JP2010099532A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure continuous operation of a circulating pump without causing air entrainment in a washing machine having the function of circulating water in a washing tub to capture lint. <P>SOLUTION: The circulating pump 31 is installed in the rear of a filter entrance port 22 of a filter case 20 which houses a lint filter 25 through the front of an outer box, and the circulating pump 31 is inclined back downwardly relative to the filter case 20 by an angle θ at which a pump vane 37 is submerged in water even at the lowest water level W during circulation of water by the circulating pump 31. Accordingly, since the circulating pump 31 force feeds water in the washing tub while continuously submerging the pump vane 37 in water, the circulating pump 31 can be continuously operated without causing of air entrainment. Further, the back downward inclination of the angle θ facilitates taking-out and -in of the lint filter 25 to the filter case 20 through the front of the outer box. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing machine having a function of circulating water in a washing tub and capturing lint.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a washing machine, a washing tub is disposed inside an outer box, and a water supply device for supplying water to the inside of the washing tub is provided. After water is supplied by the water supply device, washing is performed in the washing tub. It has become.
Further, in this case, a circulation pump that circulates the water supplied to the inside of the washing tub by the rotation of the pump blades and returns it to the inside of the washing tub, and the circulating water in the water circulation path. And lint filters for capturing lint (waste lint) from the garment, which are used to efficiently capture lint during washing and improve the finish of the laundry (for example, Patent Documents) 1 and 2).

JP 2004-89742 A JP 2006-204717 A

  In the case of the above, when the circulation pump circulates the water in the washing tub, initially, the water in the washing tub is efficiently pumped in a state where the pump blades are submerged in the water. When the pumping water amount exceeds the returning water amount and the pump blades are exposed on the surface of the water from the water, so-called air biting that sucks air together with the water feeding is caused. If it becomes like this, the circulation efficiency of water will fall, it will become impossible to capture lint efficiently, and the problem that the strange noise called gobogobo will also occur will be presented.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and therefore the object of the present invention is to operate the circulation pump without generating air-engagement in the function of circulating water in the washing tub and capturing lint. It is to provide a washing machine that can be kept running.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the washing machine of the present invention, an outer box, a washing tub disposed in the outer box, a water supply device for supplying water into the washing tub, and the washing tub A circulation pump that circulates the water supplied inside by the rotation of the pump blades and returns it to the inside of the washing tub, and captures lint from the circulating water in the water circulation path by this circulation pump In the apparatus including the lint filter, the circulation pump is provided at a rear portion from a filter entrance of a filter case that houses the lint filter from the front of the outer box, and the circulation pump circulates water through the filter case. The pump blades are provided so as to be inclined at an angle at which the pump blades are submerged even at the lowest water level (invention of claim 1).

  According to the above means, since the circulation pump continues to submerge the pump blades and pumps the water in the washing tub, the circulation pump can be continuously operated without generating air biting. Therefore, the water circulation efficiency does not decrease due to the air biting, and the lint can be continuously captured efficiently, and the generation of abnormal noise can be prevented. At the same time, the inclination of the filter case from the bottom downward makes it easy to remove the lint filter from the front of the outer case with respect to the filter case.

1 is a longitudinal side view of a main portion showing an embodiment of the present invention. Overall profile side view Full cutaway perspective view Side view of the main part

Hereinafter, an example (one embodiment) of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show the overall structure of the washing machine, and the outer box 1 is an outer shell. In detail, the outer box 1 is composed of a base 1a and a box main body 1b attached to and bonded to the base 1a. At the center of the front part (left side in FIG. 2) of the box main body 1b, The laundry doorway 2 is formed, and a door 3 for opening and closing the doorway 2 is provided. An operation panel 4 is provided at the upper part of the front surface of the box body 1b, and a control device 5 is provided on the back side (inside the outer box 1).

  A washing tub 6 is disposed inside the outer box 1. In this case, the washing tub 6 is composed of a double tub of a water tub 6a as an outer tub and a rotating tub 6b as an inner tub. The water tank 6a is elastically supported by a pair of left and right (only one shown) suspensions 7 standing on the base 1a in an upwardly rising inclination.

