JP2009172060A - Washing machine and washing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing machine capable of washing the laundry without using a detergent. <P>SOLUTION: The washing machine includes: a body 1 of the washing machine; a washing tank 5 which is provided inside the body and houses the laundry; a washing water supply means 15 for supplying washing water containing nanobubbles to the washing tank; and an ultraviolet ray generator 33 for breaking the nanobubbles contained in the washing water supplied into the washing tank. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing machine and a washing method for washing laundry such as clothes and towels by the action of nanobubbles.

  Generally, a washing machine has a box-shaped main body, and an outer tub is provided in the main body. In this outer tub, a washing tub serving also as a dewatering tub rotated by a motor is provided. Laundry items such as clothes and towels are accommodated in the washing tub. Then, the laundry is washed by supplying tap water and detergent to the washing tub and rotating the washing tub.

When washing with detergent is completed, after rinsing is performed by supplying only tap water to the washing tub and removing the detergent, the supply of tap water is stopped and the washing tub is rotated at high speed to perform the washing. Dehydration from the object is performed. Such a washing machine is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.
JP2003-175293

  By the way, as described above, the conventional washing machine uses a detergent for washing laundry. For this reason, after washing with detergent, tap water containing the detergent must be discarded into sewage, which may cause environmental pollution.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine and a washing method capable of washing laundry without using a detergent.

The present invention includes a main body of a washing machine,
A laundry tub provided in the main body and storing the laundry;
Washing water supply means for supplying washing water containing nanobubbles to the washing tub;
There is provided a washing machine comprising bubble destruction means for breaking nanobubbles contained in the washing water supplied to the washing tub.

The washing water supply means is
A substrate;
A gas supply section for supplying gas by swirling the substrate;
A tap water supply unit that swirls and supplies tap water to the substrate and generates nanobubbles by shearing the gas according to a difference in swirling speed with the gas,
It is preferable to include a washing water supply unit that supplies the tap water containing the nanobubbles as the washing water from the base to the washing tub.

  The bubble destruction means is preferably an ultraviolet generator that introduces ultraviolet rays into the washing tub and irradiates the washing water with the ultraviolet rays.

This invention is a washing method for washing laundry stored in a washing tub of a washing machine,
Supplying washing water containing nanobubbles to the washing tub;
And a step of washing the laundry by destroying nanobubbles contained in the washing water supplied to the washing tub.

  According to the present invention, washing water containing nanobubbles is supplied to the washing tub, and the laundry is washed while the nanobubbles are destroyed by external energy. Can be efficiently removed, and the effect of the negative ions of the nanobubbles can prevent the dirt from reattaching to the laundry.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The washing machine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a main body 1. The main body 1 is formed in a box shape, and a lid 2 is provided on the upper surface so as to be openable and closable. An outer tub 3 is provided inside the main body 1 as shown in FIG. The outer tub 3 is elastically held in the main body 1 by a plurality of support rods 3a (only one shown) and a spring 3b, and can absorb vibrations during dehydration.

  In the outer tub 3, a washing tub 5 also serving as a dewatering tub provided with a stirring blade 4 at the bottom is rotatably provided with its axis being vertical. The agitating blade 4 and the washing tub 5 are driven to rotate by driving means 6 provided below the washing tub 5. Although not shown in detail, the driving means 6 includes a motor, a speed reducer, and a washing / dehydration switching clutch. The agitating blade 4 is rotationally driven during washing, and the agitating blade 4 and the washing tub 5 are rotationally driven together during dehydration. It has come to be.

  A water supply port body 8 for supplying water to the washing tub 5 is provided at the upper part of the main body 1, and a water supply pipe 11 provided with a water supply valve 9 in the middle of the water supply port body 8 has a tip at the end of the laundry. The tank 5 is connected so as to face the upper surface opening. A drain pipe 13 having a drain valve 12 provided in the middle is connected to the bottom of the outer tub 3.

  Washing water supply means 15 is connected to the water supply port 8, and washing water containing nanobubbles is supplied to the washing tub 5 by the washing water supply means 15. The washing water supply means 15 has a hollow base 17 having a shear chamber 16 formed therein as shown in FIGS. One end of the shear chamber 16 communicates with an injection port 18 as a washing water supply unit formed on the front end surface of the base 17 in the axial direction, and the other end serves as a gas supply unit formed on the rear end surface of the base 17. To the gas supply port 19.

