerating the ion exchange resin can be reduced to a necessary minimum, so that the period during which the user replenishes the salt input space with salt can be lengthened. The convenience can be further improved.

Next, an embodiment in which bath water is supplied using a bath water supply pump will be described with reference to FIG. Water from a bath or the like is drawn out by a hose connected to a bath water supply port 45a. First, a tap water supply port 26 is used to open a water supply electromagnetic valve 27 to open the ion removing means 28 and the room A4.
Through 7, a part of the water is pumped from the priming port 45 b to the bath water suction pump 45, and the rest is supplied to the washing tub 5 from the inclined channel 46. After a lapse of a predetermined time, the water supply solenoid valve 27 is closed, and the water supply pump is rotated to supply the bath water to the bath water supply port 45.
a, self-priming from the outlet port 45c, leading to the inclined flow path 46 through the room B48 from the discharge port 45c, and supplying water to the washing tub 5 from here. That is, the washing tub 5 is first supplied with soft water from which calcium ions and magnesium ions have been removed by the ion removing means 28, and then with bath water. The detergent put in the washing tub 5 is dissolved in the soft water, soaks into the laundry, and penetrates the dirt attached to the laundry. At this time, if water is supplied while rotating the washing tub 5, the dissolved detergent permeates into the laundry more uniformly. Since soft water hardly contains a hardness component, the detergent does not form metal soap, and the detergent works effectively. Thereafter, bath water is supplied. Although the bath water contains a hardness component, the detergent component has already penetrated the dirt, so that the action of the detergent on the dirt is not hindered. The temperature of the remaining hot water of the bath water (about 30 ° C.) activates the detergent components and enhances the detergency, but the hardness is equivalent to that of tap water and cannot prevent the production of metal soap. However, as in the present embodiment, first, soft water is supplied, and then bath water is supplied, so that the detergent is dissolved by the soft water, the effect of infiltration into dirt, and the synergistic effect of the temperature effect of the bath water increase the detergency. Can be enhanced. FIG. 18 is an example in which the washing power of a conventional washing machine having no ion removing means and the washing machine of the present embodiment having the ion removing means are compared (the washing conditions are a water temperature of 20 ° C., a remaining hot water temperature of 30 ° C., Hardness 100 ppm, soft water hardness 20 ppm). It can be seen that the detergency is improved by supplying soft water first.

Conventionally, the priming water supply time to the bath water supply pump has been constant irrespective of the amount of laundry (water amount). However, in this embodiment, the priming water supply is performed by dissolving the detergent with soft water,
Since there is an important effect that the detergent component penetrates into the laundry, it is necessary to control the water supply amount according to the amount of the laundry. Therefore, a method of controlling the amount of priming (soft water) supplied to the amount of laundry (amount of water) will be described.

As a method of controlling the water supply amount, a method of measuring a water level, a flow meter, a weight, and the like, a method of controlling with time, and the like can be considered. Here, an embodiment based on water level detection and time control will be described.

In the embodiment using the water level detection, the water level sensor 11 is used.
It is a method using. This is a method in which a mixing ratio of soft water and bath water is determined in advance, soft water is supplied automatically or manually to a set water level until the mixing ratio is reached, and then bath water is supplied. The soft water supplied to the washing tub 5 penetrates into the laundry from the upper part to the lower part of the laundry, and collects at the bottom of the outer tub 4 after the laundry is almost wet.
Then, when the specified water level is reached, the supply of soft water is stopped, and the supply is switched to bath water supply. Thereby, the above-described operation can be achieved. Since the water level sensor 11 cannot detect the water level unless water is accumulated in the outer tub, it is necessary to supply extra soft water even after the laundry is almost wet, the amount of bath water is reduced, and the bath water is effectively used. There is a problem in that point. Next, an embodiment based on time control will be described.
When controlling the amount of water supply by time, it is necessary to know the amount of laundry and the tap water pressure (water supply flow rate Q). The amount of laundry can be detected by a cloth amount sensor. The relationship between the amount of laundry and the amount of soft water supply V required to substantially wet the entire laundry is stored in the microcomputer 50 in advance. A method for detecting the feedwater flow rate Q will be described with reference to FIG. The water supply time T from the zero point water level A of the water level sensor to the water level B lower than the settable minimum water level is measured. The water supply time T has an inversely proportional relationship (FIG. 19), which becomes shorter as the water supply flow rate Q becomes larger.
The water supply flow rate Q can be known from In detail, there is a slight difference depending on the amount of the laundry even at the same water supply flow rate, but in practice, the average value may be used. The relationship between the water supply time T and the water supply flow rate Q in FIG. 19 is stored in the microcomputer 50 in advance, and the water supply flow rate Q obtained from the water supply time T is represented by E
It is stored in the EPROM 65. Then, the soft water supply time is determined from the soft water supply amount V obtained from the amount of laundry (set water amount) detected by the cloth amount sensor at the next washing and the above-mentioned water supply flow rate Q. According to this embodiment, it is possible to minimize the amount of soft water supply necessary to substantially wet the laundry with the soft water in which the detergent is dissolved,
Bath water can be used effectively.

