JP2011101725A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing machine having a structure capable of sufficiently agitating laundry by a simple structure without requiring a decelerator or accelerator in agitating the laundry by applying the relative difference in the rotational speed to a rotary tub and an agitating member. <P>SOLUTION: The washing machine includes: a water tub 2 for storing washing water; the bottomed cylindrical rotary tub 3 rotatably supported within the water tub 2 for storing the laundry; the agitating member 12 rotatably supported on the bottom of the rotary tub 3; and a motor 13 having a rotor 13a to be rigidly coupled to the rotary tub 3 or agitating member 12. Since the rotary tub 3 and the agitating member 12 are coupled to each other by an elastic/resilient member 16, the agitation effect can be improved by applying composite agitation motions to the laundry, and the washing capability and drying capability can be improved by a simple driving structure. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing machine having a rotating tub that is rotatably supported in a water tub that stores washing water, and a stirring member that is located in the rotating tub and agitates laundry.

  Conventionally, this type of drum-type washing machine has a configuration in which a rotating member having a rotational speed difference relative to the rotational speed of the rotating drum is provided on the inner bottom of the rotating drum (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 8 shows a conventional drum-type washing machine described in Patent Document 1. In FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, a water tank 53 is supported in a housing 52 by a suspension structure (not shown), and a rotating tank 55 formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape is disposed in the water tank 53. The water tank 53 and the rotating tank 55 are supported with the opening end side being the front side of the housing 52 and the bottom surface side being the back side of the housing 52, and the rotating tank 55 is rotated by a motor 54 attached to the bottom surface of the water tank 53. Driven. A door body 58 is provided in the housing 52 so as to face the opening end side of the rotating tub 55, and the user can put laundry in and out of the rotating tub 55 by opening the door body 58.

  A plurality of protrusions 59 are provided on the inner peripheral wall of the rotating tank 55. A tank rotating shaft 51 fixed to the rotating tank 55 is directly connected to the rotor 56 of the motor 54 and is supported by a tank rotating bearing 61 attached to the water tank 53. The tank rotation shaft 51 has a hollow structure, and the rotation shaft 50 fixed to the stirring member 70 is inserted so as to coincide with the axis and supported by a bearing (not shown). A speed reducer or speed increaser 71 is attached to the rear part of the motor 54, and the rotational speed of the rotating tank 55 and the stirring member 70 is transmitted by reducing or increasing the speed of the tank rotating shaft 51 to the rotating shaft 50. A relative rotational speed difference is generated.

  In the above-described configuration, when the motor 54 is driven and the rotating tub 55 is rotated in the washing process or the drying process, the laundry is lifted upward by the protrusion 59 on the inner peripheral wall of the rotating tub 55, and then has an appropriate height. The agitating operation such as dropping by the agitating operation and the agitating operation that is swirled by the agitating member 70 that rotates with a relative rotational speed difference in the rotary tank 55 are subjected to a composite agitating operation. For this reason, compared with the conventional drum-type washing dryer which does not have the stirring member 70 and performs stirring operation only by rotation of the rotary tank 55, the ability to stir the laundry is improved, and sufficient washing ability and drying ability are obtained. Can be secured.

JP 2005-253567 A

  However, the conventional configuration requires a speed reducer or a speed increaser, so that the configuration becomes complicated, the drive unit becomes large, and it becomes difficult to store in the washing machine main body, and the cost increases. there were.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and in a washing machine that performs agitation by giving a relative rotational speed difference between the rotating tub and the agitation member, the agitation of the laundry is performed with a simple drive configuration. It is an object of the present invention to provide a washing machine having a structure in which the above is sufficiently achieved.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a washing machine of the present invention includes a water tank for storing washing water, a bottomed cylindrical rotary tank that is rotatably supported in the water tank and stores laundry, and the rotary tank. A stirring member that is rotatably supported on the bottom surface, and a motor having a rotor that is rigidly coupled to the rotating tank or the stirring member, and the rotating tank and the stirring member are connected by an elastic member. It is characterized by that.