  The shear chamber 16 has a frustum-shaped rear space portion 16a whose diameter increases from a rear end communicating with the gas supply port 19 toward a middle portion of the rear end portion, and gradually from the rear space portion 16a toward the front end. The front space portion 16b having a truncated cone shape with a reduced diameter is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the base 17 at the boundary between the rear space portion 16a and the front space portion 16b of the shear chamber 16. A liquid supply port 20 is formed as an open tap water supply unit.

  The gas supply port 19 is provided with a gas turning base 21. As shown in FIG. 2, the other end of a gas supply pipe 23 whose one end is connected to a gas supply pump 22 is connected to the gas turning base 21. A first opening / closing valve 24 is provided in the middle of the gas supply pipe 23. The suction side of the gas supply pump 22 communicates with the atmosphere through a filter (not shown).

  Although details of the gas swivel base 21 are not shown, the gas swivel base 21 has a spiral groove formed therein. Accordingly, when the first opening / closing valve 24 is opened, the atmosphere supplied from the gas supply pump 22 through the gas supply pipe 23 is swirled to move from the rear space portion 16a to the front space portion 16b of the shear chamber 16. A gas cavity 25 of atmospheric air (oxygen) is formed in the shear chamber 16 as indicated by a chain line in FIG.

  In this embodiment, the spiral groove of the gas turning base 21 turns the gas counterclockwise as viewed from the rear end side of the base body 17. The turning direction of the atmosphere is indicated by an arrow a in FIG.

  In the liquid supply port 20, a liquid supply base 26 is inclined clockwise at an angle θ 1 as shown in FIG. 4 with respect to the circumferential direction of the substrate 17, and as shown in FIG. Inclined at an angle of θ2 toward the side.

  The liquid supply base 26 is connected to the other end of a liquid supply pipe 28 having one end connected to a liquid pressurizer 27. A second on-off valve 29 is provided in the middle of the liquid supply pipe 28. The liquid pressurizer 27 is connected to a tap faucet (not shown) by a hose (not shown).

  Accordingly, when the second opening / closing valve 29 is opened in a state where the supply faucet is opened, tap water is pressurized by the liquid pressurizer 27 and is supplied from the liquid supply pipe 28 to the washing water supply means 15. It is supplied to the substrate 17. As the liquid pressurizer 27, a pump, a throttle valve, or the like is used.

  The tap water supplied to the base body 17 is swung counterclockwise by the inclination angle θ1 of the liquid supply base 26 in the same manner as the atmosphere, and is moved toward the front space 17b by the inclination angle θ2 of the liquid supply base 26. It flows in the direction of traveling toward.

  The supply pressure of the atmosphere is set to P1 by the gas supply pump 22, and the supply pressure of tap water is set to P2 by the liquid pressurizer 27. P1 <P2 is set. Thereby, the relationship between the turning speed V1 of the atmosphere supplied to the shear chamber 16 of the base 17 and the turning speed V2 of tap water is V1 <V2.

  In this embodiment, the atmospheric supply pressure P1 and the tap water supply pressure P2 are set so that the atmospheric turning speed V1 is 400 revolutions per second and the tap water turning speed V2 is 600 revolutions per second.

  Atmosphere supplied from the axial rear end of the shear chamber 16 becomes a gas cavity 25 swirling in the direction indicated by the arrow a, and proceeds toward the injection port 18. The tap water supplied from the outer peripheral surface of the shear chamber 16 advances toward the injection port 18 while swirling the outer peripheral surface of the swirling atmospheric gas cavity 25. The swirling direction of tap water is indicated by arrow b in the figure.

  The atmospheric turning speed V1 is set to be slower than the turning speed V2 of tap water. Therefore, because the atmosphere is hydrodynamically sheared by the tap water due to the difference in swirling speed between the atmosphere and tap water, the shearing action generates air, that is, oxygen nanobubbles. Then, tap water containing oxygen nanobubbles is jetted as washing water from the jet port 18 at the tip of the shear chamber 16.

