JP2007319715A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing machine with a pump for sucking bathtub water, which satisfies both of water saving efficiency and cleanliness. <P>SOLUTION: The washing machine has a pump 26 for sucking bathtub water, which sucks and supplies the bathtub water through a water suction hose to a washing tub 8, and an electromagnetic valve 31 for supplying water, which supplies tap water to the washing tub. The washing tub performs washing, rinsing, and spin-drying. The bathtub water is used for the "washing" step, and the "rinsing" step is allowed to be set twice or more, and includes a final "rinsing" step using the tap water and the other "rinsing" step using the bathtub water. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing machine, and more particularly to a washing machine provided with a water-removing pump.

  Conventionally, the remaining hot water of a bath is used for washing water to save tap water.

  And as an example of the usage form, there is a type in which a throw-in type bath water absorption pump is put in a bathtub, and water in the bathtub is absorbed into a washing tub through this pump.

  As another usage pattern, there is a type in which a bath water absorption pump is built in the washing machine and water in the bathtub is absorbed into the washing tub through this pump.

  In addition, as a prior art in which the washing machine incorporates a bath water absorption pump and absorbs the water in the bathtub into the washing tub through this pump, for example, JP-A-57-117894, 57-117895, And JP-A-6-23190.

JP-A-57-117894 JP-A-57-117895 JP-A-6-23190

It is an object of the present invention to provide a washing machine that can further enhance the water-saving effect as compared with the conventional washing machine equipped with this type of bath water absorption pump while ensuring clean rinsing with tap water.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a bath water absorption pump that sucks up bath water through a water absorption hose and supplies it to a washing tub, and a water supply electromagnetic valve that supplies tap water to the washing tub. In a fully automatic washing machine that performs washing, rinsing and dehydration at
Bath water is used for the “washing” process, and the “rinse” process can be set twice or more. The “rinse” process for the final round using tap water and the “rinse” other than the final round using the bath water. And a process.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the fully automatic washing machine with a bath water absorption pump which can further improve a water saving effect more than before, guaranteeing the clean rinse by a tap water can be provided.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on an embodiment of the drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a top cover of a washing machine, 2 denotes a controller for controlling the operation of the washing machine, and the controller 2 is located in front of the top cover 1. It is built in a microcomputer including a timer.

  Reference numeral 3 denotes a membrane switch from which an operator instructs the operation content of the washing machine from the outside.

  Reference numeral 4 denotes a lid which opens upward with the fulcrum 5 as an axis.

  6 is a laundry inlet, 7 is a cover for preventing the laundry from falling between a washing and dewatering tub (hereinafter abbreviated as a washing tub) 8 and the outer tub 9. It has been.

  Reference numeral 10 denotes a dewatering hole formed in the wall surface of the washing tub 8.

  A balance ring 11 smoothly rotates the washing tub 8 during the dehydration operation.

  A suspension rod 12 suspends the outer tub 9 via a spring 13.

  A stirring blade 14 is installed at the bottom of the washing tub 8.

  Reference numeral 15 denotes a motor. The power of the motor 15 is passed through a motor pulley 16, a belt 17, a driven pulley 18, and a clutch / decelerator 19 to wash the stirring blade 14 during washing and rinsing, and the washing tub 8 and the stirring blade 14 during dehydration. Drive together.

  20 is a leg for supporting the outer frame 21, 22 is a drain hole provided at the bottom of the outer tub 9, and a drain electromagnetic valve 23 and a drain hose 4 that are opened and closed by a command from the control 2 on the downstream side of the drain hole 22. And have.

  Reference numeral 25 denotes a back panel.

  26 is a bath water absorption pump in which the casing is molded with a synthetic resin containing an antibacterial agent, and is built in the top cover 1.

  27 is a bath water absorption hose containing an antibacterial agent, and its rear end is attached to a bath water absorption port 26 a provided on the upper surface of the pump 26 via an O-ring 28.

  In FIG. 2, in which the back panel indicated by reference numeral 25 in FIG. 1 is removed and its internal structure is shown, reference numeral 1a denotes a water inlet provided in the top cover 1 for supplying tap water into the washing tub and a water inlet for supplying bath water. A common tap water inlet / bath water inlet, and a softener is also introduced from the tap water inlet / bath water inlet 1a.

  4 is a lid, 26 is a pump, 26 a is a bath water inlet, 26 b is a bath water discharge pipe, 29 is a lid switch, 30 is a tap water tap, and 31 is a water supply solenoid valve for supplying tap water into the washing tub 8. .

