JP2023067004A - Clothing automatic washing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a device capable of automatically washing clothing simply, efficiently and effectively.SOLUTION: A clothing automatic washing device includes a clothing storage chamber 4 for storing clothing in a suspended state in a housing 2. A clothing washing mechanism 9 has a head movement device 30 for moving a washing head 20 in three directions. A monitor 5 capable of specifying a washing object portion of clothing is on an outer surface of the housing 2. A control device 10 executes: suction treatment for moving only a suction motor 44, and for moving the washing head 20 across the whole area or part of the clothing in a state where a wiping port 24 is adsorbed to the clothing; and portion washing treatment for moving both a water supply pump 41 and the suction motor 44, and for moving the washing head 20 only in the washing object portion of the clothing in a state where washing water is jetted while the wiping port 24 is adsorbed to the clothing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The disclosed technique relates to an automatic washing device suitable for general household use for clothes such as suits.

Many clothes such as suits cannot be washed in a domestic washing machine because they lose their shape and wrinkle. Therefore, cleaning of such garments is generally left to professional cleaners.

On the other hand, techniques for easily washing clothes at home have been studied. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a clothes washing apparatus capable of automatically washing such clothes as a whole.

Specifically, the vertically long case of the clothes washing apparatus is provided with a storage section that stores the clothes in a state in which they are hung from a hanger. There is a clothes washing unit that sprays the clothes. The clothes washing part has a horizontally long ejection part and a recovery part that are arranged to face each other with the clothes sandwiched therebetween.

The injection part has a plurality of injection holes arranged at regular intervals in the horizontal direction. At the time of washing, washing water is jetted toward the clothes from these injection ports, and the collecting part collects the washing water that has passed through the clothes while they move up and down.

A mode (mode 2) is also disclosed in which the clothes washing section further has a suction pump so that the collecting section can suck the washing water.

JP 2018-143744 A

The clothes washing apparatus of Patent Document 1 has room for improvement and is not easy to put into practical use.

For example, in the clothes washing apparatus of Patent Document 1, the washing water must be sprayed so that the washing water hits the entire width of the clothes. There is It is also difficult to spray the washing water so that it hits the entire width of the clothes evenly.

In addition, although the width of the clothes is usually different between the top and bottom, the washing water is sprayed so that the washing water hits the entire width of the clothes, that is, the range wider than the maximum width of the clothes. , Some of the washing water does not hit the clothes and is collected as it is. In other words, there is wasted injection of washing water.

Even in a mode in which the recovery unit sucks the wash water, the wash water may be directly sucked without passing through the clothes, which promotes waste of the wash water. A relatively large tank for storing the wash water is also required in order to properly collect the wash water and ensure the necessary circulation rate.

The wash water that hits the clothes and does not pass through the clothes stays on the clothes and drips. As a result, stains and the like are likely to occur on the lower portion of the clothing, since the washing water and the dirt collect on the lower portion of the clothing. It's hard to dry because the whole clothes are soaked with water. Therefore, the clothes washing apparatus of Patent Document 1 has room for improvement and is not easy to put into practical use.

On the other hand, everyday stains on clothes such as suits include stains (attached stains) formed by the adhesion of hair loss, dander, dust, etc. to the surface of the clothing, and stains formed by stains such as source stains soaking into the clothing. There is a stain (stain stain).

In the case of adhered dirt, if washing water is sprayed as in the clothes washing apparatus of Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the wet dirt will adhere firmly to the clothes. In the case of outerwear such as suits, partial stains (partial stains), such as sauce stains, which are suddenly and locally heavily soiled, are likely to be washed. It is inefficient to wash the entire clothes against such partial stains as in the clothes washing apparatus of Patent Document 1. In addition, there is also a possibility that partial soiling may spread to the clothing.

An object of the technology disclosed is to provide an apparatus capable of automatically washing both the whole and partial stains on clothes easily, efficiently and effectively.

The disclosed technology relates to an automatic clothes washing apparatus capable of automatically washing clothes by housing the clothes in a housing and performing a predetermined operation.

The housing includes a clothes storage chamber that holds the clothes in a suspended state, a clothes washing mechanism that cleans the clothes, a control device that controls the operation of the clothes washing mechanism, and an operation device that operates the control device. And prepare.

The clothes washing mechanism is provided with a suction space communicating with the outside through a wiping port provided at the tip, and an injection nozzle is installed in the suction space so as to point to the wiping port. a washing head, a water supply pump that feeds washing water stored in a water supply tank through a water supply tube to the spray nozzle, a suction device that sucks the inside of the suction space through a pressure-resistant hose, and vertical, horizontal, and vertical movement of the inside of the clothes storage chamber. and a head moving device for moving the cleaning head in three forward and backward directions.

The operating device has a monitor on the housing that enables identification of a portion of the clothing to be washed. Then, the control device operates the suction device without operating the water supply pump in accordance with the operation of the operation device, and the washing is performed in a state in which the wiping port is adsorbed to a part of the clothing. a suction process in which the head is moved over the entire area or part of the clothing; and a partial washing process of moving the washing head only to a part of the clothes to be washed while the washing water is sprayed.

That is, according to this automatic clothes washing apparatus, the clothes can be washed by being stored in the clothes storage chamber in a suspended state, so that the clothes can be handled in the same way as a closet. Therefore, clothes can be washed easily. Since the part of the clothes to be washed can be identified by the monitor, only the parts of the clothes that are partially soiled can be selectively washed.

Furthermore, the clothes washing mechanism has a specific washing head capable of suction and jetting of washing water. In other words, the cleaning head wets the clothes with the cleaning water by sucking the clothes with the wiping port (that is, removing the attached dirt) and sucking the clothes with the wiping port while spraying the cleaning water. Alternatively, a process of sucking water contained in the clothes (that is, a process of removing stains) can be selectively performed. The latter process does not require a large amount of washing water, so it is possible to reduce the size of related equipment such as water supply tanks and wastewater tanks.

The cleaning head is configured to be movable in three directions, i.e., up and down, left and right, and forward and backward, inside the clothes storage chamber, so that each treatment can be performed on any part of the clothes including the entire clothes. You can do it freely.