  One end of a supply hose 31 indicated by a chain line in FIG. 2 is liquid-tightly connected to the injection port 18 via a connection fitting 32. The other end of the supply hose 31 is connected to a water supply port 8 provided at the upper part of the main body 1. As a result, washing water containing nanobubbles can be supplied to the washing tub 5 from the injection port 18 of the washing water supply means 15.

  In the upper part of the main body 1 and facing the upper surface opening of the washing tub 5, an ultraviolet generator 33 as a bubble destruction means made of, for example, a laser diode is provided. As shown by a chain line in FIG. 2, ultraviolet rays B are enlarged and emitted from the emitting portion 33a of the ultraviolet generator 33 into the washing tub 5 by a lens (not shown).

  The ultraviolet light B emitted into the washing tub 5 irradiates the washing water in the washing tub 5. As a result, since the nanobubbles contained in the washing water are destroyed by the energy of the ultraviolet rays B, the laundry such as clothes and towels stored in the washing tub 5 is washed by the energy generated by the impact force at the time of destruction. .

  According to the washing machine having such a configuration, when the laundry is stored in the washing tub 5, the washing water containing nanobubbles is supplied to the washing tub 5 by the washing water supply means 15. When a predetermined amount of washing water in the washing tub 5 is supplied, the washing tub 5 is rotated, and the ultraviolet ray generator 33 is operated to irradiate the washing water in the washing tub 5 with ultraviolet rays B.

  Nanobubbles contained in washing water have lower buoyancy than microbubbles. Therefore, the nanobubbles are not floated in the washing water and are not diffused to the atmosphere, and are floating in the washing water. When the nanobubbles floating in the washing water are irradiated with the ultraviolet rays B, the nanobubbles are destroyed by the light energy of the ultraviolet rays B.

  When the nanobubbles are destroyed, a large amount of energy is generated due to the impact force, and the dirt on the laundry in the washing tub 5 is removed by the energy. That is, the laundry is washed.

  The ultraviolet rays B that irradiate the washing water in the washing tub 5 have an action of removing organic substances attached to the laundry. In addition, the nanobubbles are charged with negative ions. Since the negative ions exhibit a deodorizing action and a dirt re-adhesion preventing action, the washing effect of the laundry can be improved also by these.

In the above embodiment, the example in which the washing water supply means is provided outside the main body of the washing machine has been described. However, the washing water supply means may be provided inside the main body.
In addition, an ultraviolet generator that irradiates ultraviolet rays is used as a bubble destruction means for destroying nanobubbles mixed in the washing water in the washing tub. The nanobubbles contained in the washing water may be destroyed by the vibration energy.

The perspective view of the state which opened the lid of the washing machine which shows one embodiment of this invention. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows schematic structure of the said washing machine. Sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of a washing water supply means. The side view which looked at the base | substrate of the washing water supply means from the longitudinal direction one end side.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Main body, 5 ... Washing tub, 15 ... Washing water supply means, 17 ... Base | substrate, 18 ... Injection port (washing water supply part), 19 ... Gas supply port (base | substrate supply part), 20 ... Liquid supply part (tap water) Supply unit), 22 ... Substrate supply pump, 33 ... Ultraviolet generator (bubble destruction means).

Claims (4)

The main body of the washing machine,
A laundry tub provided in the main body and storing the laundry;
Washing water supply means for supplying washing water containing nanobubbles to the washing tub;
A washing machine comprising: bubble breaking means for breaking nanobubbles contained in the washing water supplied to the washing tub. The washing water supply means is
A substrate;
A gas supply section for supplying gas by swirling the substrate;
A tap water supply unit that swirls and supplies tap water to the substrate and generates nanobubbles by shearing the gas according to a difference in swirling speed with the gas,
The washing machine according to claim 1, further comprising: a washing water supply unit that supplies the tap water containing the nanobubbles as the washing water from the base to the washing tub.   2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the bubble breaking means is an ultraviolet generator that introduces ultraviolet rays into the washing tub and irradiates the washing water with the ultraviolet rays. A washing method for washing laundry contained in a washing tub of a washing machine,
Supplying washing water containing nanobubbles to the washing tub;
And a step of washing the laundry by destroying nanobubbles contained in the washing water supplied to the washing tub.

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