JP2024053306A - Dehydrator - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a dehydrator that reduces the burden on a frame supporting an electric motor and suppresses vibration and noise caused by vibration. [Solution] A dehydrator 1 includes a case 2 that covers the outside of the device body, an internal container 3 that is disposed inside the case 2 and is formed of a cylindrical body with an open top, a dehydration basket 5 that is disposed inside the internal container 3 and into which objects are placed, a lid 4 that is attached to the top of the case 2 so as to be freely opened and closed and that covers the top opening of the internal container 3, an electric motor 7 that is connected to the dehydration basket 5 and drives it to rotate, and a frame 8 that supports the electric motor 7 and is fixed inside the case 2 via a support means 11, and the electric motor 7 is disposed along the axial direction A and is supported by the frame 8 via vibration isolation means 11 having an elastic body. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a dehydrator that reduces the load on the frame that supports the electric motor and suppresses vibration and noise caused by vibration.

Sports gyms and swimming schools are equipped with dehydrators that can quickly dehydrate wet swimsuits and other items.

If the items to be dried are unevenly distributed inside the basket during dehydration, the basket will become more eccentric as it rotates, causing vibrations and noise.

In a conventional dehydrator, a dehydrating basket with an open top is placed inside a water receiving basin placed at the top of the machine body with an openable lid on the top, and the support shaft of the dehydrating basket is connected to a drive motor placed under the bottom of the water receiving basin. A configuration has been disclosed in which the drive motor is supported on all four sides by anti-seismic means, which allows for faster drive motor speeds (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 5781901

Although the detailed configuration of the vibration-proofing means of the dehydrator shown in Patent Document 1 is unknown, it is expected that the vibration of the dehydrating basket or the drive motor connected thereto can be suppressed by the vibration-proofing means, and as a result, the noise emitted from the device can be reduced. However, since all of the vibration from the drive motor is directly transmitted to the frame connecting the drive motor and the vibration-proofing means before being absorbed by the vibration-proofing means, there is a problem that the frame is heavily burdened and noise is generated by the vibration of the frame. Furthermore, there is a problem that the vibration (vibration) of the frame is also transmitted to the main body of the device, causing vibration of the device itself and noise due to the vibration.

The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a dehydrator that places less strain on the frame that supports the electric motor and suppresses vibrations and noise caused by vibrations.

The dehydrator according to the present invention comprises a case that covers the outside of the device body, an internal container that is disposed inside the case and is formed of a cylindrical body with an open top, a dehydration basket that is disposed inside the internal container and into which objects are placed, a lid that is attached to the top of the case so as to be freely opened and closed and that covers the top opening of the internal container, an electric motor that is connected to the dehydration basket and drives it to rotate, and a frame that supports the electric motor and is fixed inside the case via a support means, and the electric motor is supported by the frame via vibration isolation means having an elastic body that is disposed along the axial direction.

In this way, in the present invention, the electric motor and the frame fixed inside the case are connected via vibration-proofing means arranged along the axial direction, so that the vibrations generated when the electric motor rotates the dehydrating basket can be absorbed by the vibration-proofing means before they are transmitted from the electric motor to the frame, reducing the burden on the frame and suppressing vibrations and noise caused by vibrations.

In the dehydrator according to the present invention, if necessary, a vibration-proofing means is arranged along the axial direction between the electric motor and the frame body.

In this way, in the present invention, a vibration-proofing means is disposed between the electric motor and the frame body along the axial direction, so that vibrations generated when the dehydrating basket is rotated by the electric motor can be absorbed by the vibration-proofing means before they are transmitted from the electric motor to the frame body, reducing the burden on the frame body and suppressing vibrations and noise caused by vibrations.

In the dehydrator according to the present invention, as necessary, vibration-proofing means are arranged along the axial direction on the axial upper surface of the frame body.

