JP2023057394A - Filter device and washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a filter device capable of suppressing clogging of a filter and securing a smooth flow of water in a drain passage, and to provide a washing machine including this filter device.SOLUTION: A filter device 21 includes a filter 41, a scraping member 62, and a storage chamber 48A. The filter 41 includes: a cylindrical part 46 in which an inner peripheral surface part 46A is provided and which is arranged in a drain passage of a washing machine; a capturing chamber 41A partitioned inside the cylindrical part 46 by the inner peripheral surface part 46A; and a plurality of filter holes 52A distributed at the inner peripheral surface part 46A. The filter 41 captures foreign objects contained in water flowing out of the cylindrical part 46 from the filter holes 52A, at the inner peripheral surface part 46A. The scraping member 62 is arranged in the capturing chamber 41A, and scrapes off the foreign objects from the inner peripheral surface part 46A, while rotating around a central axis line K of the inner peripheral surface part 46A. The storage chamber 48A is arranged outside of the cylindrical part 46. At the cylindrical part 46, a communication port 49B is provided for communicating the capturing chamber 41A with the storage chamber 48A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

The present invention relates to a filter device and a washing machine including the filter device.

The washing machine described in Patent Document 1 below includes a housing, a washing tub arranged in the housing, a drainage channel for discharging water in the washing tub to the outside of the housing, and a drainage filter attached to and detached from the drainage channel. including. The drainage filter includes a comb having a plurality of pins. When the drainage flowing through the drainage channel passes around the pins in the drainage filter, foreign matter contained in the drainage is trapped by the pins.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-103718

Since the drainage filter described in Patent Document 1 catches long foreign matter such as lint and hair, the clearance between adjacent pins in the comb portion, that is, the filter hole is relatively large, so the drainage filter is clogged. hard to do. On the other hand, in recent years, there has been a demand for measures to prevent resin-made foreign substances having a size of about 100 μm, which are called microplastics, from being released into the natural world. When laundry that uses chemical fibers is washed in a washing machine, there is a risk that microplastics are generated from lint of the chemical fibers, flow through the drainage channel, and are discharged out of the machine.

Reducing the size of the filter holes to trap microplastics makes the drain filter more prone to clogging. Clogging of the drainage filter can be temporarily eliminated by peeling off the captured foreign matter from the filter hole. However, if the removed foreign matter stays in the drainage filter and the following foreign matter flows into the drainage filter, the amount of foreign matter in the drainage filter, in other words, the concentration of the foreign matter increases, even if the foreign matter is repeatedly peeled off. Drainage filters get clogged quickly. This deteriorates the flow of water in the drainage channel, making it impossible to ensure the necessary drainage performance.

The present invention has been made under such a background, and provides a filter device capable of suppressing filter clogging and ensuring smooth flow of water in a drainage channel, and a washing machine including this filter device. intended to provide

The present invention comprises a tubular portion provided with a cylindrical inner peripheral surface portion and arranged in a drainage channel of a washing machine, a capture chamber partitioned in the tubular portion by the inner peripheral surface portion, and water flowing through the drainage channel. into the trapping chamber and a plurality of filter holes distributed on the inner peripheral surface, wherein the a filter that captures foreign matter contained in water flowing out of the cylindrical portion on the inner peripheral surface portion; a rotating body that rotates around the central axis of the inner peripheral surface portion; a scraping member for scraping foreign matter from the inner peripheral surface portion while holding the inner peripheral surface portion; A filter device provided with a port.

Further, in the present invention, the scraping member is slidable between an advanced position approaching the inner peripheral surface and a retracted position away from the inner peripheral surface, and the filter device moves the scraping member. It is characterized by including a biasing member that biases toward the advanced position side.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the filter device includes a pushing member that pushes the scraping member toward the retracted position immediately before passing through the communication port.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the cylindrical portion is provided with another communication port for communicating the capture chamber and the storage chamber, and a net arranged in the another communication port.

Further, the present invention includes a washing tub for storing laundry, a drainage channel connected to the washing tub, a case provided with an internal space forming part of the drainage channel, and the filter device. wherein the filter device is detachable from the case, the filter is arranged in the internal space when the filter device is attached, and the central axis is aligned with the case with respect to the filter device and the washing machine includes a driving portion that generates torque, and a connecting portion that connects the rotating body to the driving portion in response to attachment of the filter device to the case. Characterized by

According to the present invention, in the filter device, the water flowing through the drainage channel of the washing machine is taken into the trapping chamber in the tubular portion of the filter through the intake port, and then distributed over the inner peripheral surface portion that defines the trapping chamber in the tubular portion. It flows out of the cylindrical portion through the filter hole and is discharged out of the washing machine. When the water taken into the trapping chamber flows out of the tubular portion through the filter hole, foreign matter contained in this water is trapped on the inner peripheral surface portion of the tubular portion. In the filter device, the storage chamber arranged outside the cylindrical portion communicates with the capturing chamber through the communication port provided in the cylindrical portion. While rotating together, scrape foreign matter from the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and push it into the storage chamber through the communication port. In other words, the foreign matter captured by the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion is moved to the storage chamber without being retained in the capture chamber, so that the amount of foreign matter in the capture chamber forming the water passage in the drainage channel does not increase. can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the flow of water in the drainage channel due to the immediate clogging of the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion. Therefore, clogging of the filter can be suppressed and smooth flow of water in the drainage channel can be ensured.

Further, according to the present invention, the scraping member is biased by the biasing member toward the advanced position side where the scraping member approaches the inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion. Therefore, even if there is a slight error in the relative position between the scraping member and the inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion, the scraping member effectively scrapes foreign matter from the inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion and accumulates it from the communication port. can be pushed into the chamber.

Further, according to the present invention, the scraping member immediately before passing through the communication port is pushed by the pushing member to the retracted position away from the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion. As a result, the scraping member can be prevented from being caught by the edge of the communication port, so that the scraping member can be rotated smoothly.

Further, according to the present invention, the water in the capture chamber flows into the storage chamber from another communication port that communicates the capture chamber and the storage chamber in the cylindrical portion, thereby pushing the foreign matter in the storage chamber into the depth of the storage chamber. . As a result, it is possible to secure a space for accommodating subsequent foreign objects in the storage chamber. Furthermore, since a net is arranged in the separate communication port, it is possible to prevent foreign substances in the storage chamber from flowing back from the separate communication port to the capture chamber.

Further, according to the present invention, the filter device can be attached to and detached from a case provided with an internal space forming a part of the drainage channel in the washing machine, and the filter can be attached to the case according to the attachment of the filter device. When arranged in the internal space, the rotating body of the filter device is connected to the driving part. Thereby, the rotating body can rotate together with the scraping member by receiving the torque of the driving part. Since the central axis of the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the filter, that is, the rotational axis of the rotating body, is parallel to the mounting and dismounting direction of the filter device with respect to the case, the torque transmission path from the drive section to the rotating body can be simply configured. can be done.