  Accordingly, when the motor rotor is rotated in the normal direction in the washing process or the drying process, the rotating tank or the stirring member rigidly coupled thereto is also rotated in the normal direction, but the rotating tank and the stirring member are connected by the elastic member. Therefore, when the motor is started and stopped, the rotating tub and the stirring member rotate in a state where a phase difference has occurred in the rotation. Therefore, the laundry in the rotating tub is lifted upward by the rotation of the rotating tub. After that, in addition to the first stirring operation of dropping at an appropriate height, the second stirring operation is given by receiving the rotational force from the stirring member in the rotating tub, so that it is combined with the laundry. A stirring operation is added to improve the stirring effect, and it is possible to improve the cleaning ability and the drying ability with a simple drive configuration.

  The washing machine of the present invention can improve the agitation effect by adding a complex agitation operation to the laundry, and can improve the washing ability and the drying ability with a simple drive configuration.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a washing machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Perspective view showing the appearance of the washing machine Longitudinal sectional view of a washing machine in Embodiment 2 of the present invention Longitudinal sectional view of a washing machine according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention Cross section of the main part of the washing machine Sectional drawing of the principal part at the time of the 1st mode of the washing machine in Embodiment 4 of this invention. Cross section of the main part of the washing machine in the second mode Vertical section of a conventional drum-type washing machine

  A first aspect of the invention is a water tank for storing washing water, a bottomed cylindrical rotary tank that is rotatably supported in the water tank and accommodates laundry, and a stirring member that is rotatably supported on the bottom surface of the rotary tank. And a motor having a rotor rigidly coupled to the rotating tub or the agitating member, the rotating tub and the agitating member being connected to each other by an elastic member for washing or In the drying process, when the rotor of the motor is rotated in the normal direction, the rotating tank or the stirring member rigidly coupled thereto is also rotated in the normal direction. However, since the rotating tank and the stirring member are connected by an elastic member, At the time of starting and stopping, the rotating tub and the agitating member rotate with a phase difference in the rotation. Therefore, the laundry in the rotating tub is lifted upward by the rotation of the rotating tub, If you fall In addition to the first stirring operation, the rotating force is received from the stirring member in the rotating tub, so that the second stirring operation is given, and the mixed stirring operation is added to the laundry to improve the stirring effect. Thus, the cleaning ability and the drying ability can be improved with a simple drive configuration.

  According to a second invention, in particular, in the first invention, the elastic member is a washing machine that is a spring, so that the rotation of the rotating tub and the agitating member at the time of starting and stopping when the motor is rotated in the normal direction is reversed. Therefore, the cleaning ability and drying ability can be further improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in particular, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the rotation of the motor is transmitted to the stirring member by using a washing machine in which the rotor of the motor and the stirring member are rigidly coupled.
Since it is transmitted to the rotary tank having a large inertia through a spring, the phase difference between the rotation of the rotary tank and the agitating member can be made larger than the rigid connection between the rotor and the rotary tank of the motor. , Cleaning ability and drying ability can be further improved.

  In a fourth aspect of the present invention, in particular, in any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the rotating tub is rotated at a high speed to have a dehydration step of centrifugally dehydrating the laundry. When the washing machine is configured to reverse normally, the laundry remains attached to the inner wall surface of the rotating tub after the dehydration process is completed. Since a force that causes a phase difference in the rotation of the stirring member and the stirring member is generated, it can be loosened after the attached laundry is peeled off.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the invention, in the dehydration step, the washing machine is provided with a clutch means for switching the rotating tub and the stirring member to a rigid coupling. By switching the member to a rigid connection, the laundry stuck to the inner wall of the rotating tub rotating at high speed can be prevented from being moved by the stirring member, and stable dewatering can be performed without breaking the balance of the laundry. Can be done.