In addition, it is possible to perform a suction process for sucking the entire area or part of the clothes, and a partial washing process for spraying washing water while sucking only the parts to be washed. The suction process can effectively remove adhering stains that cover the entire or part of the clothing. In the partial washing process, the washing water is sprayed only on the heavily soiled areas, and the washing is performed by suction while wetting the clothes. and can be effectively removed. Therefore, it is possible to easily, efficiently and effectively automatically wash both the whole and the partial stains of the clothes.

The suction device includes a suction motor that generates a suction force, a gas-liquid separation mechanism disposed between the suction motor and the pressure-resistant hose, and a drain tank that stores wastewater separated by the gas-liquid separation mechanism. It may be said that it has

Then, during the suction process, the sucked dust can be collected in the drain tank, and during the partial cleaning process, the cleaning water can be separated from the suctioned air containing the cleaning water and collected in the drain tank. Therefore, since it is only necessary to treat the wastewater, etc., accumulated in the wastewater tank, post-treatment after cleaning can be easily performed.

The control device does not operate the suction device during an ascending process of moving the cleaning head upward, and causes the wiping opening to come into contact with the clothes during a descending process of moving the cleaning head downward. The suction device may be operated in the state of

In this way, the clothes can be sucked and wiped off only while the clothes are being pulled, so that the clothes can be sucked in an appropriate state without supporting the clothes, and the occurrence of wrinkles and unraveling can be effectively prevented. can be suppressed.

In the process of moving the cleaning head in the left-right direction, the control device moves the cleaning head at a pitch equal to or less than the width of the wiping opening, and moves the cleaning head at the pitch until it reaches a target position in the left-right direction. The rising process and the falling process may be repeated every time.

By doing so, the wiping opening can be attracted to the entire area of the clothing in the left-right direction, and the clothing can be wiped without leakage.

The control device executes, following the lowering process, a retreating process of retreating the cleaning head so that the wiping opening is separated from the clothing, and following the lifting process, the wiping opening moves toward the clothing. An advancing step may be performed to advance the cleaning head into contact.

By doing so, when the cleaning head moves independently of cleaning, the cleaning head can be reliably separated from the clothes, and the clothes can be prevented from being adversely affected. Then, during washing, the washing head can be set to an optimum state in which the clothes can be properly sucked. Therefore, it can be washed effectively.

The housing further includes a camera for photographing the clothes in a suspended state, the monitor displays the clothes photographed by the camera, and the identification of the parts to be cleaned of the clothes is displayed on the monitor. It may be performed based on the garment that has been manufactured.

By doing so, the part to be cleaned can be specified based on the actual clothes to be cleaned. Since the parts to be cleaned can be specified with high accuracy, the number of parts to be cleaned can be minimized, and the partial cleaning process can be performed efficiently and effectively.

When performing the partial cleaning process, the control device may perform the suction process as a pretreatment of the partial cleaning process.

The suction process is a process for dealing with adhering stains due to fine dust such as dandruff and pollen, and the partial cleaning process is a process for dealing with partial stains (partial stains). Adhered dirt is preferably blotted against clothing. On the other hand, it is inefficient to wash the entire clothes with washing water for partial soiling. In addition, there is also a possibility that partial soiling may spread to the clothing. Therefore, for stains, it is preferable to wash only the target area of the garment.

In the case of adhered dirt, when washing water is sprayed, the wet dirt may adhere to the clothes and may be fixed by drying. On the other hand, if the partial cleaning process is performed after removing the attached stains, such problems can be alleviated and the clothes can be washed appropriately.

The lowering process of the partial cleaning process may be set such that the cleaning head moves slower than any other process including the lowering process of the suction process.

It takes a certain amount of time for the stain to fully dissolve in the wash water soaked into the clothes, and it also takes a certain amount of time to absorb all the dirty wash water. Therefore, by setting the movement of the cleaning head to be slow, the stain can be removed appropriately. Further, even if the cleaning speed is set to be slow, the range of movement of the cleaning head is limited to the portion to be cleaned, so the delay in processing time can be suppressed.

The cleaning head is detachably attached to the head moving device, and the operating device is operated to operate the suction device independently of the head moving device without operating the water supply pump. A suction process and a manual cleaning process that operates both the water supply pump and the suction device may be executable.

Depending on the shape of the clothes and the soiled parts (collar lining, lining, etc.), there are cases where the automatic washing process cannot be applied. On the other hand, if the cleaning head is made detachable so that manual suction processing and manual cleaning processing can be performed, the user can arbitrarily select and clean a part, so even such a case can be handled. . Therefore, the convenience of the automatic clothes washing apparatus is improved.

Two of the cleaning heads and the head moving devices may be installed in the clothes storage chamber so as to be positioned on both sides of the clothes.

That way, both sides of the garment can be washed at once. Processing time can be halved, and automatic cleaning processing can be performed in a short time, improving convenience.

It is preferable that the wiping openings are set so as not to overlap each other with the clothing sandwiched therebetween when the wiping openings are attached to the clothing.

When the wiping openings are attached to the clothing, if the wiping openings overlap each other with the clothing sandwiched therebetween, the clothing is attracted from both the front and back sides. As a result, an excessive suction force acts on the clothes, and wrinkles, unraveling, and even tearing may occur. Therefore, clothes can be automatically washed in an appropriate state.

According to the automatic laundry washing apparatus to which the disclosed technology is applied, both the entire and partial soiling of the clothing can be automatically washed easily, efficiently and effectively according to the type of soiling on the clothing. Therefore, it becomes possible to wash clothes such as suits, which are difficult to wash even at ordinary homes, thus improving convenience.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing an appearance of an automatic clothes washing device; FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view indicated by an arrow line A1a and a schematic cross-sectional view indicated by an arrow line A1b in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an immovable unit; It is a schematic diagram showing a cleaning head, a pressure-resistant hose, a hose connection port, and the like. 2 is a block diagram showing the relationship between a control device and its peripherals; FIG. It is an example of a display screen of a monitor. It is another example of the display screen of the monitor. 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of basic washing processing for clothes. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a suction process. 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of partial cleaning processing. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation|movement of the main automatic cleaning apparatuses in a suction process. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation|movement of the main automatic cleaning apparatuses in a suction process. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the main automatic cleaning device in the partial cleaning process; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the main automatic cleaning device in the partial cleaning process;

Embodiments of the disclosed technology will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the following description is merely exemplary in nature. The directions of front and back, left and right, and up and down used in the explanation are based on the automatic clothes washing apparatus. Also, the Z-axis direction, the X-axis direction, and the Y-axis direction used in the description respectively correspond to the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions.