It is a typical longitudinal section right side view of a washing machine concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the main part in a washing machine. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a case forming part of a drainage channel in the washing machine; 1 is a perspective view of a filter device that constitutes a filter unit of a washing machine; FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a filter device and peripheral portions in the filter unit; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the filter device viewed from a direction different from that of FIG. 4; 4 is a plan view of a cleaning unit that constitutes the filter unit; FIG. FIG. 8 is a stepped cross-sectional view of the cleaning unit taken along line AA of FIG. 7; 3 is a perspective view of a cleaning unit; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a scraping member that constitutes the cleaning unit; FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 7; FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 7; It is a left side view of a filter unit. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 13; FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE of FIG. 14; FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF of FIG. 14; FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the rotation of the cleaning unit has progressed further than in FIG. 16; FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the rotation of the cleaning unit has progressed further than in FIG. 17; FIG. 19 is a sectional view showing a state in which the rotation of the cleaning unit has progressed further than in FIG. 18; FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the rotation of the cleaning unit has progressed further than in FIG. 19; FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the filter unit cut at a position different from that of FIG. 16; FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the rotation of the cleaning unit has progressed further than in FIG. 21; FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the rotation of the cleaning unit has progressed further than in FIG. 22; FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the rotation of the cleaning unit has progressed further than in FIG. 23;

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional right side view of a washing machine 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is called the horizontal direction X of the washing machine 1, the horizontal direction in FIG. 1 is called the front-back direction Y of the washing machine 1, and the vertical direction in FIG. In the horizontal direction X, the far side of the paper surface of FIG. 1 is called the left side X1, and the near side of the paper surface of FIG. 1 is called the right side X2. In the longitudinal direction Y, the left side in FIG. 1 is called the front side Y1, and the right side in FIG. 1 is called the rear side Y2. In the vertical direction Z, the upper side is called an upper side Z1, and the lower side is called a lower side Z2.

The washing machine 1 includes a vertical fully automatic washing machine, a drum washing machine, and a two-tub washing machine. will be explained. The washing machine 1 includes a housing 2, an outer tub 3 arranged in the housing 2, a water supply channel 4 and a drainage channel 5 connected to the outer tub 3, and laundry L arranged in the outer tub 3. and an inner tank 6 containing the A collection of the outer tub 3 and the inner tub 6 constitutes a washing tub 7 . The washing machine 1 includes a motor 8 that rotates the inner tub 6, a drying unit 9 that dries the laundry L in the inner tub 6, and a water discharged from the washing tub 7 through a drainage channel 5 to remove lint and the like. and a filter unit 10 for trapping foreign matter.

The housing 2 is formed in a box shape. A front wall 2A, which is the front wall of the housing 2, is formed with an entrance 2B that communicates the inside and outside of the housing 2, and an attachment/detachment opening 2C that is arranged on the lower side Z2 of the entrance 2B. A door 11 for opening and closing the entrance 2B is provided on the front wall 2A. The role of the attachment/detachment opening 2C will be described later.

The entire outer tub 3, that is, the washing tub 7, is elastically supported by the housing 2 via a damper (not shown). The outer tank 3 has a cylindrical circumferential wall 3A centered on an axis J extending in the front-rear direction Y along the horizontal direction H, and a disk-shaped rear wall 3B closing the hollow portion of the circumferential wall 3A from the rear side Y2. , and a ring-shaped front wall 3C connected to the front edge of the peripheral wall 3A. A through hole 3D is formed in the center of the back wall 3B along the axis J and penetrating the back wall 3B in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. The front wall 3C includes an annular first portion 3E projecting from the front edge of the circumferential wall 3A toward the axis line J, a cylindrical second portion 3F projecting from the inner peripheral edge of the first portion 3E toward the front side Y1, and a second portion 3F. It has an annular third portion 3G projecting from the front edge of the second portion 3F toward the axis J side. Inside the third portion 3G, a doorway 3H is formed that communicates with the hollow portion of the circumferential wall 3A from the front side Y1. The doorway 3H communicates with the doorway 2B of the housing 2 facing from the rear side Y2.

The water supply channel 4 has one end (not shown) connected to a faucet (not shown) and the other end 4A connected to the rear wall 3B of the outer tub 3 . At the time of water supply, water from the faucet is supplied into the outer tub 3 from the water supply channel 4. - 特許庁Water such as tap water or detergent water in which detergent is dissolved in tap water is stored in the outer tank 3. - 特許庁A water supply valve 12 that is opened and closed to start and stop water supply is provided in the middle of the water supply path 4 .

The drainage channel 5 is connected to a drainage port 3I provided at the lower end of the outer tank 3, for example, the lower end of the first portion 3E of the front wall 3C. The water in the outer tank 3 is discharged outside the machine, that is, outside the housing 2 through the drainage channel 5 . A drain valve 13 that is opened and closed to start and stop draining is provided in the middle of the drain channel 5 .

The inner tub 6 is one size smaller than the outer tub 3 . The inner tank 6 includes a cylindrical circumferential wall 6A arranged coaxially with the circumferential wall 3A of the outer tank 3, a disk-shaped rear wall 6B blocking the hollow portion of the circumferential wall 6A from the rear side Y2, and a circumferential wall. It has an annular wall 6C projecting from the front edge of 6A toward the axis J side. A plurality of through holes 6D are formed in at least the circumferential wall 6A of the inner tank 6, and water in the outer tank 3 flows back and forth between the outer tank 3 and the inner tank 6 via the through holes 6D. Therefore, the water level in the outer tank 3 and the water level in the inner tank 6 match. A support shaft 14 extending along the axis J to the rear side Y2 is provided at the center of the back wall 6B of the inner tank 6 . The rear end portion of the support shaft 14 passes through the through hole 3D of the rear wall 3B of the outer tank 3 and is arranged on the rear side Y2 of the rear wall 3B.

Inside the annular wall 6C, a doorway 6E communicating with the hollow portion of the circumferential wall 6A from the front side Y1 is formed. The entrance 6E communicates with the entrance 3H of the outer tub 3 and the entrance 2B of the housing 2 from the rear side Y2. The doorway 3H and the doorway 6E are collectively opened and closed by the door 11 together with the doorway 2B. A user of the washing machine 1 takes the laundry L into and out of the inner tub 6 through the opened entrances 2B, 3H and 6E.

The motor 8 is arranged inside the housing 2 on the rear side Y2 of the rear wall 3B of the outer tub 3 . The motor 8 is connected to a support shaft 14 provided in the inner tank 6 . The driving force generated by the motor 8 is transmitted to the support shaft 14 , and the inner tank 6 rotates around the axis J with the support shaft 14 . A clutch mechanism (not shown) may be provided between the motor 8 and the support shaft 14 to transmit or block the driving force of the motor 8 to the support shaft 14 .