In this way, in the present invention, the vibration-proofing means is arranged along the axial direction on the upper axial surface of the frame body, so that the vibrations generated when the dehydrating basket is rotated by the electric motor can be absorbed by the vibration-proofing means before they are transmitted from the electric motor to the frame body, reducing the burden on the frame body and suppressing vibrations and noise caused by vibrations.

In the dehydrator according to the present invention, if necessary, the vibration isolation characteristics of the vibration isolation means are different from the vibration isolation characteristics of the support means.

In this way, in the present invention, since the vibration isolation characteristics of the vibration isolation means and the vibration isolation characteristics of the support means are different, the vibration frequencies that can be attenuated by the vibration isolation means and the vibration frequencies that can be attenuated by the support means can be made different, and a wider range of frequencies can be attenuated, effectively suppressing vibrations and noise caused by vibrations.

In the dehydrator according to the present invention, the elastic body in the vibration isolation means is, as necessary, a vibration isolation rubber or a coil spring.

In this way, in the present invention, the elastic body in the vibration isolation means is vibration isolation rubber or a coil spring, so the burden on the frame body is small and vibration and noise can be reduced. In particular, when the elastic body in the vibration isolation means is vibration isolation rubber, the vibration caused by precession that occurs when the dehydrating basket is rotated, which is difficult to absorb with a coil spring, can be effectively absorbed by the vibration isolation rubber, so the burden on the frame body is further reduced and vibration and noise can be reduced.

FIG. 2 is a left side projection view of the upper part of the dehydrator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear projection view of the dehydrator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the vicinity of a vibration isolation means of the dehydrator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a rear projection view of a dehydrator according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the vicinity of a vibration isolation means of a dehydrator according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the electric motor and its surroundings in a conventional dehydrator. 1 is a graph showing the relationship between noise intensity and elapsed time for a conventional dehydrator and the dehydrator of the present invention in the examples.

(First embodiment of the present invention)
A dehydrator according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 3. The same elements are designated by the same reference numerals throughout this embodiment.

The dehydrator 1 according to this embodiment is used to rapidly dehydrate swimsuits used, for example, at swimming schools or sports gyms, and is equipped with a case 2 that covers the outside of the device body, and a water collection basket 3 that is an internal container that is open at the top and formed into a cylindrical body inside the case 2.

A lid 4 is attached to the top of the case 2 and can be opened and closed to cover the upper opening of the water collection basket 3.

The water collection basket 3 has a dehydration basket 5 formed in a cylindrical shape with an open top for inserting the material to be dehydrated, and the side of the dehydration basket 5 has a dehydration hole 6 for discharging the water squeezed out by dehydration. The inside side of the water collection basket 3 and the outside side of the dehydration basket 5 are not in contact with each other, and the water discharged from the dehydration hole 6 hits the inside side of the water collection basket 3 and is drained downward.

The lid 4 is locked to ensure safety while the dehydration basket 5 is rotating during dehydration.

An electric motor 7 is provided below the dehydration basket 5 and is connected to the dehydration basket 5 to rotate the same.
The drive shaft of the electric motor 7 is supported by a bearing or the like fixed to the case 2, and its tip is fixed to the dehydration basket 5. As a result, the rotation of the drive shaft of the electric motor 7 is transmitted to the dehydration basket 5, causing the dehydration basket 5 to rotate.

The electric motor 7 is connected to a frame 8 that holds the electric motor 7 in a suspended state. The frame 8 is fixed to a mounting stand 10 installed in the middle part of the inside of the case 2 via a support means 9 arranged along the axial direction A.

A number of vibration-proofing means 11 are arranged between the electric motor 7 and the frame body 8 along the axial direction A.

The vibration isolation means 11 are installed on the upper surface of the electric motor 7 via a motor bracket at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. In the example shown in Figure 3, four vibration isolation means 11 are installed every 90 degrees in the circumferential direction.