  3 in which the back panel 25 is attached to the top cover 1 of FIG. 2 and viewed from the XX direction, 1 is the top cover, 25 is the back panel, 26 is the pump, 26a is the bath water inlet of the pump 26, 25a is The hub of the back panel 25 is shown, and the pump 26 is sandwiched between the top cover 1 and the back panel 25 via the anti-vibration rubber 32. The top cover 1 and the back panel 25 are provided with claws provided on the back panel 25. It is hooked on the engaging portion of the top cover 1 and fixed with a screw (not shown).

  In FIG. 4 which shows the internal structure of the bath water absorption pump 26, 26a is a bath water inlet of the pump 26, 26b is a bath water discharge pipe, 26c is a casing, 26d is a pump motor, 26e is a runner, 26f is a mechanical seal, 26g Denotes a water absorption chamber, 26h denotes an air / water separation chamber, and 26i denotes a partition plate. The bath water inlet 26a provided on the upper surface of the pump 26 is also used as a priming water inlet.

  Reference numeral 26j denotes a check valve provided at the outlet of the bath water inlet 26a, and the upper end surface of the bath water inlet 26a is higher than the lower surface of the bath water outlet 26k.

  Then, the bath water absorbed in the water absorption chamber 26g of the pump 26 is conventionally sent to the steam-water separation chamber 26h via the runner 26e by the same water feeding method as this kind of pump, and then sent to the steam-water separation chamber 26h. The bath water is then supplied into the washing tub 8 through the bath water discharge pipe 26b.

  In FIG. 5 showing the operation panel provided on the top cover 1, 33 is a power switch, 34 is a tap water start / pause button, 35 is a bath water start / pause button, and 36 is a water saving amount indication display section. In the embodiment, when a process capable of saving water as compared with normal operation, such as bath water use and water saving rinse, is performed, the water saving amount is displayed when the power switch 33 is turned on. To display.

  This display is cleared to zero when the counter of the display unit 36 overflows, and starts counting again.

  6 is an electric circuit diagram of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 is an operation flowchart of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1. The power switch 33 in FIG. 5 is turned on (step 101 in FIG. 7). The stop button 35 is pressed to start the bath water course (step 102).

  First, it is detected whether or not the pump motor current Ip is 1 ampere or more (step 103). If the pump motor current Ip is 1 ampere or more, the pump motor is turned off by saying that the lock current has flown, and the tap water supply electromagnetic The valve 31 is turned on (step 104), the abnormality is notified by an appropriate means such as a synthesized sound or a combination of the synthesized sound and characters for 15 seconds (step 105), and then the abnormality content is stored in the memory (step 106). The process proceeds to a water supply treatment process using tap water (step 107), and a series of washing processes are performed based on a normal program.

  Then, when the series of washing steps is completed, the power switch 33 is automatically turned off (step 108).

  When the washing machine is used next time (step 109), the power switch 33 is turned on and at the same time, the abnormality of the pump motor 26d is notified again (step 110).

  In step 101, when the current of the pump motor 26d is 1 ampere or less, it is next detected whether or not the pump motor current Ip is 0.3 ampere or more (step 111).

  Since the air is still entrained immediately after the start of the pump motor 26d, it is below 0.3 amperes. In this case, whether or not 2 minutes have elapsed since the start of the operation of the pump motor 26d in step 112. If two minutes have not passed yet, the process returns to step 103.

  In step 112, if the pump motor current Ip is 0.3 ampere or less even after two minutes have elapsed since the start of the operation of the pump motor 26d, there is no water in the bathtub, or the tip of the hose 27 is placed in the tank. Water supply for tap water supply by turning off the energization to the bath water absorption pump motor 26d on the assumption that the bath water has disappeared in the middle of water absorption. The electromagnetic valve 31 is turned on (step 113), and the process proceeds to a water supply process using tap water (step 114).

  In step 111, if the pump motor current Ip becomes 0.3 ampere or more within 2 minutes after the start of operation of the pump motor 26d, it is checked in step 115 whether or not the water level in the washing tub 8 has reached the specified water level. If it is detected and the specified water level has been reached, the process proceeds to the washing and stirring process, and if the specified water level has not been reached, the process returns to step 103.

  There are standard courses such as washing, drainage, dehydration, shower rinsing, drainage, dehydration, rinsing rinse, drainage, dehydration, and other handmade courses, but if you choose the bath water course In both the standard course and the handmade course, bath water is used for “washing”, and if there are two or more “rinse” processes, the bath water is used for tap water in addition to the final “rinse”. The water saving effect can be further enhanced.