The drying unit 9 includes a circulation path 15 and an air blower 16 for circulating the air in the washing tub 7, and a heating unit 17 for heating the circulating air. The circulation path 15 is a flow path arranged inside the housing 2, for example, on the upper side Z1 of the outer tank 3. As shown in FIG. An outlet port 15A is formed at one end of the circulation path 15, and a return port 15B is formed at one end of the circulation path 15. As shown in FIG. The outlet 15A is connected to the rear wall 3B of the outer tub 3 and communicates with the inside of the outer tub 3 from the rear side Y2. The return port 15B is connected to the upper end of the second portion 3F of the front wall 3C of the outer tub 3 and communicates with the inside of the outer tub 3 from the upper side Z1.

The air blower 16 is a so-called blower, and includes blades 18 arranged in the circulation path 15 and a motor (not shown) that rotates the blades 18 . When the blades 18 rotate, the air in the washing tub 7, that is, the air in the outer tub 3 and the inner tub 6 is taken out from the outlet 15A into the circulation path 15 as indicated by the thick dashed arrows, and then returned. It is returned into the washing tub 7 through the port 15B. As a result, the air in the washing tub 7 circulates through the washing tub 7 and the circulation path 15 in order.

The heating unit 17 is a heat exchanger in a heat pump, a general heater, or the like, and at least part of it is provided inside the circulation path 15 . A portion of the heating portion 17 provided in the circulation path 15 has, for example, a plurality of fin-shaped heat radiation portions 17A. When the heating section 17 operates, the heat radiation section 17A becomes hot, so that the air flowing through the circulation path 15 is heated to become hot air when passing around the heat radiation section 17A.

Washing machine 1 includes control unit 19 configured as a microcomputer. The control unit 19 performs the washing operation by controlling the operations of the motor 8, the water supply valve 12, the drain valve 13, the blower unit 16, the heating unit 17, and the like. A washing operation includes a washing process, a rinsing process, a spin-drying process, and a drying process.

Detergent is introduced into the inner tank 6 prior to the start of the washing process. In the washing process, the controller 19 opens the water supply valve 12 for a predetermined period of time to supply water to the washing tub 7 while keeping the drain valve 13 closed, and then causes the motor 8 to rotate the inner tub 6 . As a result, the laundry L in the inner tub 6 is beat-washed. In beating washing, tumbling is repeated in which the laundry L is lifted to some extent and then naturally falls to the surface of the water. Dirt is removed from the laundry L by the impact of tumbling and the detergent component contained in the water accumulated in the inner tub 6. - 特許庁When the controller 19 opens the drain valve 13 to drain the washing tub 7 after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of tumbling, the washing process ends.

In the rinsing process, the control unit 19 opens the water supply valve 12 for a predetermined time to supply water to the washing tub 7 while keeping the drain valve 13 closed, and then causes the motor 8 to rotate the inner tub 6 . Then, since the tumbling described above is repeated, the laundry L is rinsed with tap water in the inner tub 6 . When the controller 19 drains the washing tub 7 after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the start of tumbling, the rinsing process ends. The rinsing step may be repeated multiple times. In the dehydration step, the control unit 19 rotates the inner tub 6 for dehydration while the drain valve 13 is open. The laundry L in the inner tub 6 is dehydrated by the centrifugal force generated by the dehydrating rotation of the inner tub 6 . The water seeped out of the laundry L due to dehydration is discharged out of the machine through the drainage channel 5. - 特許庁The dehydration step may be performed not only after the rinsing step but also after the washing step.

In the drying process, the control unit 19 generates hot air with the air blowing unit 16 and the heating unit 17, circulates it between the inner tub 6 and the circulation path 15, and supplies the laundry L in the inner tub 6 with the hot air. Thereby, the laundry L is dried. The washing machine 1 may be a washing machine in which the drying unit 9 is omitted, and the drying process is omitted in the washing operation in that case.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of essential parts in the washing machine 1. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, part of the drain channel 5, the drain valve 13 and the filter unit 10 are illustrated. The drain valve 13 includes a valve body 13A that is arranged in the drain channel 5 and actually opens and closes the drain channel 5, and a torque motor 13B that is an example of an actuator that operates the valve body 13A. In this embodiment, natural drainage is employed in which the water in the washing tub 7 is discharged out of the washing machine by its own weight when the drain valve 13 is opened. Forced water discharge may be employed in which the water in the washing tub 7 is forcibly discharged by a pump. In the case of forced drainage, the drainage channel 5 may be configured to extend from the washing tub 7 to the upper side Z1.

The filter unit 10 is arranged on the lower side Z2 than the washing tub 7 in the housing 2 of the washing machine 1, and is adjacent to the attachment/detachment opening 2C of the front wall 2A of the housing 2 from the rear side Y2 (see FIG. 1). . The filter unit 10 includes a hollow case 20 provided in a region closer to the drain port 3I than the valve element 13A in the middle of the drain channel 5, and a filter device 21 detachable from the case 20. As shown in FIG. An internal space 20A of the case 20 constitutes part of the drainage channel 5 . Hereinafter, a region of the drainage channel 5 that is closer to the drainage port 3I than the internal space 20A is referred to as an upstream region 5A, and a region of the drainage channel 5 that is farther from the drainage port 3I than the internal space 20A is referred to as a downstream region 5B. The upstream region 5A extends downward Z2 from the drain port 3I and is connected to the case 20 from the left side X1. Downstream region 5B extends from case 20 to rear side Y2. Each of the upstream region 5A and the downstream region 5B may be curved in the middle.

Below, each of the case 20 and the filter device 21 will be described in detail. In the following description, the orientations of the case 20 and the filter device 21 are specified using the left-right direction X, the front-rear direction Y, and the up-down direction Z described above. In addition, most of the parts constituting the case 20 and the filter device 21 are made of resin.

3 is a perspective view of the case 20. FIG. The overall shape of the case 20 is a cylindrical shape elongated in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. The case 20 has a cylindrical peripheral wall 25 that constitutes most of it, a cylindrical inlet 26 that protrudes from the front end of the left peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 25 to the left side X1, for example, and a lower peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 25. For example, a circular tube-shaped outflow portion 27 projecting from the rear end portion to the rear side Y2 is integrally provided.

The circumferential wall 25 has a cylindrical inner circumferential surface 25A. A substantially cylindrical space surrounded by the inner peripheral surface 25A is the internal space 20A of the case 20 . The case 20 is formed with a circular entrance 20</b>B bordered by the front end of the circumferential wall 25 . The doorway 20B opens the internal space 20A to the front side Y1. An annular stepped portion 25B is provided at a portion adjacent to the entrance/exit 20B at the front end portion of the inner peripheral surface 25A. Accordingly, in the inner peripheral surface 25A, the front end region on the front side Y1 of the stepped portion 25B has a larger diameter than the rear region of the stepped portion 25B on the rear side Y2.

A lock claw 25C extending in the circumferential direction is provided in the front end region of the inner peripheral surface 25A. A plurality of lock claws 52C may be provided, in which case the plurality of lock claws 25C are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface 25A. A protruding portion 25D that protrudes toward the right side X2 is provided at a position adjacent to the inflow portion 26 in the rear region of the inner peripheral surface 25A. A right side surface 25E of the raised portion 25D is a flat surface extending vertically and forwardly and is exposed to the internal space 20A.