<Structure of automatic clothes washing device>
1 and 2 illustrate an automatic clothes washing device 1 to which the technology disclosed is applied. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of an automatic clothes washing apparatus 1. FIG. FIG. F2a on the left side of FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view indicated by arrow line A1a in FIG. FIG. F2b on the right side of FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view indicated by arrow line A1b in FIG.

This automatic clothes washing apparatus 1 is configured to accommodate clothes corresponding to outerwear, such as suits, suits, shirts, and dresses, and perform predetermined operations to automatically wash these clothes. ing. The term "washing" as used herein is not limited to washing with washing water, and in a broader sense means removing stains attached to clothes.

The automatic clothes washing apparatus 1 has a rectangular box-shaped housing 2 made up of frames, panels, and the like, and is formed to look like a closet. A device room 3 is installed in the lower part of the housing 2 . Above the equipment room 3, a clothes storage room 4 for storing clothes in a suspended state is provided by partitioning the interior of the housing 2 with a floor panel 2a.

A pair of doors 2b, 2b are installed on the front surface of the housing 2 so as to swing open and close from side to side. By opening these doors 2b, 2b, the front surface of the clothes storage compartment 4 is opened. A monitor 5 capable of touch operation is installed on one door 2b. By the user operating the monitor 5, the automatic clothes washing apparatus 1 executes a predetermined washing process. That is, the monitor 5 constitutes an operating device.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the case of the automatic clothes washing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, a camera 6 is installed substantially at the central portion of the front and rear inner wall surfaces of the housing 2 facing the clothes storage chamber 4 . These cameras 6 are installed to photograph the front and rear surfaces of the clothes hung on hangers 8 . The type, number, arrangement, etc. of the cameras 6 can be changed according to the specifications. The point is that the front and rear surfaces of the clothes hung on the hanger 8 can be photographed.

As shown in FIG. 1, two tank entrances 2c and 2c are opened at the front of the equipment room 3 to enable the drain tank 42 and the water supply tank 40 to be taken in and out. Disposal of waste water stored in the waste water tank 42 and replenishment processing of cleaning water stored in the water supply tank 40 are performed through these tank inlets and outlets 2c, 2c.

As shown in FIG. 2, a hanging bar 7 is installed on the top of the clothes storage chamber 4 . The hooking bar 7 extends in the left-right direction while being positioned substantially in the front-back direction center of the clothes storage chamber 4 , and both ends thereof are attached to the left and right side surfaces of the housing 2 . A hooking portion 7a is provided at substantially the center of the hooking bar 7 in the left-right direction.

The clothing is positioned at a predetermined position in the clothing storage chamber 4 by hooking the hanger 8 on which the clothing is suspended to the hooking portion 7a. Specifically, the hanger 8 is arranged to extend in the left-right direction, and the clothes are accordingly positioned so as to face each other in the front-rear direction.

Inside the housing 2, as shown in F2a, a clothes washing mechanism 9 for washing clothes and a control device 10 for controlling the operation of the clothes washing mechanism 9 according to the operation on the monitor 5 are provided. The control device 10 is arranged in the equipment room 3 . The clothes washing mechanism 9 is composed of a movable unit 9A arranged in the clothes storage room 4 and a non-moving unit 9B arranged in the equipment room 3 .

In the case of the automatic laundry washing apparatus 1 shown in this embodiment, two movable units 9A are installed symmetrically in the front-rear direction (a front movable unit 9Af and a rear movable unit 9Ar), as indicated by F2b. The basic configuration of each of the front side movable unit 9Af and the rear side movable unit 9Ar is the same. Therefore, these will be collectively described as the movable unit 9A, except where they need to be distinguished.

The movable unit 9A is mainly composed of a cleaning head 20 and a head moving device 30. As shown in FIG. The cleaning head 20 is a device that directly acts on clothes to clean them, and is supported by a corresponding head moving device 30 . Hose connection ports 11 are provided at two locations on the floor panel 2a. The upper ends of pressure-resistant hoses 12 connected to these hose connection ports 11, 11 are connected to respective cleaning heads 20 (details of the cleaning heads 20, pressure-resistant hoses 12, etc. will be described later).

Each head moving device 30 is a device for moving the cleaning head 20 in three directions, i.e., up and down, left and right, and front and back inside the clothes storage chamber 4. It has a shaft slider 33 and a head support 34 . A pair of Y-axis sliders 31 , 31 are installed to extend vertically along the left and right side surfaces of the clothes storage chamber 4 . The Y-axis sliders 31, 31 of the front side movable unit 9Af are arranged near the front edge of the clothing storage chamber 4, and the Y-axis sliders 31, 31 of the rear side movable unit 9Ar are arranged near the rear edge of the clothing storage chamber 4. are placed.

Both ends of the X-axis slider 32 are supported by the Y-axis sliders 31, 31 while extending in the left-right direction. The Z-axis slider 33 extends in the front-rear direction, and one end thereof is supported by the X-axis slider 32 in a cantilever manner. A head support portion 34 is installed at the other end portion of the Z-axis slider 33 (the end portion protruding inward from the clothes storage chamber 4), and the cleaning head 20 is supported by the head support portion 34. there is

Each of the Y-axis slider 31, the X-axis slider 32, and the Z-axis slider 33 incorporates a device that constitutes a linear actuator, such as a ball screw and a servomotor (not shown). As a result, high-precision movement according to position control is possible, and the X-axis slider 32 slides vertically as indicated by an arrow Ay according to the operation of the actuator of the Y-axis slider 31 . The Z-axis slider 33 slides in the horizontal direction as indicated by an arrow Ax according to the actuation of the actuator of the X-axis slider 32 . The head support portion 34 slides in the front-rear direction as indicated by an arrow Az according to the operation of the actuator of the Z-axis slider 33 .