The vibration-damping means 11 has a cylindrical vibration-damping rubber 12 as an elastic body, flattened cylindrical support members 13, 14 that clamp the vibration-damping rubber 12 from above and below, and a pin 15 that is inserted through the center of the vibration-damping rubber 12 and the two support members 13, 14 along the axial direction A.
Both ends of the pin 15 protrude from the upper and lower support members 13, 14 and are fixed to the bracket of the electric motor 7 and the frame 8, respectively.
The anti-vibration rubber 12 may be another elastic body, for example, a coil spring.

There are no particular limitations on the anti-vibration rubber 12, so long as it can absorb the vibrations from the electric motor 7 and the precession motion described below, but it is recommended to use one with a compression spring constant of 50 to 150 (N/mm).

The frame 8 has a main body portion 8a that opens downward and a flange portion 8b that extends horizontally from the lower end of the side of the main body portion 8a.

A circular opening is formed in the bottom surface of the main body 8a. The drive shaft of the electric motor 7 is connected to the dehydration basket 5 through this opening.
Furthermore, a pin 15 of the vibration isolation means 11 is fixed to the inside of the bottom surface of the main body portion 8a.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, three flange portions 8b are formed at 120° intervals in the circumferential direction in accordance with the number of support means 9 installed, but the present invention is not limited to this.
The flange portion 8b is formed with a hole 8c and two holes 8d on the left and right of the hole 8c.

The support means 9 is fixed between the underside of the flange portion 8b and the installation base 10. As the support means 9, a conventionally known means used for fixing a frame supporting an electric motor to the device body in a washing machine, spin-drying machine, etc. can be used, and although details are omitted, for example, the structure is such that a coil spring or anti-vibration rubber is fixed as an elastic body between two flat support members. If the elastic body is a coil spring, the entire coil spring may be covered with a cover such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

The support means 9, unlike the vibration isolation means 11, is configured to support the frame body 8 as well, so it is preferable to select a means having greater strength and rigidity than the vibration isolation means 11, which allows the vibration isolation characteristics of the support means 9 and the vibration isolation means 11 to be different.

The upper surface of the support member 9a at the top of the support means 9 is formed with a through hole 9b formed in the center and two protrusions 9c protruding toward the frame 8 on the left and right sides of the through hole 9b.
This protrusion 9c is engaged with a hole 8d in the flange portion 8b of the frame body 8, and the fixing device 8e is inserted through the hole 8c in the flange portion 8b and the through hole 9b above and below the support means 9, thereby fixing the frame body 8 to the support means 9.

The elastic body in the support means 9 can be a vibration-isolating rubber or coil spring that can be used in the vibration-isolating means 11 described above.

In this way, because the vibration isolation characteristics of the vibration isolation means 11 and the vibration isolation characteristics of the support means 9 are different, the vibration frequencies that can be attenuated by the vibration isolation means 11 and the vibration frequencies that can be attenuated by the support means 9 can be made different, and a wider range of frequencies can be attenuated, effectively suppressing vibrations and noise caused by vibrations.

In addition, because the number of vibration isolation means 11 installed is different from the number of support means 9 installed, the vibration isolation characteristics of the vibration isolation means 11 and the vibration isolation characteristics of the support means 9 are different, and the vibration frequencies that can be attenuated by the vibration isolation means 11 and the vibration frequencies that can be attenuated by the support means 9 can be made different, so that a wider range of frequencies can be attenuated, effectively suppressing vibrations and noise caused by vibrations.

The vibration isolation characteristics of the vibration isolation means 11 and the support means 9 can be made different not only by the number of vibration isolation means 11 and the support means 9 installed, but also by setting the vibration isolation means 11 and the support means 9 at different positions in the circumferential direction.

A hole for connecting to a drain hose 16 is provided below the water collection basket 3, and this hole is connected to the drain hose 16 to drain the moisture generated inside the water collection basket 3. The drain hose 16 is connected to a drain container 17 installed in the lower part of the device main body, and the moisture that runs down the drain hose 16 is collected in the drain container 17.
The drainage container 17 is detachable from the main body of the apparatus so that the drainage liquid can be periodically disposed of once it has accumulated to a certain extent.
The water generated during dehydration may be drained directly into a drain outlet by pulling the drain hose 16 out of the device body and connecting it to the drain outlet.