The internal space of the inflow portion 26 is open as a cylindrical inflow port 26A from the left end of the inflow portion 26 to the left side X1, and communicates from the right side surface 25E of the raised portion 25D to the front end portion of the internal space 20A. The upstream region 5A of the drainage channel 5 is connected to the inflow portion 26 to communicate with the internal space 20A through the inflow port 26A. The internal space of the outflow portion 27 is opened from the rear end of the outflow portion 27 to the rear side Y2 as a cylindrical outflow port 27A, and communicates with the rear end portion of the internal space 20A from the lower side Z2 (see FIG. 15). . A downstream region 5B of the drainage channel 5 is connected to the outflow portion 27 to communicate with the internal space 20A through the outflow port 27A.

The case 20 further includes a flange 28 extending in the circumferential direction from the front end of the circumferential wall 25, and a circular rear wall 29 connected to the rear end of the circumferential wall 25 and blocking the internal space 20A of the case 20 from the rear side Y2. have integrally. A plurality of insertion holes 28</b>A are formed in the flange 28 so as to penetrate the flange 28 in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. The flange 28 is arranged to face the front wall 2A from the rear side Y2 so as to border the attachment/detachment opening 2C of the front wall 2A of the housing 2 (see FIG. 1). The flange 28 is fixed to the front wall 2A by a fastening member (not shown) such as a bolt inserted through the insertion hole 28A. The entrance 20B of the case 20 faces the attachment/detachment opening 2C from the rear side Y2. The front wall 2A may be provided with a lid 30 (see FIG. 1) that opens and closes the attachment/detachment opening 2C.

The filter unit 10 also includes a drive 31 arranged on the rear side Y2 of the rear wall 29 . An example of the drive unit 31 is a motor that generates torque by operating upon receiving electric power from the washing machine 1 , and is fixed to the case 20 via a bracket 32 . A rear end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the circumferential wall 25 of the case 20 is provided with an assembly portion 25F to which a bracket 32 is assembled via a fastening member 33 (see FIG. 5) such as a bolt.

The driving portion 31 has an output shaft 34 extending to the front side Y1 and coaxial with the rear wall 29 . A front end portion of the output shaft 34 is arranged at a rear end portion of the internal space 20</b>A of the case 20 . A disk-shaped drive joint 35 is coaxially attached to the front end of the output shaft 34 . When the driving portion 31 operates, the output shaft 34 and the driving joint 35 rotate together.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the filter device 21. FIG. The filter device 21 includes an operation portion 40 and a filter 41 connected to the operation portion 40 from the rear side Y2.

The operating portion 40 has a disk-shaped seal member 42 having a central axis extending in the front-rear direction Y, and a handle 43 arranged on the front side Y1 of the seal member 42 . The seal member 42 has a disk shape thin in the front-rear direction Y, and an annular packing 42A is provided on the rear surface thereof to border the outer edge of the rear surface.

The handle 43 has a disk portion 43A arranged coaxially with the seal member 42, and a knob portion 43B projecting from the front surface of the disk portion 43A toward the front side Y1. A lock groove 43C extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the disc portion 43A. The outer diameter of the seal member 42 and the outer diameter of the disk portion 43A are substantially the same. A plurality of lock grooves 43C may be present, in which case they are provided side by side in the circumferential direction of the disk portion 43A.

The handle 43 is rotatable about the central axis of the seal member 42 relative to the seal member 42 . A convex portion 42B provided at the front end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the seal member 42 is fitted in a fitting groove 43D extending in the circumferential direction in a region on the rear side Y2 of the lock groove 43C on the outer peripheral surface of the disk portion 43A. (See Figure 5). The handle 43 is rotatable relative to the seal member 42 within a range in which the protrusion 42B can move in the fitting groove 43D in the circumferential direction of the disc portion 43A. This restricts rotation of the handle 43 more than necessary.

The filter 41 has an overall rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the front-rear direction Y, is smaller than the seal member 42 when viewed from the front, and is arranged to fit inside the outer peripheral edge of the seal member 42 . The filter 41 has a filter body 44 forming a major portion thereof and a lid 45 attached to the filter body 44 .

The filter body 44 includes a tubular portion 46 elongated in the front-rear direction Y, an intake portion 47 projecting from the front end portion of the tubular portion 46 to the left side X1, and a portion of the tubular portion 46 on the rear side Y2 of the intake portion 47. and a picture frame portion 48 attached thereto.

The tubular portion 46 includes a circumferential wall 49 extending in the front-rear direction Y, a disk-shaped front wall 50 connected to the front end of the circumferential wall 49 , and a disk-shaped rear wall 51 connected to the rear end of the circumferential wall 49 . have integrally. The circumferential wall 49 has a cylindrical overall shape, and its inner peripheral surface is also cylindrical. The inner peripheral surface portion of the circular peripheral wall 49 is the inner peripheral surface portion 46A of the cylindrical portion 46 (see FIG. 16). A cylindrical space surrounded by the inner peripheral surface portion 46A is a capture chamber 41A defined in the cylindrical portion 46 of the filter 41 by the inner peripheral surface portion 46A.

A center axis line K of the inner peripheral surface portion 46A extends in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the radial direction with respect to the central axis K is referred to as the radial direction R, and the circumferential direction around the central axis K is referred to as the circumferential direction S. In the radial direction R, a direction approaching the central axis K is called a radially inner side R1, and a direction away from the central axis K is called a radially outer side R2. The central axis K does not coincide with the central axis (not shown) of the seal member 42 of the operating portion 40 in this embodiment, but these axes may coincide.

The front wall 50 blocks the capture chamber 41A from the front side Y1, and the rear wall 51 blocks the capture chamber 41A from the front side Y1. The front surface of the front wall 50 is fixed to the seal member 42 of the operation section 40 . Seal member 42 and front wall 50 may be integrated, in which case seal member 42 may be considered part of filter 41 . A plurality of through holes 49A are formed in substantially the right half of the circumferential wall 49 . As an example, a plurality of rows of five through-holes 49A arranged at equal intervals in the front-rear direction Y are arranged in the circumferential direction S at equal intervals. Each through hole 49A is formed in a rectangular shape with rounded corners.