FIG. 3 shows the structure of the immovable unit 9B. F3a in FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the inside of the equipment room 3 viewed from above. F3b in FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view along arrow line A3a of F3a. F3c in FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view along arrow line A3b of F3a. In FIG. 3, the illustration of devices other than the stationary unit 9B is omitted.

The stationary unit 9B includes a water supply tank 40, a water supply pump 41, a drain tank 42, a gas-liquid separation mechanism 43, a suction motor 44 (an example of a suction device), and the like. The water supply tank 40 and the water discharge tank 42 are box-shaped containers capable of storing water, and are housed in the equipment room 3 in such a manner that they can be taken in and out as described above.

The inside of the water supply tank 40 is divided into two water storage areas corresponding to each of the movable units 9A. A water outlet 40a for taking out water stored in each water storage area is provided at the bottom of each water storage area. Each water outlet 40 a communicates with a water inlet of the water supply pump 41 via a relay tube 45 . The water supply pump 41 is an electric pump and is arranged behind the water supply tank 40 .

The water supply pump 41 has two water supply ports to which water supply tubes 46 are connected. When the water supply pump 41 operates, water stored in the water supply tank 40 is discharged at a predetermined pressure from either or both of these water supply ports.

A gas-liquid separation mechanism 43 is installed above the drain tank 42 . The gas-liquid separation mechanism 43 has two upstream gas-liquid separation chambers 43a, 43a formed corresponding to each of the movable units 9A. A downstream ventilation hole 43b communicating with the drain tank 42 is opened in the lower surface of each upstream gas-liquid separation chamber 43a. An upstream ventilation hole 43c communicating with the hose connection port 11 via an upstream suction duct 47 is opened in a side surface of each upstream gas-liquid separation chamber 43a.

A downstream gas-liquid separation chamber 43d communicating with the drain tank 42 is provided behind the two upstream gas-liquid separation chambers 43a, 43a. An air outlet port 43e opens on the rear surface of the downstream gas-liquid separation chamber 43d. The air outlet 43 e communicates with the suction port of the suction motor 44 via the downstream suction duct 48 . A filter 49 for trapping water and dust is detachably installed in the downstream suction duct 48 .

Air leakage occurs in the passage connecting the suction port of the suction motor 44 and the hose connection port 11, that is, the downstream side suction duct 48, the drain tank 42, the gas-liquid separation mechanism 43, and the upstream side suction duct 47. are hermetically connected to each other to prevent As a result, when the suction motor 44 operates, a suction force is generated in the hose connection port 11 .

(Washing head 20, etc.)
FIG. 4 shows the cleaning head 20, the pressure-resistant hose 12, the hose connection port 11, and the like. Fd of FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along arrow line A4, showing the internal structure of the cleaning head 20. FIG.

The pressure-resistant hose 12 has a double pipe structure, and a water supply tube 46 extending from the water supply pump 41 is inserted therein. Correspondingly, the lower portion of the floor panel 2a of the hose connection port 11 is provided with a tube introduction portion 11a that is bent in an L shape and connected to the upstream suction duct 47. As shown in FIG. Using the bent portion of the tube introduction portion 11a, the water supply tube 46 is inserted into the tube introduction portion 11a in a sealed state.

The cleaning head 20 has a head body portion 21 , a hose connection portion 22 and a wiping cover 23 . The head body portion 21 is made of a hollow resin molded product having a substantially L-shaped appearance when viewed from the side. The head body portion 21 has a gripping portion 21a formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and a protruding portion 21b that continues to the upper portion of the gripping portion 21a. The projecting portion 21b is formed so as to expand in the horizontal direction toward the distal end side.

A horizontally long rectangular wiping opening 24 is opened at the tip of the projecting portion 21b. A wiping cover 23 having a predetermined shape is attached to the wiping port 24 . The wiping cover 23 is composed of a mounting frame 23a having a rectangular frame shape mounted on the edge of the wiping port 24, and a mesh 23b covering the inside of the mounting frame 23a.

A lower end portion of the grip portion 21 a is integrated with the hose connection portion 22 . The hose connection portion 22 is connected to the upper end portion of the pressure-resistant hose 12 in a sealed state. Thereby, the space (suction space 21 c ) extending inside the head main body 21 communicates with the inside of the pressure-resistant hose 12 and also communicates with the outside of the head main body 21 through the wiping port 24 .

The cleaning head 20 is supported by the head supporting portion 34 in a state in which the grip portion 21a extends in the vertical direction and is positioned such that the wiping opening 24 faces in the front-rear direction.

A jet nozzle 25 is installed in the suction space 21 c so as to face the wiping port 24 . The injection nozzle 25 is fixed to a rib 21d provided on the inner wall surface of the projecting portion 21b. At the tip of the injection nozzle 25, an injection hole 25a for injecting cleansing water is provided. The cleaning water jetted from the jetting hole 25a is set so as to go toward the wiping port 24 while diffusing at a predetermined jetting angle.

A base end of the injection nozzle 25 is connected to a downstream end of a water supply pipe 26 through which cleansing water flows. A check valve 27 is installed in the water supply pipe 26 to prevent the washing water from flowing in the direction opposite to the injection direction. The upstream end of the water supply pipe 26 is arranged at the lower end of the grip portion 21 a and connected to the water supply tube 46 .

Therefore, when the suction motor 44 operates, the inside of the suction space 21c is sucked through the pressure hose 12. As shown in FIG. If there is clothing in the vicinity of the wiping opening 24 , the clothing is attracted to the wiping cover 23 . As a result, the dirt adhering to the clothes can be removed by suction. In such a state, when the water supply pump 41 operates, the washing water stored in the water supply tank 40 is sent to the injection nozzle 25 through the water supply tube 46 and is sprayed toward the wiping port 24 .