  By incorporating the bath water absorption pump 26 in the top cover 1, the pipe length between the opening of the pump 26 and the washing tub 8 can be shortened as compared with the case where the pump is installed below the washing machine. The cost can be reduced.

  Further, by incorporating the pump 26 in a sealed state in the top cover 1, the moisture resistance of the pump 26 is improved, the deterioration over time of the pump motor 26 d is reduced as much as possible, and the life of the pump motor 26 d is increased, and at the same time the noise is reduced. It is also effective in terms.

  Furthermore, by incorporating the pump 26 in the top cover 1, the wiring route between the controller 2 and the pump 26 can be shortened and rationalized compared with the case where the pump 26 is installed below the washing machine. .

  Further, by attaching the pump 26 by sandwiching it between the top cover 1 and the back panel 25, the mounting operation can be simplified.

  If the water inlet for supplying tap water into the washing tub 8 and the water inlet for bath water supply are shared, the number of parts can be reduced accordingly.

  If the water suction port 26a of the pump 26 is provided on the upper surface of the top cover 1, the bath water water absorption hose 27 can be taken forward 360 ° from the top of the water suction port 26a, which is excellent in terms of usability.

  If the bath water inlet 26a provided on the upper surface of the pump 26 is also used as a priming water inlet, in addition to the above-described effect, a separate priming port, a cap for priming the priming port, etc. are not required, and parts can be reduced accordingly. it can.

  If the upper end surface of the bath water suction port 26a of the pump 26 is placed higher than the lower surface of the bath water discharge port 26k, in addition to the adverse effect, even if a slight water leak occurs in the check valve 26j in the pump chamber. There will be no decrease in priming water.

  If the rated current is not reached after a certain period of time has elapsed after the operation of the pump 26 is started, if control means for turning off the power supply to the pump motor 26d is provided, the presence or absence of bath water or the water surface at the tip of the water absorption hose 27 can be removed. It is possible to know the lift etc. by detecting the current of the motor 26d. Compared to the conventional method of detecting the presence or absence of bath water or the lift of the tip of the water absorption hose from the water surface during the water supply time up to a certain water level, the detection can be performed. In addition to being able to detect in a short time, it is also possible to detect failures in the water level detection switch and the drain valve 23, so the useless operation time of the pump motor 26d can be shortened as much as possible and the life of the pump 26 can be extended.

  If the rated current is not reached after a certain period of time has elapsed since the operation of the pump 26 is started, the control means for turning off the energization to the pump motor 26d and turning on the water absorption electromagnetic valve 31 for supplying tap water, In addition to the above effects, a series of washing steps can be performed to the end without being interrupted.

  If a rated current is not reached after a lapse of a certain time after the operation of the pump 26 is started, a series of washing steps can be performed by providing means for turning on the water absorption electromagnetic valve 31 for supplying tap water while energizing the pump motor 26d. Can be performed to the end without interruption, and the tip of the water absorption hose 27 once comes out of the surface of the bath water and then sinks under the surface of the water to make it possible to absorb the bath water. Again, bath water can be used as washing water, which helps save tap water.

  When a lock current of the pump motor 26d is detected, if a means for turning off the power supply to the pump motor 26d is provided, motor burnout at the time of locking the pump motor can be prevented, and the pump motor lock detection conventionally performed by the PTC is performed. Compared to the above, the detection can be performed instantaneously, and the life of the pump motor 26d can be extended.

  If a means for turning off the energization of the pump motor 26d and turning on the water absorption electromagnetic valve 31 for supplying tap water when a lock current of the pump motor 26d is detected, in addition to the above effects, a series of The washing process can be performed to the end without interruption.

  In addition to the above-described effects, if a means for notifying abnormality of the pump motor 26d is provided at the same time as detecting the lock current of the pump motor 26d, and notifying the abnormality of the pump motor 26d when the power switch 33 is "turned on" next time the washing machine is used, The user is immediately informed of the locked state of the pump motor 26d, and if the user does not take any measures, the user is notified again and the pump 26 is used many times with the locked state. It is possible to prevent the life of the pump motor 26d from being shortened.

  If the casing 26c of the pump 26 is molded with a synthetic resin containing an antibacterial agent, even if the priming water for self-priming is informed in the state of remaining in the pump casing 26c for a long time, Bacteria can be prevented from breeding and decaying.

  If the bath water absorption hose 27 is a rubber hose or a synthetic resin hose containing an antibacterial agent, it is possible to prevent bacteria from adhering to the hose that is used repeatedly for a long time.