Another embodiment based on time control will be described. In the embodiment, the relationship between the amount of laundry and the water supply amount V and the relationship between the water supply time T and the water supply flow rate Q are tabulated and stored in the microcomputer 50 by the above-described time control. In order to cope with the multistage water level, the amount of data to be stored in the table increases, and extra protection is required. In the present embodiment, threshold values are set for the water supply time T and the set water amount, and the amount of table data is reduced. Here, a case where the threshold value at which the data amount becomes the smallest is one will be described. As for the water supply time T, the water supply time T1 is set as a threshold value. As for the set water amount, for example, in a washing machine in which the water amount can be set to 12 levels, the center water amount W1 is set as the threshold value. Then, the soft water supply time t is set based on the value less than or equal to the threshold value. That is, when the water supply flow rate is less than Q1 (water supply time exceeds T1) and the set water amount W is less than W1, soft water supply time t = t1, and when it is less than Q1 and W1 or more, t = t2, Q1
Above (T1 or more), t = t3 when less than W1, and t = t4 when Q1 or more and W1 or more. Therefore, by using these two thresholds, the four water supply times t1 to t4
Need only be stored as a table in the microcomputer, the storage capacity of the microcomputer can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced. FIG. 20 shows a specific example of the relationship between the water supply flow rate Q and the soft water supply amount V in this case. Even when the amount of water is constant (the amount of laundry is constant), the amount of soft water supplied varies depending on the flow rate of supplied water.

As described above, according to the present invention, in washing using bath water, first, soft water that has passed through the ion exchange means is supplied to the washing tub, and then bath water is supplied. The effect of allowing detergent ingredients to penetrate without waste,
Detergency can be improved by the temperature effect of bath water.

[0108]

According to the present invention, the water supplied to the washing tub can be uniformly raised in the layer of the ion exchange functional material,
Further, since the regenerant is allowed to flow down from the second chamber, the ion removing means capable of rapidly supplying water while removing cations contained in the washing water can be compactly provided in the water supply path of the washing machine.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a fully automatic washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a fully automatic washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an operation panel diagram of the fully automatic washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the inside of the rear storage box according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view and a longitudinal sectional view of an ion removing unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an electrical connection block diagram of the fully automatic washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a relationship between hardness and a cleaning rate.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a relationship between a flow rate and a leakage calcium concentration.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a relationship between an integrated flow rate and a leakage calcium concentration.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of another ion removing means according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an electrical connection block diagram of another fully automatic washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view and a longitudinal sectional view of another ion removing means according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the inside of another rear storage box according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an electrical connection block diagram of another fully automatic washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view of another ion removing means according to the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view of another ion removing means according to the present invention.

FIG. 17 is an electrical connection block diagram of another fully automatic washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a comparison of detergency according to the presence or absence of ion removing means during bath water washing.

FIG. 19 is an example of a relationship between a water supply flow rate (tap water pressure) and a water supply time.

FIG. 20 is an example of a relationship between a water supply flow rate (tap water pressure) and a soft water supply amount.

[Explanation of symbols]

5: washing and dewatering tub, 15: abnormal overflow pipe, 17b: rear storage box, 24: softening display, 25: salt input display, 26
... tap water tap, 27 ... water supply solenoid valve, 28 ... ion removing means, 29 ... cylindrical container, 29a ... water inlet, 29b ... discharge port, 29c ... salt water discharge port, 29d ... mesh filter,
29e: room, 29f: male screw, 30: lid, 30a ...
Female screw, 30b gasket, 31 ion exchange resin, 32 upper space, 33 lower space, 34 manual salt water discharge valve, 34a rotary valve plug, 34b rotary valve, 34c push button, 34d connecting rod, 35 ...
Tube, 36 ... salt water discharge tube, 37 ... magnet, 38
... Magnetic resistance element, 39 ... Automatic salt water discharge valve, 40 ... Salt water discharge solenoid, 45 ... Bath water suction pump, 50 ... Microcomputer, 54 ... Light emitting diode, 55 ... Light emitting diode, 60 ... Cylindrical container, 60a ... Salt input space ,
60b upper space, 60c lower space, 60d partition,
60e: hole, 60f: check valve, 60g: filter for preventing salt from flowing out, 60h: salt water inlet, 60i: salt water pipe, 60j
... convex part, 61 ... lid, 61a ... concave groove, 61b ... air hole, 6
2 ... Salt, 63 ... Salt injection solenoid valve, 64 ... Salt drainage pipe, 65
... EEPROM.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yosuke Nagano 502, Kunitachi-cho, Tsuchiura-shi, Ibaraki Inside Machinery Research Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Tamotsu Kamori 1-1-1 Higashitaga-cho, Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki Hitachi, Ltd.Electrical Equipment Division (72) Inventor Hiroshi Osugi 1-1-1, Higashitagacho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Inside, Hitachi, Ltd.Electrical Equipment Division (72) Inventor Takami Koyama Higashitagamachi, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture 1-1-1, Hitachi, Ltd.Electrical Equipment Division (72) Inventor Akira Miyao 1-1-1, Higashitaga-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Hitachi, Ltd.Electrical Equipment Division (72) Inventor Isao Hiyama 1-1-1, Higashitaga-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Hitachi, Ltd.Electrical Equipment Division

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A washing machine in which an ion removing means having an ion exchange function material is provided in the middle of a water supply path for supplying water to a washing tub for storing laundry, wherein the water supply path is opened and closed by a water supply electromagnetic valve. A first chamber for accommodating an ion-exchange functional material; chambers respectively formed above and below the first chamber; and an ion-exchange function of the ion-exchange functional material provided above the upper chamber. A second chamber accommodating a regenerant for regenerating water, a water supply path for supplying water to the second chamber, a water supply path opening / closing valve for opening and closing the water supply path, and the upper chamber and the second chamber. And a check valve provided in the flow passage to allow flow from the second chamber to the upper chamber and to stop flow from the upper chamber to the second chamber, The water is supplied from the lower chamber to the water supply path in the ion removing means. Through the first chamber and configured to flow the upper chamber, a washing machine, characterized in that a discharge port for discharging the regenerant after regeneration processing on the lower side of the chamber. 2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein said second chamber is formed in a container in which said first chamber is formed.