As a result, the cleaning water collides with the adsorption portion of the clothes, the adsorption portion of the clothes is wetted, and the cleaning water contained in the adsorption portion of the clothes is sucked into the suction space 21c. It can remove stains that have soaked into the adsorption part of clothes. Since the amount of washing water is small, it is not necessary to connect to a water supply or the like to supply water. The water supply tank 40 is also compact and can supply water easily.

The sucked dirt and cleaning water flow into the gas-liquid separation mechanism 43 through the pressure hose 12 and the upstream suction duct 47 . During the process of passing through the gas-liquid separation mechanism 43 , cleaning water (waste water) containing dust and dirt is separated from air and stored in the drain tank 42 . Since the amount of waste water is small, the waste water tank 42 is also compact and can be easily disposed of.

(Control device)
FIG. 5 shows a block diagram showing the relationship between the control device 10 and its peripheral devices. The control device 10 includes hardware such as a processor 10a, a memory 10b and an input/output device 10c, and software such as a control program and control data implemented in the memory 10b. In the control device 10, the hardware and software work together to execute predetermined processing related to the operation of the automatic clothes washing device 1. FIG.

Control device 10 is electrically connected to camera 6 , monitor 5 , water supply pump 41 , suction motor 44 and head moving device 30 . The control device 10 executes data input/output with these peripheral devices. For example, the camera 6 photographs clothing and outputs the image data to the control device 10 . The control device 10 outputs operation screen data necessary for operation to the monitor 5 and displays buttons and the like. The monitor 5 outputs operation data input by a touch operation to the control device 10 . Based on the operation data, the control device 10 controls the operations of the water supply pump 41, the suction motor 44, and the head moving device 30, and performs automatic washing processing according to the soiling of the clothes.

In other words, daily stains on clothes such as suits include stains (adhesive stains) formed by loose hair, dander, dust, etc. adhering to the surface of the clothing, and stains formed by sauce stains and the like soaking into the clothing. There is a stain (stain stain). The automatic clothes washing apparatus 1 is configured to automatically wash both the adhered stains and the stained stains efficiently and effectively.

Specifically, the controller 10 activates the suction motor 44 without activating the water supply pump 41 according to the operation of the monitor 5, and the cleaning is performed in a state in which the wiping port 24 is adsorbed to a part of the clothing. A process (suction process) of moving the head 20 over the entire area or a part of the clothes (suction process), and operating both the water supply pump 41 and the suction motor 44 to suck the wiping port 24 onto the part of the clothes while sucking the part of the clothes. A process (partial cleaning process) of moving the cleaning head 20 only to the part of the clothes to be cleaned is executed in a state in which the cleaning water is sprayed on the clothes.

The suction process is a process for dealing with adhered dirt, and the partial cleaning process is a process for dealing with stains. In the case of an outerwear such as a suit, stains that occur on a daily basis are stains that adhere to the outer surface of the entire garment or part of the garment, so it is preferable to absorb them. However, the adhered soil usually extends to the entire area of the clothing. Therefore, it is preferable to perform the suction process on the entire clothing to clean the adhered dirt.

On the other hand, stains that occur suddenly rarely spread to the entire clothing, and are often localized (so-called partial stains). It is inefficient to wash the entire clothes with wash water for such partial soiling. In addition, there is also a possibility that partial soiling may spread to the clothing. Therefore, it is preferable to carry out a partial washing process for washing only the target portion of the clothes for stains.

In particular, when performing the partial cleaning process, the control device 10 performs the suction process as a pretreatment for the partial cleaning process. That is, in the case of adhered dirt, when washing water is sprayed, the wet dirt may adhere to the clothes and may be fixed by drying. On the other hand, if the partial cleaning process is performed after removing the attached stains, such problems can be alleviated and the clothes can be washed appropriately.

(Specification of parts to be cleaned)
In order to perform the partial washing process, it is necessary to specify in advance the part of the clothing to be washed (the part to be washed). On the other hand, in the case of the automatic clothes washing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the clothes to be washed are photographed by the camera 6, the clothes are displayed on the monitor 5, and the clothes are washed based on the actual clothes displayed on the monitor 5. It is configured so that the target site can be specified.

FIG. 6A shows an example of a screen displayed on the monitor 5 when specifying a part of the clothes to be washed. The monitor 5 displays the clothes photographed by the camera 6 , that is, the clothes stored in the clothes storage chamber 4 while being hung from the hangers 8 . The stain is indicated with the symbol D. Note that the display in FIG. 6A is the front side of the clothing, and the back side of the clothing can be similarly displayed by switching the screen.

A plurality of division lines L are also displayed on the screen of the monitor 5 in a grid pattern, and these division lines L divide the garment into a plurality of parts (subdivided parts). The user selects a subdivided site (area indicated by an arrow R in FIG. 6A) including partial dirt from among these subdivided sites and touches the screen of the monitor 5 . As a result, the subdivided portion is specified as a portion to be cleaned, and the data thereof is output to control device 10 .

Note that a plurality of cleaning target sites may be identified. It is preferable that the user can arbitrarily adjust the division number of the subdivision portion. Alternatively, the display of the subdivided sites may be omitted, and the user may touch the partially soiled site itself to specify the site and its peripheral sites as the site to be cleaned.

Alternatively, the display of the actual clothes may be omitted, and a simple model M representing the clothes may be displayed on the monitor 5 so that the user can specify the part to be cleaned based on the model M. An example of the display screen is shown in FIG. 6B. Similar to the display in FIG. 6A, the partition lines L divide the model M into a plurality of subdivided parts.

The user selects a subdivided portion including partial dirt from among these subdivided portions and touches the screen of the monitor 5 . In this case, there is an advantage that the installation of the camera 6 or the like can be omitted, although the accuracy of specifying the cleaning target site is lowered.

<Operation of automatic clothes washing device>
The washing processing of clothes performed by the automatic clothes washing apparatus 1 and the accompanying operation of the automatic clothes washing apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 7 exemplifies the flow of the basic clothes washing process performed by the control device 10 . FIG. 8 illustrates the flow of suction processing. FIG. 9 illustrates the flow of the partial cleaning process.