A net 52 such as a mesh sheet is provided in each through hole 49A. In each through hole 49A, the mesh 52 closes the through hole 49A and constitutes the inner peripheral surface portion 46A of the cylinder portion 46 (see FIG. 16). Each mesh 52 is preferably curved along the circumferential direction S. Each of the nets 52 is formed with a large number of filter holes 52A, which are minute through-holes forming a mesh. Therefore, a plurality of filter holes 52A are distributed in the inner peripheral surface portion 46A of the tubular portion 46. As shown in FIG. Instead of the mesh 52, a lattice (not shown) integrally formed with the cylindrical portion 46 may be provided, in which case the gaps in the lattice function as the filter holes 52A. Although the size of the filter hole 52A can be set arbitrarily, it is set to about 100 μm when microplastics are to be captured, and is set to about 500 μm when microplastics are not to be captured.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the filter device 21 and its surroundings. A communication port 49B and another communication port 49C penetrating through the circumferential wall 49 in the radial direction R are provided in a region on the rear side Y2 of the front end portion of the substantially left half of the circumferential wall 49 . The communication port 49B has a rectangular shape elongated in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. The communication port 49C is arranged on the lower side Z2 than the communication port 49B. As an example, four communication ports 49C are arranged in a row in the front-rear direction Y at regular intervals. Each communication port 49C is formed in a rectangular shape with rounded corners. The mesh 52 described above is also provided in each communication port 49C. At each communication port 49C, the mesh 52 is arranged so as to block the communication port 49C and constitutes the inner peripheral surface portion 46A of the cylindrical portion 46 (see FIG. 21).

The filter 41 has an opening/closing member 53 that opens and closes the communication port 49B. The opening/closing member 53 has a plate-like shape that is long in the front-rear direction Y and curved along the circumferential direction S, and has a size that closes the communication port 49B. An upper end portion of the opening/closing member 53 is attached to the filter main body 44 via a rotating shaft 54 extending in the front-rear direction Y (see FIG. 21).

The opening/closing member 53 is rotatable about a rotating shaft 54 between an open position shown in FIG. 5 and a closed position (see FIG. 16 and the like). The filter body 44 includes a biasing member 55 that always biases the opening/closing member 53 toward the closed position (see FIG. 21). An example of the biasing member 55 is a coil spring wound around the rotating shaft 54 .

When the opening/closing member 53 is at the open position, the lower edge of the opening/closing member 53 is separated from the lower edge 49D of the communication port 49B to the radially outer side R2, so that the communication port 49B is opened. When the opening/closing member 53 is in the closed position, the lower edge of the opening/closing member 53 contacts the lower edge 49D of the communication port 49B from the radial outer side R2, and the opening/closing member 53 closes the communication port 49B entirely. A portion of the opening/closing member 53 facing the inside of the circumferential wall 49, that is, the capturing chamber 41A when the communication port 49B is closed is called an inner surface portion 53A (see FIG. 16). The inner surface portion 53A constitutes a part of the inner peripheral surface portion 46A of the cylindrical portion 46 when the opening/closing member 53 is in the closed position. Both ends of the inner surface portion 53A in the front-rear direction Y are provided with semicircular convex portions 53B that protrude radially inward R1. When the opening/closing member 53 is in the closed position, these protrusions 53B are arranged within the trapping chamber 41A.

The intake portion 47 has a substantially cubic shape that protrudes from the front end portion of the substantially left half of the circumferential wall 49 toward the left side X1. In the intake portion 47, the left surface 47A is flat along a virtual plane including the vertical direction Z and the front-rear direction Y, and the upper surface 47B and the lower surface 47C are flat along the virtual plane including the front-rear direction Y and the horizontal direction X. Each of the rear surface 47D and the front surface 47E is flat along an imaginary plane containing the up-down direction Z and the left-right direction X.

The front surface 47E also serves as the front surface of the front wall 50 (see FIG. 4) of the cylindrical portion 46. As shown in FIG. A circular inlet 47F and an annular packing 56 bordering the inlet 47F are provided on the left surface 47A. The intake port 47F extends to the right side X2 in the intake portion 47, penetrates the front end portion of the substantially left half of the circumferential wall 49, and communicates with the front end portion of the capture chamber 41A. The packing 56 is thin in the left-right direction X, and may be integrally formed with the intake portion 47 or may be attached to the intake portion 47 as a separate component.

The frame portion 48 has a rectangular frame shape that is long in the front-rear direction Y and arranged along the up-down direction Z and the front-rear direction Y, and surrounds the communication port 49B and all the communication ports 49C together. 49 is attached to a region on the rear side Y2 of the intake portion 47 in substantially the left half thereof. A space surrounded by the frame portion 48 is called a storage chamber 48A. The storage chamber 48A is arranged outside the tubular portion 46 . 41 A of capture chambers in the cylinder part 46 and 48 A of storage chambers are in the state which communicated through the communication port 49B and 49 C of communication ports. A claw-shaped engaging portion 48B is provided at the lower end portion of the frame portion 48 .

The lid 45 is in the shape of a rectangular plate having approximately the same size as the frame portion 48 . One of the pair of long side portions of the rectangular lid 45 is connected to the upper end portion of the frame portion 48 via a rotation shaft 57 extending in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. The lid 45 is rotatable about a rotation shaft 57 between an open position shown in FIG. 5 and a closed position (see FIG. 6 and the like). When the lid 45 is at the open position, the storage chamber 48A is opened by moving the lid 45 away from the frame portion 48. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of filter device 21 when lid 45 is in the closed position. When the lid 45 is in the closed position, the lid 45 comes into contact with the frame portion 48 to block the storage chamber 48A from the left side X1, thereby closing the storage chamber 48A. A concave portion 45A forming a part of the storage chamber 48A may be provided on the inner surface facing the storage chamber 48A in the lid 45 at the closed position (see FIG. 5). The other long side of the lid 45 located on the side opposite to the rotating shaft 57 is provided with an engaging portion 45B projecting in a U-shape, for example. By engaging the engaging portion 45B with the engaging portion 48B of the frame portion 48, the lid 45 is locked at the closed position. When the lid 45 is in the closed position, the left surface 45C of the lid 45 and the left surface 47A of the intake portion 47 are substantially flush with each other.

The filter device 21 includes a cleaning unit 60 located within the tubular portion 46 , ie, the capture chamber 41 A of the filter 41 . FIG. 7 is a plan view of the cleaning unit 60. FIG. The cleaning unit 60 includes a rotating body 61 and a scraping member 62 supported by the rotating body 61 .

The rotating body 61 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. The rotating body 61 includes a pair of side plates 63 extending in parallel along the front-rear direction Y, a front plate 64 installed between the front ends of the pair of side plates 63, and a rear plate installed between the rear ends of the pair of side plates 63. 65 and a partition plate 66 arranged between the pair of side plates 63 and constructed between the front plate 64 and the rear plate 65 . The pair of side plates 63 and partition plate 66 are rectangular plates elongated in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. The front plate 64 and the rear plate 65 are rectangular plates having a plate thickness direction coinciding with the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. A front rotary shaft 67 is provided on the front surface of the front plate 64 at a position that overlaps with the central axis K and protrudes to the front side Y1. A rear rotation shaft 68 is provided on the rear surface of the rear plate 65 at a position that overlaps with the central axis K and protrudes toward the rear side Y2.

