JP2006204562A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing machine for washing clothes with normal stains without a detergent. <P>SOLUTION: An electrolytic cell 11 for which a washing water chamber 13 and an electrolyte chamber 14 are separately formed by a separating membrane 12, an electrolytic solution is filled in the electrolyte chamber 14, and washing water obtained on the side of the washing water chamber is supplied to a washing tub. By filling the electrolytic solution in the electrolyte chamber 14, cations required for generating alkaline water are supplied, and the alkaline water with washing power capable of washing the clothes with the normal stains without using a detergent in a short time is generated. Also, the need of discharging acid water in order to generate the alkaline water is eliminated and the use amount of water is reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing machine that is equipped with an electrolytic bath and performs washing of clothes using alkaline water.

In general, a washing machine uses a detergent to wash clothes. For the purpose of reducing the environmental load by reducing the amount of detergent used, conventional hardness components in tap water are removed and soft water is used as cleaning water (see, for example, Patent Document 1), hypoxia generated by electrolysis Bleaching clothes using chloric acid (for example, refer to Patent Document 2), clothes for sterilizing and bleaching clothes with ozone water generated by discharge (for example, refer to Patent Document 3), alkali obtained by electrolysis There is one that uses water for cleaning (for example, see Patent Document 4).
JP 2002-28647 A JP-A-5-123488 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-62787 JP 7-185187 A

  However, when soft water from which hardness components in tap water are removed is used as washing water, it is possible to reduce the amount of detergent used, but it has not been possible to wash ordinary dirt without detergent. In addition, in the method using hypochlorous acid or ozone, it is possible to wash clothes and light stains by oxidation with hypochlorous acid or ozone. I couldn't. Further, by using alkaline water obtained by electrolysis for washing, it is possible to wash the dirt without using a detergent by utilizing the emulsifying dispersion and swelling action of the alkaline water on the oil dirt.

  However, since the pH of the alkali generated by electrolysis is regulated by the amount of cations contained in the water, alkaline water having a detergency capable of washing dirt without using detergent by electrolyzing tap water is used. In order to obtain it, long-time electrolysis and high voltage / high current are required, and at least the same amount of acidic water as the alkaline water used to obtain alkaline water must be drained. In spite of reducing the amount of detergent used and reducing the environmental load, there has been a problem that the amount of water used in washing increases.

  In addition, in the case of performing electrolysis by supplying an electrolyte for the purpose of replenishing cations in water, if the electrolyte is supplied to the alkaline water side, the electrolyte becomes an interfering ion and inhibits washing, and due to buffering action There existed a subject that the raise of pH was inhibited.

  The present invention aims to solve the above-described conventional problems.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the washing machine of the present invention is provided with an electrolytic bath having at least a pair of electrodes, and the inside is separated and formed in a washing water chamber and an electrolyte chamber by a diaphragm, and an electrolyte solution is placed in the electrolyte chamber. The washing water obtained by filling the washing water chamber is supplied to the washing tub.

  Thereby, the cation can be moved from the electrolyte solution to the washing water chamber by electrolysis, and alkaline water having a high pH can be obtained in a short time. Further, by filling the electrolyte solution on the acidic water side, it is not necessary to drain the water on the acidic water side, and the amount of water used can be reduced.

  The washing machine of the present invention can supply a cation necessary for generating alkaline water by filling an electrolyte chamber with an electrolyte solution, and can wash normally dirty clothes in a short time without using a detergent. Alkaline water having a detergency that can be performed can be generated. Moreover, it is not necessary to drain the acidic water in order to generate alkaline water, and the amount of water used can be reduced.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a casing, a washing tub disposed inside the casing, and an electrolytic tank having at least a pair of electrodes and having the inside separated into a washing water chamber and an electrolyte chamber by a diaphragm, and the electrolyte A cation necessary for generating alkaline water by filling the electrolyte solution into the chamber and filling the electrolyte chamber with the electrolyte solution by supplying the washing water obtained on the washing water chamber side to the washing tub It is possible to produce alkaline water having a detergency capable of washing normally soiled clothes without using a detergent in a short time. Moreover, it is not necessary to drain the acidic water in order to generate alkaline water, and the amount of water used can be reduced.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the washing water chamber is provided with a circulation means for circulating the water in the washing tub, the washing water is electrolyzed even during the washing operation of the object to be washed. By mixing the generated bubbles, not only the cleaning effect by the alkaline water but also the cleaning effect by the bubbles can be obtained.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, by providing an electrolyte circulation means for circulating the electrolyte solution in the electrolyte chamber, the current on the electrolyte chamber side is convected to prevent a current drop due to concentration polarization in the vicinity of the diaphragm of the electrolytic cell. And the electrolytic efficiency can be increased.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, an electrolyte solution tank provided with an electrolyte concentration detecting means is provided in a flow path for circulating the electrolyte solution, thereby reducing the frequency of supply of the electrolyte and reducing the burden on the user. The concentration detecting means can detect that the electrolyte concentration has decreased, and can notify the user of the replenishment timing.