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

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a washing machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the washing machine.

  In FIG. 1, a water tank 2 is supported by a suspension 5 in a housing 1, and a rotating tank 3 formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape is disposed in the water tank 2. The water tank 2 and the rotating tank 3 are supported so that the opening end side is the front side of the housing 1 and the bottom surface side is the back side of the housing 1 so as to be inclined downward from the horizontal direction from the front side to the back side. Has been. The housing 1 is provided with a door body 4 so as to face the opening end side of the rotating tub 3, and the user opens the door body 4 as shown in FIG. 10 can be taken in and out. A bellows 7 formed of a flexible elastic body is disposed around the laundry entrance 6 of the water tank 2, and when the door body 4 is closed, one end of the bellows 7 is in pressure contact with the inner surface of the water tank. 2 is prevented from jumping out from inside.

  As in the above configuration, the rotating tub 3 is inclined, and the door 4 is provided in the housing 1 so as to face the opening, so that the door 4 faces the face of a person standing in front of the housing 1. Thus, when the door 4 is opened and the laundry 10 is put in and out of the rotating tub 3, the degree of bending is reduced, and the laundry 10 can be put in and out easily. Therefore, it is not necessary to secure a space in front of the housing 1, and it can be installed in a narrow space such as a washroom, and is configured as a drum type washing and drying machine suitable for a narrow Japanese living environment. be able to.

  A plurality of protrusions 11 are provided on the inner peripheral wall of the rotating tub 3, and the laundry 10 can be hooked by the protrusions 11 and lifted upward by rotating the rotating tub 3 at a low speed. A stirring member 12 is provided on the back side in the rotating tub 3 so as to be rotatable with the rotating tub 3 and the rotation axis aligned.

  A drainage path 8 for draining the water in the aquarium 2 is provided below the water tank 2, and a drainage valve 9 for closing and opening the path is provided in the middle of the drainage path 8. The rotating tub 3 for storing the laundry 10 becomes a laundry room when water or detergent is stored in the water tub 2 with the drain valve 9 closed.

  Further, when the drain valve 9 is opened, water or detergent stored in the water tank 2 is drained from the drain path 8 and the rotating tank 3 is rotated at high speed, the laundry 10 is applied to the side surface of the rotating tank 3 by centrifugal force. Pressed. At this time, the moisture contained in the laundry 10 passes between the water tank 2 and the rotary tank 3 through a plurality of dewatering holes 3 a provided on the side surface of the rotary tank 3 and is drained from the drainage path 8. Thus, the rotary tank 3 also becomes a dehydration chamber.

  The rotating tub 3 has a structure in which warm air is blown by a heater (not shown), a blowing means (not shown), a blowing path (not shown), and the like. Sometimes the rotating tank 3 also becomes a drying chamber.

  On the bottom surface (rear surface) side of the water tank 2, a motor 13 that is a driving source for the rotation of the rotating tank 3 is provided. The rotating tank 3 and the rotor 13a of the motor 13 are connected by a tank rotating shaft 14, and the rotation of the motor 13 is transmitted to the rotating tank 3 as it is. That is, the rotor 13a of the motor 13 and the rotating tub 3 are rigidly coupled. The rotating tub 3 and the stirring member 12 are connected by an elastic member 15 having elasticity, for example, and the rotation of the rotating tub 3 is transmitted to the stirring member 12 through the elastic member 15.

  With the above configuration, when the rotor 13a of the motor 13 is rotationally activated, the rotating tub 3 rigidly coupled thereto is also rotationally activated in synchronization with the motor 13. At this time, the rotating tub 3 tries to rotate the stirring member 12 via the rubber-like elastic member 15. However, since the elastic member 15 extends, the rotation of the stirring member 12 is activated relative to the rotating tub 3. Be late. When the elastic member 15 is extended and its elastic force becomes larger than the inertial force of the stirring member 12, the stirring member 12 starts to rotate. Thereafter, while the rotational position of the stirring member 12 with respect to the rotating tub 3 is in a positional relationship delayed from the initial state, the stirring member 12 continues to rotate while receiving the elastic force from the elastic member 15 in the extended state. Next, when the rotation of the rotor 13 a of the motor 13 is stopped, the rotation tank 3 rigidly coupled thereto also stops rotating in synchronization with the motor 13.