  If it is carried out in a process that can save water compared to normal operation such as bath water use and water saving rinse, the amount of water saved within a certain period of time can be stored by storing the amount of water saved and displaying the accumulated amount. It is possible to inform the user intuitively whether water has been saved.

  According to this embodiment, there are the following advantages.

  A machine equipped with an automatic priming pump that must store a large amount of priming water cannot be stored in the top cover because of the size of the priming tank. Therefore, there is a washing machine that incorporates an automatic water absorption pump in the top cover. Although this could not be realized as an actual product, it was only possible with this configuration with an air / water separation chamber, and as a result, an automatic priming pump was installed in the narrow space behind the top cover, and tap water and bath water. It is now possible to realize a washing machine that rationally stores a device that can be used arbitrarily.

In addition, the following problems have been solved.

That is, when a throw-in type bath water absorption pump is used, there is a difficulty in that the hose and the lead wire are entangled and both workability and storage property are poor.

On the other hand, the type with a built-in bath water absorption pump in the washing machine generally has a pump installed below the washing machine, which requires not only a priming tank but also a pump below the washing machine. The length of the pipe that reaches the opening of the washing tub also becomes longer, which increases the cost.

In addition, the above-mentioned JP-A-57-117894 and JP-A-57-117895 propose a washing machine with a bath water absorption pump that does not require a priming water tank. It is provided below the washing machine.

Also, the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-23190 proposes a washing machine with a bath water absorption pump that does not require a priming water tank.

  However, the publication only includes a very simplified diagram, and there is no specific explanation of which part of the washing machine the pump is incorporated in the sentence. 2 As with the known examples, it is unclear whether the pump is installed below the washing machine or at any other location, suggesting a unique effect when the pump is installed below the washing machine. No description is disclosed.

On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the water loss of the piping of the pump is small, the cost can be reduced, and the water absorption of the bath water can be rationalized by shortening the wiring route between the controller and the pump. A fully automatic washing machine with a pump can also be provided.

It is a whole internal structure explanatory drawing which shows one Example of this invention washing machine. It is the top view which removed the back panel shown by the code | symbol 25 in FIG. 1, and showed the internal structure. It is sectional drawing at the time of attaching the back panel 25 to the top cover 1 of FIG. 2, and seeing from the XX direction. 2 is a partially broken perspective view showing an internal structure of a bath water absorbing pump 26. FIG. It is a top view of the operation display panel provided in the top cover shown with the code | symbol 1 in FIG. It is an electric circuit diagram of the washing machine shown in FIG. It is an operation | movement flowchart of a washing machine similarly shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Top cover, 8 ... Washing tub (washing and dehydration tub), 25 ... Back panel, 26 ... Bath water absorption pump.

Claims (4)

  A washing tub having a stirring blade, a bath water absorption pump for sucking up bath water through a water absorption hose, and a solenoid valve for tap water supply, and supplying water using the tap water supply solenoid valve and the bath water suction pump A fully automatic washing machine for rotating, washing, rinsing and dewatering by rotating the agitating blade and the washing tub, wherein the bath water absorption pump is a pump driving motor for rotating the pump runner, and the pump runner An air / water separation chamber that communicates with the discharge side, a suction chamber that communicates with the suction side of the pump runner, and a water suction port that also serves as a connection port for a bath water suction hose, and a bath that absorbs water from the water suction port by rotation of the pump runner Water is configured to be discharged from a discharge port through the suction chamber, the runner chamber, and the steam / water separation chamber, and the steam / water separation chamber is located above the suction chamber. Fully automatic washing machine is opened, and wherein the outlet extends longitudinally downward from said water intake is communicated with the suction chamber through the shape of the passage of a substantially L to change the direction laterally.   2. The fully automatic washing machine according to claim 1, wherein a check valve is disposed at an outlet of the substantially L-shaped passage communicating the water suction port and the suction chamber.   In Claim 1, the said solenoid valve for tap water supply and the said bath water water absorption pump are accommodated inside the top cover arrange | positioned above the said washing tub, and the upper end of the hose connection port of the said water inlet of the said top cover faces The fully automatic washing machine which provided the opening hole for hose connection in the place, and has arrange | positioned the upper end of the hose connection port of the said bath water suction port in the position higher than the said discharge port. A fully automatic bath water absorption pump that sucks up bath water through a water absorption hose and supplies it to the washing tub, and a solenoid valve for water supply that supplies tap water to the washing tub. In the washing machine,
Bath water is used for the “washing” process, and the “rinse” process can be set twice or more. The “rinse” process for the final round using tap water and the “rinse” other than the final round using the bath water. An automatic washing machine comprising a process.

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