A space surrounded by a pair of side plates 63, a front plate 64, and a rear plate 65 is an internal space of the rotating body 61, and the internal space of the rotating body 61 is divided into two storage chambers 61A by a partition plate 66. . The two storage chambers 61A are longitudinal in the front-rear direction Y, sandwich the partition plate 66, and are configured to be point-symmetrical with respect to the central axis K. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a stepwise cross-sectional view of the cleaning unit 60 taken along line AA of FIG. A bottom plate 69 extending in the front-rear direction Y is provided in each storage chamber 61A. The bottom plate 69 is disposed at a position biased toward one of the pair of long sides of the rectangular partition plate 66, and spans between the partition plate 66 and one of the side plates 63, and the front plate 64 and the rear plate. It is also installed between 65. A portion of the housing chamber 61A that coincides with the other long side of the partition plate 66 is an opening 61B. The opening 61B has a rectangular shape elongated in the front-rear direction Y, and opens the entire area of the housing chamber 61A in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG.

Both ends of the bottom plate 69 in the front-rear direction Y are provided with one cylindrical projection 69A projecting toward the opening 61B. A single or a plurality of guide cylinders 69B projecting to the side opposite to the opening 61B are provided in the area sandwiched by the protrusions 69A at both ends of the bottom plate 69. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the three guide tube portions 69B are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction Y at equal intervals.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the cleaning unit 60. FIG. Each guide tube portion 69B has a square tube shape, and a part thereof is constituted by the side plate 63 and the partition plate 66. As shown in FIG. A U-shaped notch 69C obtained by notching each of the side plate 63 and the partition plate 66 is provided at the end of each guide tube portion 69B farthest from the bottom plate 69 . A drain hole 69D penetrating through the bottom plate 69 is provided at a position avoiding the projection 69A and the guide tube portion 69B on the bottom plate 69 (see FIG. 8).

As described above, the two storage chambers 61A are configured to be point-symmetrical with respect to the central axis K. As shown in FIG. By doing so, the openings 61B of the two storage chambers 61A are not adjacent to each other, and the opening 61B of one storage chamber 61A and the guide tube portion 69B of the other storage chamber 61A are separated by the partition plate 66. are placed next to each other with the Another notch 63A is provided at a position avoiding the notch 69C in the front-rear direction Y in the pair of long side portions of each side plate 63 .

10 is a perspective view of the scraping member 62. FIG. The scraping member 62 has a rail portion 75 , a brush 76 and a positioning portion 77 based on the posture of the scraping member 62 in FIG. The rail portion 75 extends in the front-rear direction Y and is formed in a quadrangular prism shape. The brush 76 is planted on the tip surface 75A forming the upper surface of the rail portion 75 in FIG. The positioning portions 77 extend from the front end and the rear end of the rail portion 75 to the lower side Z2, that is, the side opposite to the tip end surface 75A, and are formed as a front and rear pair. The scraping member 62 includes a guide projection 78 extending from the lower surface of the rail portion 75 to the lower side Z2 between the front and rear positioning portions 77, and one scraping member 62 adjacent to each positioning portion 77. It further has a convex portion 79 projecting downward Z2.

Concerning the brush 76, bundles 76A of a predetermined number of bristles are arranged at approximately equal intervals in the front-rear direction Y, and the brush 76 is composed of these bundles 76A. Instead of the tufts 76A of bristles, the brushes 76 may be configured by elastically deformable projections, for example. Alternatively, instead of the brush 76, a wiper elongated in the front-rear direction Y may be employed. A convex portion 80 protruding in a semicircular shape is provided at a position avoiding the bundle 76A on the tip surface 75A of the rail portion 75. As shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, one convex portion 80 is provided at each of the front position and the rear end portion of the rail portion 75 . The projection amount of the convex portion 80 from the tip surface 75A is smaller than the projection amount of the brush 76 .

The guide protrusions 78 are provided in the same number as the guide tube portions 69B, three in this embodiment, and are arranged in the front-rear direction Y at regular intervals. The lower portion of each guide projection 78 in FIG. 10, that is, the portion on the side opposite to the rail portion 75, is bifurcated, and claws 78A protruding away from each other are provided at the tip portions of the pair of bifurcated portions.

Two such scraping members 62 are provided corresponding to the two storage chambers 61A in the rotating body 61, and one scraping member 62 is accommodated in each storage chamber 61A from the opening 61B (see FIG. 9). At this time, in each scraping member 62, the positioning portion 77 on the front side Y1 faces the front plate 64 of the rotating body 61 from the rear side Y2, and the positioning portion 77 on the rear side Y2 faces the rear plate 65 of the rotating body 61. It faces from the front side Y1 (see FIG. 8). Therefore, each scraping member 62 is positioned in the front-rear direction Y with respect to the rotating body 61 .

11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 7. FIG. In each scraping member 62, the brush 76 is exposed from the opening 61B, and the projection 79 faces the projection 69A at the same position in the front-rear direction Y within the storage chamber 61A. The projecting portion 69A and the projecting portion 79 facing each other are connected by a biasing member 81 such as a coil spring. The biasing member 81 is in a compressed state between the projections 69A and 79, and always pushes the projections 79, that is, the scraping member 62, so that the brush 76 protrudes from the opening 61B of the storage chamber 61A. force. From the notch 63A of each side plate 63, the convex portion 80 of the corresponding scraping member 62 is exposed.

12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 7. FIG. 11 and 12 do not show the state of the scraping member 62 at the same timing. In each scraping member 62, each guide protrusion 78 is inserted into a guide tube portion 69B located at the same position in the front-rear direction Y in the storage chamber 61A. It is received with play in a corresponding notch 69C in portion 69B. The scraping member 62 is slidable along the direction in which the guide protrusion 78 extends, and this direction is hereinafter referred to as the sliding direction T. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 12 , the sliding direction T matches the vertical direction Z, but the sliding direction T may not match the vertical direction Z depending on the rotation of the cleaning unit 60 .

As described above, each scraping member 62 is biased by the biasing member 81 so as to protrude from the opening 61B. However, as shown in FIG. 12, when the claws 78A of the guide projections 78 of the scraping member 62 are caught on the deepest edge 69E of the notch 69C of the guide tube portion 69B, the scraping member 62 moves further from the opening 61B. can't stick out.

13 is a left side view of the filter unit 10. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 13. FIG. As described above, the cleaning unit 60 is arranged in the trapping chamber 41A of the filter 41, and the front rotating shaft 67 and the rear rotating shaft 68 of the rotor 61 in the cleaning unit 60 are coaxial with the central axis K of the trapping chamber 41A. placed. The front rotating shaft 67 is rotatably supported by the front wall 50 of the tubular portion 46 of the filter 41 , and the rear rotating shaft 68 is rotatably supported by the rear wall 51 of the tubular portion 46 . This allows the entire cleaning unit 60 to rotate about the central axis K within the capture chamber 41A. That is, in the cleaning unit 60 , the rotating body 61 is rotatable around the central axis K, and the scraping member 62 is rotatable together with the rotating body 61 .

A rear end portion of the rear rotation shaft 68 penetrates the rear wall 51 in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. The filter 41 includes a disk-shaped driven joint 82 coaxially attached to the rear end of the rear rotary shaft 68 . The driven joint 82 is arranged on the rear side Y2 of the rear wall 51 and attached to the rear end portion of the rear rotating shaft 68 with a fastening member 83 such as a bolt.