  At this time, since the stirring member 12 tries to continue to rotate due to inertia, the rotational position of the stirring member 12 with respect to the rotating tub 3 once returns to the initial state, and the length of the elastic member 15 also returns to the initial state. Further, the stirring member 12 tries to continue to rotate due to inertia, and this time, the rotational position of the stirring member 12 with respect to the rotating tub 3 is advanced, and the elastic member 15 starts to expand again. The elastic member 15 extends, and the stirring member 12 finally receives a rotation stopping force by the elastic force, and the stirring member 12 stops rotating. As described above, when the motor 13 is started and stopped, the rotating tub 3 and the stirring member 12 rotate with a phase difference generated.

  For this reason, in the washing process or the drying process, when the motor 13 is rotated in the normal direction, the rotation tank 3 and the stirring member 12 can continuously generate a phase difference in rotation. In addition to the first stirring operation in which the rotating tank 3 is lifted upward by the rotation of the rotating tank 3 and then dropped at an appropriate height, the rotating force is applied from the stirring member 12 that relatively rotates in the rotating tank 3. A second stirring operation such as receiving is given, and a composite stirring operation is added to the laundry, so that the stirring effect is improved, and the washing ability and the drying ability can be improved with a simple drive configuration.

  Further, in the washing machine of the first embodiment, even after the dehydration process for performing centrifugal dehydration of the laundry is performed, the motor 13 is immediately rotated in the normal direction. By doing so, the laundry stuck to the inner wall surface of the rotating tub 3 can be loosened after being peeled off by the rotation of the stirring member 12 by the centrifugal force generated by the rotating tub 3 rotating at high speed. Thereby, after completion | finish of a spin-drying | dehydration process, a wrinkle can be strongly extended to a laundry with a centrifugal force, and also the workability | operativity at the time of a user taking out a laundry can be improved.

  In the configuration of the first embodiment, the drum-type washing / drying machine in which the rotating tub 3 is inclined is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the drum-type washing machine without a drying function is used. In addition, even if it is a drum type washing machine in which the rotation axis of the rotating tub 3 is horizontal, or a vertical type washing machine in which the rotation axis is vertical, a complex stirring operation is performed on the laundry. By giving, the effect of improving the stirring effect can be obtained similarly.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the washing machine in the second embodiment of the present invention. The same configurations as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the washing machine according to the present embodiment is configured by configuring the elastic member 15 according to the first embodiment with a spring 15a, and the spring 15a arbitrarily sets the elastic characteristics of the elastic member 15. And reliability can be improved. For this reason, the rotation phase difference between the rotating tub 3 and the stirring member 12 at the time of starting and stopping when the motor 13 is rotated in the normal direction can be set large while ensuring the reliability. The drying capacity can be further improved.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the washing machine according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the main part of the washing machine. The same configurations as those of the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the washing machine according to the third embodiment, the stirring member 12 and the rotor 13 a of the motor 13 are connected by the stirring member rotating shaft 16, and the rotation of the motor 13 is continued as it is. Is transmitted to. That is, the rotor 13a of the motor 13 and the stirring member 12 are rigidly coupled. The stirring member rotating shaft 16 is inserted into a hollow portion of the tank rotating shaft 14 connected to the rotating tank 3, and is supported by a stirring member rotating bearing 17 provided in the hollow portion. The tank rotation shaft 14 is pivotally supported by a tank rotation bearing 18 provided in the stationary part 19, the one end part 14 a is connected to the rotation tank 3, and the opposite end part 14 b is in a rotation-free state. ing. The rotary tank 3 and the stirring member 12 are connected by a spring 15a, and the rotation of the stirring member 12 is transmitted to the rotary tank 3 through the spring 15a.