In addition, an operation panel 18 is provided on the top of the case 2 for the user to operate, including a dehydration button for dehydrating the items to be dried.

As described above, the vibration-proofing means 11 is disposed between the electric motor 7 and the frame body 8 along the axial direction A. This means that the vibrations generated when the electric motor 7 rotates the dehydrating basket 5 can be absorbed by the vibration-proofing means 11 before they are transmitted from the electric motor 7 to the frame body 8, reducing the burden on the frame body 8 and suppressing vibrations and noise caused by the vibrations.

In addition, since the elastic body in the vibration-proofing means 11 is made of vibration-proof rubber 12, the vibration caused by precession that occurs when the dehydrating basket 5 is rotated, which is difficult to absorb with a coil spring, can be effectively absorbed by the vibration-proof rubber 12, thereby reducing the burden on the frame body 8 and reducing vibration and noise.
In particular, when dehydrating water-repellent swimsuits, the swimsuits tend to be unevenly distributed, and the vibration caused by the precession of the dehydration basket 5 (electric motor 7) is large, which tends to increase noise. In contrast, the dehydrator 1 according to this embodiment has anti-vibration rubber 12 interposed between the electric motor 7 and the frame 8, and therefore can absorb the vibration caused by the precession more effectively than a coil spring.

Second Embodiment of the Invention
In the dehydrator of the first embodiment described above, a vibration-damping means is provided along the axial direction between the electric motor and the frame body, but this is not limited to the above, and it is also possible to provide a vibration-damping means along the axial direction above the frame body, as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

The vibration-isolating means 20 are installed on the upper surface of the frame 19 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. In the example shown in FIG. 5, four vibration-isolating means 20 are installed every 90 degrees in the circumferential direction.

The vibration-proofing means 20 has a cylindrical vibration-proof rubber 12 as an elastic body, flat cylindrical support members 13 and 14 that sandwich the vibration-proof rubber 12 from above and below, and a pin 21 that is inserted through the center of the vibration-proof rubber 12 and the two support members 13 and 14 along the axial direction A.

The pin 21 has a cylindrical body 21a and a flattened cylindrical head 21b formed at one end of the body 21a and having a diameter larger than that of the body 21a.
The pin 21 is disposed and fixed so that the lower surface of the head 21b abuts against the upper surface of the upper support member 13. The head 21b may or may not be fixed to the upper surface of the support member 13.
The end of the body 21 a of the pin 21 opposite the head 21 b is fixed to a bracket of the electric motor 7 .

The frame 19 has a main body portion 19a that opens downward, and a flange portion 19b that extends horizontally from the lower end of the side surface of the main body portion 19a. The main body portion 19a and the bracket of the electric motor 7 are not in direct contact.

A circular opening is formed in the bottom surface of the main body portion 19a. The drive shaft of the electric motor 7 is connected to the dehydration basket 5 through this opening.
Further, a through hole 19c is formed in the bottom surface of the main body portion 19a. The diameter of the through hole 19c is formed to be larger than the diameter of the body portion 21a of the pin 21, and the pin 21 is inserted into the through hole 19c without contacting the inner side surface of the through hole 19c.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, three flange portions 19b are formed at 120° intervals in the circumferential direction in accordance with the number of support means 9 installed, but the present invention is not limited to this.
The flange portion 19b is formed with a hole 19d and two holes 19e on the left and right of the hole 19d.
The protrusion 9b of the support means 9 is engaged with the hole 19e of the flange portion 19b, and the fixing device 8e is inserted above and below the support means 9 through the hole 19d of the flange portion 19b and the through hole 9b of the support means 9, thereby fixing the frame body 19 to the support means 9.