  A motor 8 is attached to the back of the water tank 6a (see FIG. 2). In this case, the motor 8 is composed of, for example, a DC brushless motor, and is of an outer rotor type. A rotating shaft 8c having a stator 8a attached to the back of the water tank 6a and a central portion of the rotor 8b is attached to the bearing bracket 9. The water tank 6a is inserted through a plurality of bearings 10 installed in the water tank 6a.

  On the other hand, the rotating tub 6b is disposed inside the water tub 6a, and is attached to the front end portion of the rotating shaft 8c of the motor 8 at the center of the rear portion, so that it is inclined upward and coaxial with the water tub 6a. I support it. As a result, the rotating tub 6b is rotated by the motor 8. Therefore, the motor 8 functions as a driving device for rotating the rotating tub 6b, and the rotating tub 6b is used as a drum for the washing machine as a whole. It is designed to function as a drum-type washing machine.

  A large number of small holes 12 (only a part of which is shown in FIG. 2) are formed in the peripheral side portion (body portion) of the rotating tub 6b, and a plurality of baffles 13 for washing laundry are provided (1). Only one is shown). Both the rotary tub 6b and the water tub 6a have openings 14 and 15 on the front surface, and a liquid-sealed rotary balancer 16 is provided inside the periphery of the opening 14 of the rotary tub 6b. The laundry entrance / exit 2 is connected to the opening 15 of the water tub 6 a via an annular bellows 17. As a result, the laundry entrance / exit 2 is connected to the inside of the rotating tub 6b through the bellows 17, the opening 15 of the water tub 6a, and the opening 14 of the rotating tub 6b.

  A drainage port 18 is formed in the lowest part of the bottom of the water tank 6a, in this case, the last part, and the base end of the drainage hose 19 is connected to the drainage port 18, and the tip of the drainage hose 19 is filtered. It is connected to the case 20.

  The filter case 20 is attached to the base 1a of the outer box 1 with a claw or a screw (not shown), is located below the water tank 6a, has a drain hose connection port 21 at the top, and this drain hose. The tip of the drainage hose 19 is connected to the connection port 21. The filter case 20 has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and its axial direction is the same as that of the water tank 6a and the rotary tank 6b, and as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. It is attached to the base 1a of the outer box 1 so as to be inclined.

  A filter entrance / exit 22 is formed at the front end of the filter case 20, while a small opening 23 is formed at the front lower portion of the outer box 1 so that the filter entrance / exit 22 faces as shown in FIG. 2. And the small door 24 which opens and closes this small opening part 23 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a lint filter 25 is accommodated in the filter case 20 from the small opening 23 and the filter inlet / outlet port 22, that is, from the front of the outer box 1. The lint filter 25 has a cylindrical cage shape that is slightly smaller in diameter than the filter case 20 and has an upper surface opened. A cap 26 is provided at the front end of the lint filter 25, and the cap 26 is screwed into the filter inlet / outlet 22 of the filter case 20 via a seal 27 so that the filter inlet / outlet 22 is closed in a watertight manner. .

  Although not shown in detail, the lint filter 25 is regulated in the filter case 20 so as not to rotate with respect to the screwed rotation of the cap 26 with respect to the filter entrance 22 of the filter case 20.

  Further, a drain hole 28 is formed in the lower part of the rear side of the filter case 20, a drain valve 29 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is connected to the drain hole 28, and a drain pipe 30 is connected to the outlet of the drain valve 29. Connected. In addition, the front-end | tip part of the drainage pipe 30 faces the exterior from the base 1a of the outer box 1, and connects the unillustrated external hose.

  On the other hand, a circulation pump 31 is provided at the rear of the filter case 20. As shown in detail in FIG. 1, the circulation pump 31 is connected to a pump casing 32 formed concentrically with the filter case 20 at the rear portion of the filter case 20, and is coupled to the pump casing 32 by, for example, a plurality of screws 33. A motor case 34, a pump motor 35 housed in the motor case 34, and a pump blade 37 housed in a pump casing 32 by being attached to a rotating shaft 35 a of the pump motor 35 protruding in a watertight manner from the motor case 34 through a seal 36. In this configuration, the circulation pump 31 is also inclined downwardly in accordance with the downward inclination of the filter case 20.