  In the above configuration, when the rotor 13a of the motor 13 is rotationally activated, the stirring member 12 rigidly coupled thereto is also rotationally activated in synchronization with the motor 13. At this time, the agitating member 12 tries to rotate the rotating tub 3 via the spring 15 a, but the spring 15 a extends, so that the rotation activation of the rotating tub 3 is delayed with respect to the agitating member 12. When the spring 15a is extended and its elastic force becomes larger than the inertial force of the rotary tank 3, the rotary tank 3 starts to start rotating. Thereafter, the rotational position of the rotating tub 3 with respect to the stirring member 12 remains in a positional relationship delayed from the initial state, and the elastic tub 3 continues to rotate while receiving the elastic force from the extended spring 15a.

  Next, when the rotation of the rotor 13a of the motor 13 is stopped, the stirring member 12 rigidly coupled thereto also stops rotating in synchronization with the motor 13. At this time, since the rotary tank 3 tries to continue to rotate due to inertia, the rotational position of the rotary tank 3 with respect to the stirring member 12 is temporarily returned to the initial state, and the length of the spring 15a is also returned to the initial state. Furthermore, the rotating tub 3 tries to continue to rotate due to inertia, and this time, the rotational position of the rotating tub 3 with respect to the stirring member 12 is advanced, and the spring 15a starts to extend again. The spring 15a extends, and the rotation tank 3 finally receives a rotation stop force by the elastic force, and the rotation tank 3 stops rotating.

As described above, as in the case of the first and second embodiments, when the motor 13 is started and stopped, the rotating tub 3 and the stirring member 12 are both in a state where a phase difference has occurred in the rotation. Rotate. The difference is that, in the first and second embodiments, the inertia of the stirring member 12 is used in the first and second embodiments as a method for generating the phase difference between the rotation of the rotating tank 3 and the stirring member 12. The inertia of the rotary tank 3 is used. In general, the rotating tub 3 is rotated in the normal direction in a state where the laundry containing the washing water is stored, so that it is necessary to ensure the strength. Furthermore, when it has a dehydration function, since it is necessary to rotate at high speed, the rotation tank 3 needs to raise intensity | strength further and tends to become a heavy article. For this reason, since the phase difference of rotation of the rotating tank 3 and the stirring member 12 can be increased by adopting the configuration of the present embodiment that can utilize the inertia of the rotating tank 3 that is a heavy object, the cleaning ability and The drying capacity can be further improved.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of main parts of the washing machine in the first mode according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of main parts of the washing machine in the second mode. The same configurations as those in the first to third embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The structural difference between the fourth embodiment and the third embodiment is that clutch means for switching the rotating tub 3 and the stirring member 12 to a rigid coupling is provided. This will be described in detail below.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the opposite end 14 b of the tank rotation shaft 14 is opposed to the rotor 13 a of the motor 13 at a position slightly away from each other, forming a spline. This spline is provided with a clutch plate 20 configured as a clutch means so as to be able to reciprocate to the rotor 13a side or the rotary tank 3 side in the axial direction of the tank rotating shaft 14 while being fitted thereto. .

  The clutch plate 20 is driven by an actuator (not shown) constituted by a geared motor (not shown) or the like via a clutch lever 21. A plurality of claws 20a are formed on the rotor plate 13a side of the clutch plate 20, and a hole 13b that can be fitted to the claws 20a is formed in the rotor 13a facing the claws 20a. When the clutch plate 20 moves to the rotor 13a side, the claw 20a of the clutch plate 20 engages with the hole 13b of the rotor 13a, and when the clutch plate 20 moves to the rotating tub 3 side, The claw 20a is configured to be detached from the hole 13b of the rotor 13a.