10 and 11 illustrate main operations of the automatic laundry washing apparatus 1 in the suction process. 12 and 13 illustrate main operations of the automatic clothes washing apparatus 1 in the partial washing process. The front movable unit 9Af and the rear movable unit 9Ar each operate in conjunction with each other at the same time. are omitted. Among the diagrams showing each process, the diagram on the left side is a diagram viewed from the front, and the diagram on the right side is a diagram viewed from the right side.

F10a in FIG. 10 represents the initial state of the head moving device 30. FIG. The X-axis slider 32 is positioned at its lower limit position, the Z-axis slider 33 is positioned at its left limit position, and the head support portion 34 is positioned at its front limit position. The origin of the head support portion 34 is set at the left front lower corner of the clothes storage chamber 4 where the cleaning head 20 is separated from the clothes. Similarly, the origin of the head support portion 34 of the rear movable unit 9Ar is set at the left rear lower corner of the clothing storage chamber 4 .

The user hangs the dirty clothes on the hanger 8 and stores them in the clothes storage room 4, closes the door 2b, and starts the operation of the automatic clothes washing apparatus 1. - 特許庁Then, the control device 10 acquires the position information of the clothing by processing the image data of the clothing input from the camera 6 . The control device 10 also requests the user to input whether or not there is partial contamination through the monitor 5 .

As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, when the controller 10 determines that there is no partial contamination (No in step S1), it performs the suction process (step S2). On the other hand, when the control device 10 determines that there is partial soiling (Yes in step S1), the control device 10 processes the image data of the clothing and displays the image of the clothing as shown in FIG. 6A on the monitor 5 (step S3). .

As a result, the user can specify the subdivided portion, so the user selects the subdivided portion including the partial dirt and touches the screen of the monitor 5 . If a subdivided portion is specified (Yes in step S4), the control device 10 identifies the subdivided portion as a cleaning target portion (step S5). Since it can be specified based on the actual display of the clothes, the parts to be cleaned can be specified with high accuracy.

Then, the control device 10 executes a suction process as preprocessing (step S6), and then executes a partial cleaning process (step S7). When the suction process or the partial cleaning process is completed, the control device 10 notifies with a buzzer or the like, thereby completing the automatic cleaning process.

Note that the front side movable unit 9Af and the rear side movable unit 9Ar display the front side or the rear side of the clothes by switching the screen of the monitor 5, so the washing process is performed individually based on the instructions therefor. For example, when only the front surface of the clothes is partially soiled, the rear movable unit 9Ar performs only the suction process. When there is partial soiling on both the front and back surfaces of the clothing, both the front movable unit 9Af and the rear movable unit 9Ar perform partial cleaning processing according to the respective partial soiling.

(Suction process)
Based on the position information of the clothes, the control device 10 specifies the movement target positions, which are the boundaries of the movement ranges in the vertical and horizontal directions, in which the cleaning head 20 can properly absorb the clothes. The movement target position specified on the left side is the movement start position in the X-axis direction. If the camera 6 is not provided, the clothing position information cannot be obtained.

Then, as indicated by F10a in FIGS. 8 and 10, when the suction process is started, the controller 10 operates the X-axis slider 32 until it reaches the specified movement start position in the X-axis direction. 20 is moved to the right (Yes in step S10). Subsequently, the Y-axis slider 31 is operated to move (raise) the cleaning head 20 to the specified upper target position in the Y-axis direction (step S11).

When the cleaning head 20 reaches the upper target position in the Y-axis direction, the controller 10 operates the Z-axis slider 33 to move (advance) the cleaning head 20 to the target position, as indicated by F10b in FIG. (Step S12). The target position in the Z-axis direction is a position in which the wiping port 24 is positioned near the clothes and can properly adsorb the clothes, and is set in the control device 10 in advance.

When the cleaning head 20 reaches the target position in the Z-axis direction, the controller 10 operates the suction motor 44 (step S13), as shown in FIG. As a result, the clothes are adsorbed to the wiping port 24, and the dirt adhered to the adsorption portion is collected in the drain tank 42 through the suction space 21c and the pressure hose 12.例文帳に追加

Then, the controller 10 operates the Y-axis slider 31 at a predetermined wiping speed to move (lower) it to the target position as indicated by F10c in FIG. 10 (step S14). As a result, the dirt adhering to the clothes in the vertical direction can be removed by the width of the wiping port 24 .

When the cleaning head 20 reaches the lower target position in the Y-axis direction, the control device 10 stops the suction motor 44, operates the Z-axis slider 33, and moves the cleaning head 20, as indicated by F10d in FIG. Move (retreat) to the original position (step S15). As a result, the suction force is lost and the wiping port 24 is separated from the clothes, so that unnecessary force is not applied to the clothes and the occurrence of wrinkles and unraveling can be suppressed.

The control device 10 determines whether or not the movement end position in the X-axis direction, that is, the movement target position specified on the right side has been reached (step S16). If the movement end position in the X-axis direction has not been reached (No in step S16), the control device 10 operates the X-axis slider 32 to move the cleaning head 20, as indicated by F11a in FIG. It is moved rightward at a predetermined pitch P (step S17). The predetermined pitch P is set within the width of the wiping port 24 or less. As a result, the wiping opening 24 can be attached to the entire clothing, and the clothing can be wiped without leakage.

Then, the Y-axis slider 31 is operated to move (raise) to the upper target position in the Y-axis direction, and the processing from step S11 is repeated. That is, as indicated by F11a to F11d in FIG. 11, each time the pitch P is moved, the above-described ascending process, advancing process, descending process, and retreating process are repeatedly executed.

In the lowering process of moving the cleaning head 20 from above, the suction motor 44 is operated while the wiping opening 24 is in contact with the clothes. On the other hand, the suction motor 44 is not operated during the ascending process of moving the cleaning head 20 from the bottom to the top. Therefore, the hanging clothes are wiped off only while they are being pulled, so that the clothes can be adsorbed in an appropriate state, and the occurrence of wrinkles and unraveling can be effectively suppressed.

Then, when the movement end position in the X-axis direction is reached (Yes in step S16), the wiping port 24 is attracted to the entire area of the clothes, that is, the removal of the adhered dirt is completed. 10 operates the X-axis slider 32 to return the cleaning head 20 to the origin position (step S18). The suction process is thereby terminated.