  A discharge port 38 extends in the tangential direction on the peripheral side portion of the pump casing 32, and a proximal end portion of the water supply hose 39 shown in FIGS. An intermediate portion is piped upward from the circumferential side of the bellows 17, and a tip portion thereof is connected to a connection port 40 formed in the bellows 17 so as to face an upper portion of the back side convex portion 3 a of the door 3.

Therefore, in FIG. 1, the minimum water level when the circulation pump 31 circulates water as described later is indicated by W, and the inclination angle of the rearward drop of the circulation pump 31 from the filter case 20 is indicated by θ. The inclination angle θ is determined to be an angle at which all of the pump blades 37 are submerged in the water even when the circulating pump 31 circulates water, even when the lowest water level W is reached. Is set to 20 degrees, for example.
Further, in this case, the inclination angle θ from the filter case 20 to the circulation pump 31 is also an angle at which the minimum water level W becomes a water level below the lowermost part 22 a of the filter inlet / outlet port 22 of the filter case 20.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, a water injection case 41, a water supply valve 42, and a water level sensor 43 are disposed at the top of the outer box 1. Among these, the water injection case 41 communicates with the water tank 6 a from the upper part thereof via the connection hose 44.

The water supply valve 42 is connected to a water supply hose (also not shown) connected to a tap faucet (not shown) at the inlet, and the outlet is connected to the water injection case 41 via the connection hose 45. ing. Accordingly, the water supply valve 42 communicates with the water tank 6a through the water supply case 41, and the water supply device 46 for supplying water into the water tank 6a is constituted by the water supply valve 42 and the water supply case 41.
The water level sensor 43 communicates with the lower part of the water tank 6a via the air tube 47 and detects the water level in the water tank 6a, and functions as a water level detection means.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described.
In the above configuration, when the user performs an operation of selecting a standard course from various operation switches on the operation panel 4 and starting operation, the control device 5 executes a washing and dehydration process. . The washing process includes a washing process and a rinsing process. In the washing process, after the water supply device 46 supplies water together with the detergent supplied to the water tank 6a, the rotating tank 6b is rotated forward and backward at a low speed. The laundry stored in the rotating tub 6b is washed.

  Next, in the rinsing process, the water is first drained from the water tank 6a. This drainage is performed by opening the drainage valve 29 to drain the water in the water tank 6a from the drainage port 18 to the drainage hose 19, the filter case 20 (lint filter 25), the drainage hole 28, the drainage valve 29, the drainage pipe 30, and the machine. The water is discharged to the outside through the outer hose. After that, water is supplied into the water tank 6a by the water supply device 46. Rinse.

  Further, in each of the washing and rinsing processes, the circulation pump 31 is operated. The operation of the circulation pump 31 is to activate the pump motor 35 to rotate the pump blade 37, whereby water in the water tank 6a is drained from the drain port 18 to the drain hose 19, filter case 20 (lint filter). 25) is sucked into the pump casing 32, and is pumped from the discharge port 38 through the water supply hose 39 to be returned into the water tank 6a and further into the rotary tank 6b.

The water returned into the rotary tub 6b then comes into contact with the laundry, and then enters the water tub 6a. The pump casing passes through the drainage port 18-drainage hose 19-filter case 20 (lint filter 25) described above. Then, the air is sucked into 32 and is pumped through the path of the discharge port 38 to the water supply hose 39 and returned to the water tank 6a and further into the rotating tank 6b for circulation.
Therefore, the lint filter 25 exists in the circulation path of the water circulated as described above, and captures the lint contained in the circulating water released from the laundry from the circulating water.

  Further, the water that circulates as described above and exits from the tip of the water supply hose 39 collides and is dispersed because the tip of the water supply hose 39 faces the upper part of the rear side convex portion 3a of the door 3. It is injected from above into the rotary tank 6b. Therefore, the sprayed water is applied to the laundry in the rotating tub 6b from above.

  In such a situation, in the washing process, the water supply level is a water level that sufficiently immerses the laundry in the rotating tub 6b in a stationary state, and the rotational speed of the rotating tub 6b drops after the laundry is raised (tumbling). In the rinsing stroke, the water supply water level is lower than the washing stroke, for example, the water level below the bottom in the stationary state of the rotating tub 6b. The rotational speed is a speed at which the laundry is stuck to the inner peripheral surface of the rotating tub 6b by centrifugal force. With these, the laundry in the rotating tub 6b is soaked with water, and the detergent is mixed with the soaked water. "Dehydrating shower rinsing" is carried out by squeezing out the laundry with the rotational centrifugal force of the rotating tub 6b.