  In the fifth invention, the electrolyte concentration detection means can detect the electrolyte concentration based on the conductivity because the electrolyte concentration is detected based on the conductivity.

  In the sixth aspect of the invention, the electrolyte concentration detecting means detects the electrolyte concentration based on the current value flowing through the electrolytic cell, so that the electrolyte concentration can be detected based on the current flowing through the electrolytic cell.

  In the seventh invention, the polarity of the electrode is reversed and the pH of the washing water supplied to the washing tub is switched, so that alkaline water and acidic water obtained by electrolysis can be used as washing water. It is possible to increase the detergency by emulsifying and dispersing dirt with water and oxidative bleaching with hypochlorous acid or ozone.

  In the eighth aspect of the present invention, the washing water chamber side is used as an anode during the rinsing operation, and the acidic water obtained in the washing water chamber is used for washing, so that the alkaline water used for washing can be used in a short time. Can be washed.

  In the ninth aspect, since the diaphragm is a cation exchange membrane, the generation efficiency of alkaline water generated by electrolysis can be increased, and the cleaning ability can be increased.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the washing machine is provided with a washing tub 2 inside the housing 1 and a lid 3 that can be opened and closed on the top surface of the housing 1, and a stirring blade 5 that is driven by a motor 4 at the bottom of the washing tub 2. Yes. The raw water 6 is supplied to the water supply passage 9 through the cleaning agent storage case 8 via the electromagnetic valve 7. The water supply path 9 is connected to the lower part of the washing water chamber 13 and the electrolyte chamber 14 of the electrolytic cell 11 through the three-way valve 10, and the electrolytic cell 11 is separated into the washing water chamber 13 and the electrolyte chamber 14 by the diaphragm 12. The cleaning water chamber 13 and the electrolyte chamber 14 are provided with electrodes 15a and 15b.

  The upper part of the washing water chamber 13 is connected to the washing tub water supply channel 16, and the washing water obtained by electrolysis is supplied from the washing tub water supply channel 16 to the washing tub 2. In the electrolytic cell 11, a direct current is applied to the electrodes 15a and 15b from the direct current power source 17 to perform electrolysis.

  As the electrodes 15a and 15b, a noble metal electrode formed by sintering or plating a noble metal such as platinum on the surface of titanium can be used. An ion exchange membrane can be used. The bottom 6 of the washing tub 2 is connected to a drainage channel 19 and a circulation channel 20 via a three-way valve 18, and the circulation channel 20 is connected to a water supply channel 9 and is washed by a circulation means 21 provided in the circulation channel 20. Water in the tank 2 is circulated and supplied to the washing water chamber 13.

  About the washing machine comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below. First, the user stores an object to be cleaned in the washing tub 2, supplies electrolytes such as sodium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, and salt to the cleaning agent storage case 8, and starts the operation of the washing machine. The electromagnetic valve 7 is opened, the raw water 6 is supplied to the cleaning agent storage case 8, and the solution in which the electrolyte is dissolved is supplied to the electrolyte chamber 14 through the water supply path 9.

  Thereafter, after the electrolyte chamber 14 is filled with the electrolyte solution, the three-way valve 10 is switched to supply the raw water 6 to the washing water chamber 13. The DC power supply 17 applies a DC voltage between the electrodes 15a and 15b to perform electrolysis. At the time of cleaning, the electrode 15 a provided in the electrolyte chamber 14 is used as an anode, and the electrode 15 b provided in the cleaning water chamber 13 is used as a cathode. Cations move from the electrolyte solution in the electrolyte chamber 14 to the cleaning water chamber 13. Alkaline water is obtained.

  The alkaline water generated on the side of the washing water chamber 13 (cathode side) is supplied to the washing tub 2 as washing water, and the stirring blade 5 is rotated by the motor 4 to perform mechanical washing by stirring to wash the object to be washed. I do. At the time of washing, the water inside the washing tub 2 is circulated by the circulating means 21 to increase the alkalinity of the washing water, and the bubbles obtained by electrolysis are supplied to the washing tub 2 to enhance the washing effect.