  Next, two modes that can be switched by the above-described clutch means will be described.

  In the first mode, as shown in FIG. 6, the actuator moves the clutch plate 20 to the rotating tub 3 side to remove the claws 20a of the clutch plate 20 from the holes 13b of the rotor 13a. In this state, the rotor 13a of the motor 13 and the stirring member 12 are rigidly connected, and the rotating tub 3 and the stirring member 12 are connected via the elastic member 15 and have the same relationship as in the third embodiment. ing.

  In the washing or drying process, when the motor 13 is reversed in the normal direction, a phase difference of rotation can be continuously generated in the rotating tub 3 and the stirring member 12, so that the laundry in the rotating tub 3 In addition to the first stirring operation of being lifted upward by the rotation of 3 and then dropping at an appropriate height, the rotational force is received from the stirring member 12 that relatively rotates in the rotary tank 3. As a result, a composite stirring operation is added to the laundry, the stirring effect is improved, and the washing ability and the drying ability can be improved with a simple drive configuration.

However, when the motor 13 is rotated at a high speed while in the first mode in the dehydration process, the rotating tub 3 and the stirring member 12 also rotate at a high speed, but the connection between the rotating tub 3 and the stirring member 12 causes the elastic member 15 to be connected. Therefore, a delicate difference in rotational speed is likely to occur between the rotary tank 3 and the stirring member 12. For this reason, when the rotating tub 3 rotates at a high speed, the laundry stuck to the inner wall of the rotating tub 3 by centrifugal force may be moved by the stirring member 12, and the balance of the laundry may be lost. There is. When the balance state is lost, there is a possibility that the rotational vibration generated by the rotation of the rotating tub 3 at a high speed becomes large.

  In order to avoid this, in the fourth embodiment, the second mode is selected by the clutch means in the dehydration step. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the actuator moves the clutch plate 20 toward the rotor 13a, and engages the claw 20a of the clutch plate 20 with the hole 13b of the rotor 13a. Here, when the clutch plate 20 is moved to the rotor 13a side, the rotor 13a of the motor 13 is rotated even if the rotational position of the hole 13b of the rotor 13a is not in a positional relationship facing the claw 20a. Thus, the hole 13b will eventually be in a positional relationship facing the claw 20a and can be fitted.

  At this time, since the rotor 13a and the tank rotating shaft 14 are connected via the clutch plate 20, when the motor 13 is rotated, the rotational driving force is transmitted to the tank rotating shaft 14 and the stirring member rotating shaft 16. For this reason, the rotating tub 3 rotates synchronously with the stirring member 12. That is, the rotary tank 3 and the stirring member 12 are rigidly coupled. Thereby, in the dehydration process, it is possible to prevent the balance state of the laundry from being lost and perform stable dehydration.

  As described above, the washing machine according to the present invention can improve the agitation effect by adding a complex agitation operation to the laundry, and can improve the washing ability and the drying ability with a simple drive configuration. The present invention is useful as a washing machine having a rotating tub that is rotatably supported in a water tub that stores water and a stirring member that is located in the rotating tub and stirs the laundry.

2 Water tank 3 Rotating tank 12 Stirring member 13 Motor 13a Rotor 15 Elastic member

Claims (5)

A water tub for storing washing water, a bottomed cylindrical rotating tub rotatably supported in the water tub for storing laundry, a stirring member rotatably supported on the bottom surface of the rotating tub, the rotating tub or A washing machine comprising: a motor having a rotor rigidly coupled to the stirring member, wherein the rotating tub and the stirring member are connected by an elastic member. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a spring. The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotor of the motor and the stirring member are rigidly coupled. 4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a dehydration step of centrifugally dewatering the laundry by rotating the rotating tub at a high speed, wherein the motor is rotated in the normal direction after the dehydration step is completed. Washing machine. The washing machine according to claim 4, further comprising clutch means for switching the rotating tub and the stirring member to a rigid coupling in the dewatering step.

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