However, in the rinsing process, instead of “dehydrating shower rinsing”, “reservoir rinsing” similar to “reservoir washing” in the washing process may be performed. For example, these may be combined.
In the dehydration process, after draining from the water tank 6a, the rotating tank 6b is rotated at a high speed in one direction, and the moisture in the laundry in the rotating tank 6b is shaken and discharged by the centrifugal force thereby.

  As described above, in the above structure, in the washing process, the water supplied to the inside of the water tank 6a is sucked by the rotation of the pump blades 37 of the circulation pump 31 and returned to the inside of the water tank 6a. The lint filter 25 provided in the road captures lint from the circulating water. As such, when the circulation pump 31 circulates the water in the water tank 6a (each step of washing and rinsing), at the initial stage of each. As described above, the pumping water 37 efficiently pumps the water in the water tank 6a with the pump blade 37 submerged in the water, but as it advances, the pumping water amount relatively exceeds the return water amount. This is likely to occur during a “dehydrating shower rinse” during the rinsing process, particularly when the water supply level is lower than the washing process.

  On the other hand, in the thing of the said structure, the circulation pump 31 is provided in the rear part of the filter case 20 which accommodates the lint filter 25 from the front of the outer case 1, and the circulation pump 31 is supplied from this filter case 20 to this circulation pump 31. When the water level circulates, the pump blade 37 is inclined so as to incline toward the bottom at the angle θ when the water level is lowered due to the lowering of the water level.

Thereby, the circulation pump 31 keeps the pump blades 37 submerged and pumps the water in the water tank 6a, thereby allowing the circulation pump 31 to continue to operate without generating an air bite. Therefore, the water circulation efficiency does not decrease due to the air biting, and the lint can be continuously captured efficiently, and the generation of abnormal noise can be prevented.
At the same time, the lint filter 25 can be easily inserted into and removed from the front of the outer case 1 with respect to the filter case 20 by the inclination of the circulating pump 31 after the angle θ from the filter case 20.

  In addition, in the above configuration, the inclination angle θ of the circulation pump 31 from the filter case 20 is set so that the water level at the lowest water level when the circulation pump 31 circulates water is not more than the lowermost part 22 a of the filter inlet / outlet 22 of the filter case 20. It is also the angle that becomes the water level. Thereby, dripping of water from the filter inlet / outlet 22 of the filter case 20 can be eliminated without making the watertight structure by the seal 27 or the like severe.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and shown in the drawings. For example, the inclination of the angle θ may be only the filter case 20 (the circulation pump 31 may not be inclined). ) Also, the washing machine as a whole is not limited to a drum-type washing machine, and may be a washing machine having a washing tub in a vertical axis, and further, a drying process for drying the laundry after the washing and dehydrating processes. It may be executed, and in addition, it can be implemented with appropriate modifications within a range not departing from the gist.

  In the drawings, 1 is an outer box, 6 is a washing tub, 20 is a filter case, 22 is a filter entrance, 22a is a lowermost part, 25 is a lint filter, 31 is a circulation pump, 37 is a pump blade, 46 is a water supply device, W is The minimum water level when the circulation pump circulates water, θ represents the inclination angle of the circulation pump from the filter case.

Claims (2)

An outer box,
A washing tub disposed inside the outer box;
A water supply device for supplying water into the washing tub;
A circulation pump that circulates the water supplied to the inside of the washing tub and sucks it back into the washing tub by rotating the pump blade;
In the water circulation path by this circulation pump, comprising a lint filter that captures lint from the circulating water,
The circulation pump is provided at a rear portion from a filter entrance of a filter case that houses the lint filter from the front of the outer box,
The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the filter case is provided so as to be inclined downwardly and at an angle at which the pump blade is submerged even at the lowest water level when the circulation pump circulates water.   2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the inclination angle of the filter case is also an angle at which the water level at the lowest water level when the circulation pump circulates water is equal to or lower than the lowest water level of the filter entrance / exit of the filter case. .

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