When attaching the filter device 21 to the case 20, the user grasps the knob portion 43B of the handle 43 of the operation portion 40 and moves the filter device 21 to the rear side Y2, thereby removing the attachment/detachment opening 2C of the front wall 2A of the housing 2. (See FIG. 1), and is inserted into the internal space 20A of the case 20 through the entrance 20B of the case 20. As shown in FIG. At that time, in the filter device 21, the driven joint 82 enters the internal space 20A at the front.

When the packing 42A of the seal member 42 of the operation portion 40 contacts the stepped portion 25B around the entrance 20B of the case 20 from the front side Y1, the insertion of the filter device 21 is stopped and the entire filter 41 is placed in the inner space 20A, that is, the washing. placed in the drainage channel 5 of the machine 1; At this time, in the internal space 20A, the packing 56 of the filter 41 contacts the right side surface 25E of the raised portion 25D of the case 20, and the inlet 26A of the case 20 communicates with the inlet 47F of the filter 41.

The driven joint 82 of the filter 41 on the rotating body 61 side is connected to the drive joint 35 of the case 20 on the drive unit 31 side. In other words, the drive joint 35 and the driven joint 82 constitute a connection portion 84 that connects the rotating body 61 to the drive portion 31 when the filter device 21 is attached to the case 20 . When the driven joint 82 is connected to the drive joint 35 , torque can be transmitted from the driving portion 31 to the rotating body 61 . can rotate.

Known joints can be employed as the drive joint 35 and the driven joint 82 . As described above, the packing 42A contacts the stepped portion 25B and the packing 56 contacts the raised portion 25D to connect the drive joint 35 and the driven joint 82, thereby positioning the filter 41 in the internal space 20A of the case 20. be done.

When the user twists the handle 43 so that the lock claws 25C of the case 20 engage with the lock grooves 43C of the handle 43 (see FIG. 15), the attachment of the filter device 21 is completed. The state accommodated in the internal space 20A is maintained. The user can remove the filter device 21 from the case 20 by reversing the mounting procedure.

Specifically, the user removes the lock claw 25C from the lock groove 43CA by twisting the handle 43 in the opposite direction, and then removes the driven joint 82 from the drive joint 35 by pulling the handle 43 toward the front side Y1. When the filter 41 is pulled out from the internal space 20A, the detachment of the filter device 21 is completed.

As described above, the attachment/detachment direction P of the filter device 21 with respect to the case 20 is the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the attachment/detachment direction P is parallel to the central axis K, which is the rotation axis of each of the rotating body 61, the drive joint 35, and the driven joint 82. As shown in FIG. In this case, the torque transmission path from the drive unit 31 to the rotating body 61 and the attachment/detachment structure of the filter device 21 can be configured simply.

As described above, when the control unit 19 opens the drain valve 13, water flowing from the washing tub 7 through the upstream region 5A of the drain channel 5 flows into the inlet 26A of the case 20, and then flows into the inlet 47F of the filter 41. It is taken into the cylindrical portion 46, that is, into the trapping chamber 41A of the filter 41 (see arrow Q1 in FIG. 14). The packing 42A seals the entrance 20B of the case 20, and the packing 56 seals the space between the inlet 26A and the intake 47F, thus preventing water leakage from the case 20.

The water taken into the capture chamber 41A through the intake port 47F flows through the filter hole 52A of the inner peripheral surface portion 46A of the tubular portion 46 to the outside of the tubular portion 46, i. It flows out to the gap 20C. When the water passes through the filter holes 52A, foreign matter contained in the water is captured and adheres to the inner peripheral surface portion 46A. That is, the filter 41 captures foreign matter contained in the water flowing out of the cylindrical portion 46 from the filter hole 52A at the inner peripheral surface portion 46A.

15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE of FIG. 14. FIG. The water that is taken into the capture chamber 41A and flows out of the cylindrical portion 46 through the filter hole 52A flows out of the outflow port 27A of the outflow portion 27 of the case 20 into the downstream region 5B of the drainage channel 5, and flows out of the washing machine 1. (see arrow Q2 in FIG. 15). Note that even if water enters each storage chamber 61A in the rotating body 61 of the cleaning unit 60 arranged in the capture chamber 41A, the water passes through the drain hole 69D of the bottom plate 69 of the storage chamber 61A. (See FIG. 8).

16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF of FIG. 14. FIG. In the cleaning unit 60, the two scraping members 62 are arranged point-symmetrically with the central axis K as a reference. Therefore, the brushes 76 of these scraping members 62 protrude from the openings 61B of the corresponding accommodating chambers 61A in the rotor 61 in the opposite direction.

Each scraping member 62 in FIG. In the scraping member 62 at the advanced position, the brush 76 is in contact with one point on the circumference of the inner peripheral surface portion 46A over substantially the entire area in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. By sliding in the slide direction T, each scraping member 62 can be retracted to a retracted position (not shown) away from the inner peripheral surface portion 46A of the tubular portion 46 . In the scraping member 62 at the retracted position, the brush 76 is moved radially inward R1 from the entire inner peripheral surface portion 46A.

Thus, each scraping member 62 is slidable along the slide direction T between the advanced position and the retracted position. Each scraping member 62 is biased toward the advanced position by the biasing member 81 described above.

The center axis K, which is the center of rotation of the cleaning unit 60, is not positioned on the extension line of each scraping member 62 in the sliding direction T, and the extension line is slightly shifted from the center axis K in the radial direction R. . Therefore, the slide direction T does not coincide with the radial direction R extending from the central axis K when viewed from the front-rear direction Y, which is the axial direction of the cleaning unit 60 . In each scraping member 62 in this case, two intersection angles α and β. The intersection angle α is acute and the intersection angle β is obtuse.

When the driving portion 31 operates and torque is transmitted to the rotating body 61, the entire cleaning unit 60 rotates. Specifically, the cleaning unit 60 moves in one direction S1 in the circumferential direction S, in this embodiment, in the opposite direction when viewed from the front, so that the area forming the crossing angle α advances ahead of the area forming the crossing angle β. Rotate clockwise.

Then, in the cleaning unit 60, the scraping members 62 in the advanced position rotate together with the rotating body 61, and the brushes 76 of the scraping members 62 slide against the inner peripheral surface 46A of the cylindrical portion 46. , scrapes foreign matter from the inner peripheral surface portion 46A. At this time, the brush 76 obliquely slides against the inner peripheral surface 46A so as to flutter in the direction opposite to the one direction S1, so that the resistance of the brush 76 to the inner peripheral surface 46A can be reduced.

In this embodiment, as an example, the cleaning unit 60 rotates twice per second. In this case, since a plurality of, specifically two, scraping members 62 scrape foreign matter from the inner peripheral surface 46A, the inner peripheral surface 46A is efficiently cleaned, and the rotation balance of the cleaning unit 60 is improved. be able to.