  When alkaline water is used for washing an article to be washed, the dirt can be washed by swelling and emulsifying and dispersing the dirt such as sebum, which is dirt on the clothes, by the action of alkali. The higher the pH of the alkaline water used for cleaning, the higher the cleaning effect, and at least pH 12 or more is necessary to achieve cleaning without detergent.

  In the present invention, by filling the electrolyte chamber 14 with an electrolyte solution containing a cation necessary for obtaining alkaline water, the amount of the cation on the anode side can be increased, and the acidic water on the anode side is drained. Alkaline water can be obtained in a short time. Further, since only the electrolyte chamber 14 is filled with the electrolyte solution, the washing water side can obtain alkaline water without being affected by the buffering action or the detergency of the electrolyte.

  By using a cation exchange membrane for the diaphragm 12, the cation exchange membrane selectively permeates only cations, so that the movement of hydroxide ions as anions through the diaphragm 12 is hindered. As a result, the production efficiency of the alkaline water produced can be increased, and the cleaning ability can be enhanced.

  In this embodiment, the method of cleaning the dirt of the object to be cleaned without using the detergent is used. However, alkaline water does not inhibit the cleaning power of the detergent, and the detergent is used in combination with strong dirt. By doing so, the cleaning power of the detergent can be extracted, and cleaning with a reduced amount of detergent used can be performed. At the end of washing, the water in the washing tub 2 is drained from the drainage channel 19 through the three-way valve 18.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 2 shows a configuration of a washing machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, the washing machine is provided with a washing tub 2 inside the housing 1 and a lid 3 that can be opened and closed on the top surface of the housing 1, and a stirring blade 5 that is driven by a motor 4 at the bottom of the washing tub 2. Yes. The raw water 6 is supplied to the water supply passage 9 through the cleaning agent storage case 8 via the electromagnetic valve 7.

  The water supply passage 9 is connected to the washing water chamber 13 of the electrolytic cell 11 and the electrolyte solution tank 24 provided with the conductivity detecting means 23 through the three-way valve 22, and the electrolyte solution tank 24 is an electrolyte circulation means constituted by a pump. 25 is connected to the lower portion of the electrolyte chamber 14, and the upper portion of the electrolyte chamber 14 is connected to the electrolyte solution tank 24 so that the electrolyte solution circulates in the electrolyte chamber 14.

  The upper part of the washing water chamber 13 is connected to the washing tub water supply channel 16, and the washing water obtained by electrolysis is supplied from the washing tub water supply channel 16 to the washing tub 2. In the electrolytic cell 11, direct current is applied to the electrodes 15 a and 15 b from the direct current power source 17 to perform electrolysis, and the polarity of the electrodes 15 a and 15 b is switched by the polarity switching means 26.

  As the electrodes 15a and 15b, a noble metal electrode formed by sintering or plating a noble metal such as platinum on the surface of titanium can be used. An ion exchange membrane can be used. The bottom of the washing tub 2 is connected to a drainage channel 19 and a circulation channel 20 via a three-way valve 18, the circulation channel 20 is connected to a water supply channel 9, and the washing tub is provided by a circulation means 21 provided in the circulation channel 20. The water in 2 is circulated and supplied to the washing water chamber 13.

  About the washing machine comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below. First, the user supplies an electrolyte such as sodium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, and sodium chloride to the cleaning agent storage case 8 in advance. The electrolyte stored in the cleaning agent storage case 8 is supplied to the electrolyte solution tank 24 through the water supply channel 9 to generate an electrolyte solution. When the user stores the object to be cleaned in the washing tub 2 and starts the operation of the washing machine, the three-way valve 22 is switched to supply the raw water 6 to the cleaning water chamber 13.

  The electrolyte solution in the electrolyte solution tank 24 is circulated in the electrolyte chamber 14 of the electrolytic cell 11 by the electrolyte circulation means 25, and a DC voltage is applied between the electrodes 15a and 15b by the DC power source 17 to perform electrolysis. At the time of cleaning, the electrode 15 a provided in the electrolyte chamber 14 is used as an anode, and the electrode 15 b provided in the cleaning water chamber 13 is used as a cathode. Cations move from the electrolyte solution in the electrolyte chamber 14 to the cleaning water chamber 13. Alkaline water is obtained.