As described above, the vibration-proofing means 20 is arranged along the axial direction A on the axial upper surface of the frame body 19. This means that the vibrations generated when the electric motor 7 rotates the dehydrating basket 5 can be absorbed by the vibration-proofing means 20 before they are transmitted from the electric motor 7 to the frame body 19, reducing the burden on the frame body 19 and suppressing vibrations and noise caused by vibrations.

The present invention will be specifically explained below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these.

The change in noise (dB) versus time (seconds) was measured using a dehydrator of the present invention equipped with vibration isolation means as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and a conventional dehydrator equipped only with a support means as shown in Figure 6, which is not equipped with vibration isolation means.
As a conventional dehydrator, as shown in Figure 6, a configuration was used in which an electric motor 107 was connected to and held in a frame body 108 without any vibration isolation means, and the frame body 108 was fixed to an installation stand via a support means 109 extending in the axial direction.

The noise was measured by placing 100g of clay in the dehydration basket as an eccentric weight, closing the lid, and then pressing the dehydration button on the operation panel to rotate the dehydration basket.

In this state, the noise emitted from the dehydrator was measured using a sound level meter LA-4440 (manufactured by Ono Sokki Co., Ltd.) placed in front of the dehydrator.
The sound level meter was placed at a height near the electric motor and 300 mm away from the dehydrator, and the measurement data was input into an oscilloscope DLM2024 (manufactured by Yokogawa Measurement Co., Ltd.) and analyzed.
The measurement results are shown in FIG.

As shown in Figure 7, after the operation of the dehydrator stabilized, the noise level of the dehydrator of the present invention was measured at about 67 dB, which was confirmed to be about 10 dB lower than the noise level of the conventional dehydrator, which was 77 dB. It was also confirmed that the noise level was sufficiently reduced even immediately after starting the dehydrator, when the dehydration basket is prone to becoming unstable.
From the above, it can be seen that by supporting the electric motor on the frame via vibration isolation means arranged along the axial direction, vibration of the device body and noise caused by the vibration can be reduced.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Dehydrator 2 Case 3 Water collecting basket 4 Lid 5 Dehydration basket 6 Dehydration hole 7 Electric motor 8 Frame 8a Main body 8b Flange 8c, 8d Hole 8e Fixing device 9 Support means 9a Support member 9b Through hole 9c Convex portion 10 Installation stand 11 Vibration isolation means 12 Vibration isolation rubber 13, 14 Support member 15 Pin 16 Drain hose 17 Drain container 18 Operation panel 19 Frame 19a Main body 19b Flange 19c Through hole 19d, 19e Hole 20 Vibration isolation means 21 Pin 21a Body 21b Head 107 Electric motor 108 Frame 109 Support means A Axial direction

Claims (5)

A case that covers the outside of the device body;
an inner container disposed inside the case and formed of a cylindrical body with an open top;
a dehydration basket disposed inside the internal container and into which an object is placed;
a cover attached to the top of the case so as to be freely opened and closed, and covering an upper opening of the inner container;
an electric motor connected to the dehydration basket for rotating the dehydration basket;
a frame body that supports the electric motor and is fixed within the case via a support means,
The electric motor is disposed along the axial direction and supported by the frame via vibration isolating means having an elastic body. In the dehydrator according to claim 1,
The dehydrator according to claim 1, wherein the vibration isolation means is disposed between the electric motor and the frame along the axial direction. In the dehydrator according to claim 1,
The dehydrator according to claim 1, wherein the vibration isolating means is disposed on an axial upper surface of the frame along the axial direction. In the dehydrator according to claim 1,
A dehydrator characterized in that the vibration isolation characteristics of the vibration isolation means are different from the vibration isolation characteristics of the support means. In the dehydrator according to claim 1,
The dehydrator according to claim 1, wherein the elastic body in the vibration isolation means is a vibration isolation rubber or a coil spring.

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