The rear movable unit 9Ar also operates at the same time as the front movable unit 9Af, and suction processing is performed on both the front and rear surfaces of the clothes. However, when the wiping openings 24 are attached to the clothes, the wiping openings 24 are set so as not to overlap with the clothes in between. Specifically, one cleaning head 20 is set to follow the movement of the other cleaning head 20 with a delay so that the wiping openings 24 do not overlap each other.

When the wiping openings 24 are attached to the clothes and the wiping openings 24 overlap each other with the clothes sandwiched therebetween, the clothes are attracted from both the front and back sides. As a result, an excessive suction force acts on the clothing, and wrinkles, unraveling, and possibly tearing may occur. On the other hand, if one of the cleaning heads 20 is set to follow the movement of the other cleaning head 20 with a delay so that the wiping openings 24 do not overlap each other in the front and back direction, a simple control of just providing a time difference can be performed. Thus, the overlapping of the wiping openings 24 can be reliably prevented.

(Partial cleaning process)
After removing all or part of the attached dirt from the clothing by the suction process, the partial washing process is performed. As indicated by F12a in FIG. 12, the partial cleaning process is started with the cleaning head 20 positioned at the origin position. In the partial cleaning process, unlike the suction process, a predetermined process is performed only on the specified cleaning target site.

Therefore, the left end of the cleaning target site becomes the movement start position in the X-axis direction. As shown in F12a in FIGS. 9 and 12, when the partial cleaning process is started, the controller 10 operates the X-axis slider 32 until it reaches the movement start position, and moves the cleaning head 20 to the right. (Yes in step S20). Subsequently, the Y-axis slider 31 is actuated to move (raise) the cleaning head 20 to the upper target position in the Y-axis direction corresponding to the upper end of the site to be cleaned (step S21).

When the cleaning head 20 reaches the upper target position in the Y-axis direction, the controller 10 operates the Z-axis slider 33 to move (advance) the cleaning head 20 to the target position, as indicated by F12b in FIG. (Step S22).

When the cleaning head 20 reaches the target position in the Z-axis direction, the controller 10 operates both the suction motor 44 and the water supply pump 41 (step S23), as shown in FIG. As a result, the clothes are adsorbed to the wiping port 24, and the suction portion of the clothes is wetted by the injection of the cleansing water.

If there is stain on the adsorption site of the clothes, the stain will dissolve in the washing water that has soaked into the clothes. Dirty cleansing water contained in the adsorption portion of the clothes is collected in the drain tank 42 through the suction space 21c and the pressure hose 12 by the action of the suction force. Since most of the sprayed washing water is recovered in the drain tank 42, it is possible to effectively prevent the clothes storage chamber 4 from being soiled with the washing water.

Then, the control device 10 operates the Y-axis slider 31 at a predetermined cleaning speed, and moves (lowers) to the lower target position corresponding to the lower end of the part to be cleaned, as indicated by F12c in FIG. (step S24). As a result, stains on the clothes in the vertical direction can be removed by the width of the wiping port 24 .

The descending process of this partial cleaning process is set so that the cleaning head 20 moves slower than any other process including the descending process of the suction process.

That is, the cleaning speed is set slower than the wiping speed and other moving speeds of the cleaning head 20 . It takes a certain amount of time for the stain to fully dissolve in the washing water, and it also takes a certain amount of time to suck up all the dirty washing water. Therefore, if the washing speed is fast, stains may remain, but by setting the washing speed to be slow, the stains can be properly removed. Further, even if the cleaning speed is set to be slow, the range of movement of the cleaning head 20 is limited to the portion to be cleaned, so the delay in processing time can be suppressed.

When the cleaning head 20 reaches the lower target position in the Y-axis direction, the controller 10 stops both the suction motor 44 and the water supply pump 41, and operates the Z-axis slider 33, as indicated by F12d in FIG. and move (retreat) the cleaning head 20 to its original position (step S25).

The control device 10 determines whether or not the movement end position in the X-axis direction, that is, the movement target position specified on the right side (the right end of the part to be cleaned) is reached (step S26). Then, if the movement end position in the X-axis direction has not been reached (No in step S26), the control device 10 operates the X-axis slider 32 to move the cleaning head 20, as indicated by F13a in FIG. It is moved rightward at a predetermined pitch P (step S27).

After moving (raising) to the upper target position in the Y-axis direction, the cleaning head 20 is moved (advanced) to the target position as shown in F13b of FIG. 13, and the processing from step S21 is repeated. That is, each time the pitch P is moved, the above-described ascending process, advancing process, descending process, and retreating process are repeatedly executed.

Then, when the movement end position in the X-axis direction is reached (Yes in step S26), it means that partial cleaning has been completed for the entire area to be cleaned. (step S28).

Then, if there is another part to be cleaned (No in step S28), the control device 10 executes a series of processes from step S20 onward for that part to be cleaned. On the other hand, if there is no other site to be cleaned (Yes in step S28), the control device 10 operates the X-axis slider 32 to return the cleaning head 20 to the origin position (step S29). This completes the partial cleaning process.

The rear movable unit 9Ar also operates simultaneously with the front movable unit 9Af, and the front and rear surfaces of the clothes are partially washed. However, as in the suction process, when the wiping openings 24 are attached to the clothes, the wiping openings 24 are set so as not to overlap with the clothes in between. Specifically, when the parts to be cleaned overlap front and back, one cleaning head 20 follows the movement of the other cleaning head 20 with a delay so that the wiping openings 24 do not overlap front and back. is set to

(Modification)
The cleaning head 20 is preferably detachably attached to the head support portion 34 . For example, the head support part 34 may be composed of a pair of arms that sandwich the lower part of the cleaning head 20 from both left and right sides, and by pressing into these arms, the lower part of the cleaning head 20 may be fitted and supported by both arms. should be Since the cleaning head 20 is connected to a relatively long and flexible pressure-resistant hose 12, it can be freely operated by removing it from the head support portion 34. - 特許庁

Then, the control device 10 is set to a manual operation mode corresponding to each of the sticking dirt and the staining. That is, a process (manual suction process) of operating the suction motor 44 without operating the water supply pump 41 in a state independent of the head moving device 30, that is, in a state in which the head moving device 30 is not operated, by a touch operation on the monitor 5. , the process of operating both the water supply pump 41 and the suction motor 44 (manual cleaning process).