  Alkaline water generated on the side of the washing water chamber 13 (cathode side) is supplied as washing water to the washing tub 2 from the washing water supply passage 16, and the agitating blade 5 is rotated by the motor 4 to perform mechanical washing by stirring. The object to be cleaned is cleaned. At the time of washing, the water inside the washing tub 2 is circulated by the circulating means 21 to increase the alkalinity of the washing water, and the bubbles obtained by electrolysis are supplied to the washing tub 2 to enhance the washing effect.

  The conductivity detecting means 23 provided in the electrolyte solution tank 24 detects the concentration of the electrolyte solution, and informs the replenishment of the electrolyte (not shown) when the concentration decreases.

  Further, by switching the polarity of the voltage applied to the electrodes 15a and 15b by the polarity switching means 26, alkaline water and acidic water obtained by electrolysis can be used as washing water, and emulsification dispersion of dirt with alkaline water, Oxidative bleaching with hypochlorous acid or ozone can be performed and the cleaning power can be enhanced. By using alkaline water at the time of washing and acidic water at the time of rinsing, the alkaline water used for washing can be washed in a short time, and the washing time can be shortened.

  When alkaline water is used for washing an article to be washed, the dirt can be washed by swelling and emulsifying and dispersing the dirt such as sebum, which is dirt on the clothes, by the action of alkali. The higher the pH of the alkaline water used for cleaning, the higher the cleaning effect, and at least pH 12 or more is necessary to achieve cleaning without detergent.

  In the present invention, by filling the electrolyte chamber 14 with an electrolyte solution containing a cation necessary for obtaining alkaline water, the amount of the cation on the anode side can be increased, and the acidic water on the anode side is drained. Alkaline water can be obtained in a short time. Further, by providing the electrolyte solution tank 24, a plurality of times of electrolyte can be supplied at one time, reducing the burden on the user, and convection of the water on the electrolyte chamber side by the electrolyte circulation means 25, the electrolytic cell Current drop due to concentration polarization in the vicinity of the diaphragm can be prevented, and electrolysis efficiency can be increased.

  Further, by detecting the electrolyte concentration by the conductivity detecting means 23, it is possible to notify the user of the timing of replenishing the electrolyte and to prevent the cleaning ability from being lowered due to insufficient electrolyte.

  Also, the concentration of the electrolyte solution can be detected by detecting the voltage and current between the electrodes 15a and 15b immediately after voltage application without providing the conductivity detecting means 23.

  As described above, the washing machine according to the present invention can supply cations necessary for generating alkaline water by filling the electrolyte chamber with the electrolyte solution, and without using a detergent in a short time. Alkaline water having detergency capable of washing normally dirty clothes can be generated. Moreover, it is not necessary to drain the acidic water in order to generate alkaline water, and the amount of water used can be reduced. This makes it possible to apply not only to washing clothes but also to dishwashers that wash dishes.

Configuration diagram of washing machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Configuration diagram of washing machine in Embodiment 2 of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case 2 Washing tank 4 Motor 5 Stirring blade 11 Electrolytic tank 12 Diaphragm 13 Washing water chamber 14 Electrolyte chamber 15a Electrode 15b Electrode 17 DC power supply 21 Circulating means 23 Conductivity detecting means 24 Electrolyte solution tank 25 Electrolyte circulating means

Claims (9)

A casing, a washing tub disposed inside the casing, and an electrolytic tank having at least a pair of electrodes and separated from each other in a washing water chamber and an electrolyte chamber are provided, and the electrolyte chamber is filled with an electrolyte solution The washing machine is characterized in that the washing water obtained on the washing water chamber side is supplied to the washing tub. The washing machine according to claim 1, further comprising a circulation means for circulating water in the washing tub in the washing water chamber. The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an electrolyte circulation means for circulating the electrolyte solution in the electrolyte chamber. 4. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein an electrolyte solution tank provided with an electrolyte concentration detecting means is provided in a flow path for circulating the electrolyte solution. 5. The washing machine according to claim 4, wherein the electrolyte concentration detection means detects the electrolyte concentration based on conductivity. The washing machine according to claim 5, wherein the electrolyte concentration detection means detects the electrolyte concentration based on a current value flowing through the electrolytic cell. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the polarity of the electrode is reversed and the pH of the washing water supplied to the washing tub is switched. 8. The washing machine according to claim 7, wherein the object to be cleaned is rinsed with an anode on the side of the washing water chamber and the acidic water obtained in the washing water chamber is used for washing. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the diaphragm is a cation exchange membrane.

Images