As the cleaning unit 60 rotates, the brush 76 of the scraping member 62 reaches the communication port 49B of the cylindrical portion 46, and the scraping member 62 advances further from the advanced position as shown in FIG. The brush 76 enters the communication port 49B. Then, as shown in FIG. 18, both ends of the brush 76 in the front-rear direction Y push the protrusions 53B of the opening/closing member 53 in the closed position, so that the opening/closing member 53 moves radially outward R2 and finally Specifically, it is placed at the open position shown in FIG. 19 to open the communication port 49B.

As a result, the foreign matter scraped off by the brush 76 is pushed into the storage chamber 48A through the communication port 49B and accumulated in the storage chamber 48A (see arrow Q3 in FIG. 19). After that, as shown in FIG. 20, when the brush 76 passes through the convex portion 53B, the opening/closing member 53 is returned to the closed position by the biasing member 55. As shown in FIG. As a result, foreign matter can be prevented from flowing back from the storage chamber 48A to the capture chamber 41A.

A pushing member 85 shown in FIG. The pushing member 85 is provided, for example, at the rear end of the lower edge 49D of the communication port 49B, and protrudes into the capture chamber 41A (see FIG. 5). FIG. 21 shows a cross section of the filter unit 10 at a position where the pushing member 85 can be seen at approximately the same timing as in FIG. At this time, the pushing member 85 is positioned downstream in the one direction S1 from the brush 76 that has entered the communication port 49B.

When the opening/closing member 53 moves to the open position in accordance with the rotation of the cleaning unit 60, the pushing member 85 passes through the notch 63A provided in the side plate 63 nearest to the rotating body 61 and scrapes as shown in FIG. Contact with the projection 80 (see FIG. 10) at the rear end portion of the rail portion 75 of the member 62 starts from the radially outer side R2, specifically the upper side Z1. After that, when the cleaning unit 60 rotates further, as shown in FIG. 23, the pushing member 85 pushes the convex portion 80 from the radial outer side R2, thereby pushing the scraping member 62 toward the retracted position. Then, as shown in FIG. 24, when the pushing member 85 further presses the convex portion 80, the brush 76 of the scraping member 62 escapes from the communicating port 49B to the radially inner side R1.

In this manner, the pushing member 85 forcibly pushes the scraping member 62 immediately before passing through the communication port 49B toward the retracted position. As a result, the scraping member 62 can be prevented from being caught on the lower edge 49D of the communication port 49B, so that the scraping member 62 can be continuously rotated smoothly.

As described above, the foreign matter captured by the inner peripheral surface portion 46A of the cylindrical portion 46 is moved to the storage chamber 48A without remaining in the capture chamber 41A. It is possible to suppress an increase in the amount of foreign matter in. As a result, the inner peripheral surface portion 46A of the cylindrical portion 46 can be kept clean for a long time, so that the net 52 of the inner peripheral surface portion 46A is quickly clogged and the deterioration of the water flow in the drainage channel 5 can be suppressed. Therefore, clogging of the filter 41 can be suppressed, and a smooth flow of water in the drainage channel 5 can be ensured.

In addition, since the scraping member 62 is urged by the urging member 81 toward the advanced position closer to the inner peripheral surface 46A of the cylindrical portion 46, the brush 76 of the scraping member 62 is constantly pressed against the inner peripheral surface 46A. . Therefore, even if there is some error in the relative position between the scraping member 62 and the inner peripheral surface 46A of the tubular portion 46, the scraping member 62 effectively removes the foreign matter from the inner peripheral surface 46A of the tubular portion 46 by means of the brush 76. It can be scraped off and pushed into the storage chamber 48A through the communication port 49B.

Further, when the scraping member 62 passes through another communication port 49C that communicates the capture chamber 41A and the storage chamber 48A in the cylindrical portion 46, water in the capture chamber 41A flows into the storage chamber 48A from the communication port 49C. (see arrow Q4 in FIG. 24). Then, the foreign matter in the storage chamber 48A is pushed deep into the storage chamber 48A by the downward water flow flowing into the storage chamber 48A. This makes it possible to secure a space for accommodating subsequent foreign matter in the storage chamber 48A. Furthermore, since the mesh 52 is arranged in the communication port 49C, it is possible to prevent the foreign matter in the storage chamber 48A from floating and returning from the communication port 49C to the capture chamber 41A.

As maintenance, the user can detach the filter device 21 from the case 20, open the lid 45 to the open position, and remove foreign matter in the storage chamber 48A (see FIG. 5). Since all the foreign matters captured by the filter device 21 are concentrated in the storage chamber 48A, the user only needs to remove the foreign matter in the storage chamber 48A. Therefore, maintenance is very easy. After completing the maintenance, the user closes the lid 45 to the closed position and then attaches the filter device 21 (see FIGS. 4 and 6) to the case 20 .

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. For example, there may be a configuration in which the opening/closing member 53 described above is omitted.

1 washing machine 5 drainage channel 7 washing tub 20 case 20A internal space 21 filter device 31 drive unit 41 filter 41A capture chamber 46 cylindrical portion 46A inner peripheral surface portion 47F intake port 48A storage chamber 49B communication port 49C another communication port 52 net 52A Filter Hole 61 Rotating Body 62 Scraping Member 81 Biasing Member 84 Connecting Part 85 Pushing Member K Center Axis L Laundry P Attachment/Detachment Direction

Claims (5)

A tubular portion provided with a cylindrical inner peripheral surface portion and arranged in a drainage channel of a washing machine, a trapping chamber partitioned in the tubular portion by the inner peripheral surface portion, and a trapping chamber for trapping water flowing through the drainage channel. and a plurality of filter holes distributed on the inner peripheral surface portion, wherein after being taken into the capture chamber from the intake port, the a filter that captures foreign matter contained in water flowing out to the inner peripheral surface portion;
a rotating body that rotates around the central axis of the inner peripheral surface;
a scraping member disposed in the capturing chamber and rotating together with the rotating body to scrape foreign matter from the inner peripheral surface;
a storage chamber arranged outside the cylinder,
The filter device, wherein the cylindrical portion is provided with a communication port that allows communication between the capture chamber and the storage chamber. The scraping member is slidable between an advanced position approaching the inner peripheral surface and a retracted position away from the inner peripheral surface,
2. The filter device according to claim 1, further comprising a biasing member biasing said scraping member toward said advanced position. 3. The filter device according to claim 2, further comprising a pushing member that pushes the scraping member toward the retracted position just before passing through the communication port. 4. The cylinder according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cylindrical portion is provided with another communication port that communicates between the capture chamber and the storage chamber, and a net arranged in the another communication port. filter device. A case provided with a washing tub for storing laundry, a drainage channel connected to the washing tub, and an internal space constituting a part of the drainage channel, according to any one of claims 1 to 4. and a washing machine comprising:
The filter device is detachable from the case, and the filter is arranged in the internal space when the filter device is attached,
the central axis is parallel to the attachment/detachment direction of the filter device with respect to the case;
a drive that generates torque;
a connecting portion that connects the rotating body to the driving portion in response to attachment of the filter device to the case.

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