Depending on the shape of the clothes and the soiled parts (collar lining, lining, etc.), there are cases where the automatic cleaning process described above cannot be used. On the other hand, if the cleaning head 20 can be detached from the head support portion 34 and each of the manual suction process and the manual cleaning process can be performed, the user can arbitrarily select and clean a site. It can handle any case. Therefore, the convenience of the automatic clothes washing apparatus 1 is improved.

Note that the technology disclosed is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various other configurations.

In the above-described embodiment, the automatic clothes washing apparatus 1 in which two of the washing head 20, the head moving device 30, the camera 6, etc. are installed in the clothes accommodating chamber 4 is illustrated. When one washing machine is installed and both sides of the clothes are washed, the direction of the clothes stored in the clothes storage chamber 4 may be changed.

Instead of the camera 6, a dirt detection sensor capable of detecting dirt, such as an infrared sensor, may be attached to the head support section 34, and the cleaning target site may be specified based on the detection value of the dirt detection sensor. Then, when the suction process is executed, the dirt detection sensor can scan the entire area of the clothing to detect the dirt, so the dirt on the clothes can be detected with high accuracy with a relatively simple configuration.

If the clothes washing mechanism 9 has a function of injecting steam (heated atomized washing water), a steam injection process of injecting steam onto the stain for a predetermined time while sucking is performed before the partial washing process. may That way, the stains can be removed more effectively.

1 automatic clothes washing device 2 housing 3 equipment room 4 clothes storage room 5 monitor (operating device)
6 Camera 7 Hanging bar 8 Hanger 9 Clothes washing mechanism 9A Movable unit 9B Immovable unit 10 Control device 12 Pressure-resistant hose 20 Washing head 21 Head body 21c Suction space 23 Wiping cover 24 Wiping port 25 Injection nozzle 30 Head moving device 34 Head support 40 Water supply tank 41 Water supply pump 42 Drainage tank 43 Gas-liquid separation mechanism 44 Suction motor (suction device)
46 water supply tube

Claims (11)

An automatic clothes washing apparatus capable of automatically washing the clothes by storing the clothes in a housing and performing a predetermined operation,
The housing is
a clothing storage chamber that stores the clothing in a suspended state;
a clothes washing mechanism for washing the clothes;
a control device for controlling the operation of the clothes washing mechanism;
an operating device for operating the control device;
with
The clothes washing mechanism
a cleaning head having a suction space communicating with the outside through a wiping port provided at its tip, and a jet nozzle installed in the suction space so as to point toward the wiping port;
a water supply pump for supplying wash water stored in a water supply tank to the injection nozzle through a water supply tube;
a suction device for sucking the inside of the suction space through a pressure-resistant hose;
a head moving device for moving the cleaning head in three directions, i.e., up and down, left and right, and front and back inside the clothes storage chamber;
has
The operation device has a monitor in the housing that enables identification of a part of the clothing to be washed,
According to the operation of the operating device, the control device
a suction process in which the suction device is operated without operating the water supply pump, and the cleaning head is moved over the entire area or part of the clothing while the wiping port is attached to a portion of the clothing; ,
Both the water supply pump and the suction device are operated to cause the wiping port to adhere to the part of the clothes while the washing water is sprayed onto the part of the clothes, and the washing head is used to wash the clothes. A partial cleaning process in which only the target part is moved,
An automatic clothes washing device that runs In the automatic clothes washing device according to claim 1,
The suction device is
a suction motor that generates a suction force;
a gas-liquid separation mechanism disposed between the suction motor and the pressure-resistant hose;
a drainage tank for storing drainage separated by the gas-liquid separation mechanism;
An automatic clothes washing device having In the automatic clothes washing device according to claim 1 or 2,
The control device is
The suction device is not actuated in the ascending process of moving the cleaning head from bottom to top, and the suction is performed while the wiping port is in contact with the clothes in the descending process of moving the cleaning head from top to bottom. An automatic clothes washing device that activates the device. In the automatic clothes washing device according to claim 3,
In the process of moving the cleaning head in the left-right direction, the control device moves the cleaning head at a pitch equal to or less than the width of the wiping opening, and moves the cleaning head at the pitch until it reaches a target position in the left-right direction. The automatic clothes washing apparatus repeats the ascending process and the descending process each time. In the automatic clothes washing device according to claim 4,
The control device executes, following the lowering process, a retreating process of retreating the cleaning head so that the wiping opening is separated from the clothing, and following the lifting process, the wiping opening moves toward the clothing. An automatic laundry washing machine for performing an advancing step of advancing said washing head into contact. In the automatic clothes washing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The housing further comprises a camera for photographing the clothes in a suspended state,
the monitor displays the clothing photographed by the camera;
An automatic clothes washing apparatus, wherein a part of the clothes to be washed is specified based on the clothes displayed on the monitor. In the automatic clothes washing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The automatic laundry washing apparatus, wherein when the partial washing process is executed, the control device executes the suction process as a pretreatment of the partial washing process. In the automatic clothes washing device according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
The automatic laundry washing apparatus, wherein the lowering process of the partial washing process is set so that the washing head moves slower than any other processes including the lowering process of the suction process. In the automatic clothes washing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The cleaning head is detachably attached to the head moving device,
Manual suction processing in which the suction device is operated without operating the water supply pump and manual cleaning in which both the water supply pump and the suction device are operated independently of the head moving device by operating the operating device. automatic clothes washing machine capable of processing and In the automatic clothes washing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
An automatic clothes washing apparatus, wherein two of the washing heads and the head moving devices are installed in the clothes storage chamber so as to be positioned on both sides of the clothes. In the automatic clothes washing device according to claim 10,
The automatic washing device for clothes, wherein when the wiping openings are attached to the clothes, the wiping openings are set so as not to overlap each other with the clothes sandwiched therebetween.

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