JP4868006B2 - Washing machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing machine that improves the washing performance of clothes with a detergent for washing.

  Conventionally, in order to improve the washing performance of clothes, there is a technique of softening washing water using an ion exchange resin (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  A divalent cation such as calcium and magnesium as hardness components has a great influence on the detergency of the detergent. These react with the surfactant in the detergent to produce an insoluble metal soap, thereby reducing the amount of the surfactant that contributes to cleaning and reducing the cleaning power. Therefore, the washing performance of the washing machine can be improved by removing the hardness component of the washing water.

  FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the water softening means of the washing machine to which the water softening technique described in the above publication is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a cation exchange resin 31 for removing hardness components and a container 60 for containing sodium chloride 62 for regenerating the ion exchange resin 31 are provided.

  The container 60 has a cylindrical shape, a water inlet 29a is formed in the lower part of the side peripheral surface, a discharge port 29b is formed in the middle part of the side peripheral surface, and a water pipe 60h for salt dissolution is formed in the upper part of the side peripheral surface. The salt water discharge port 29c is formed on the bottom surface. Further, a convex portion 60j is formed at the upper end of the side peripheral surface of the container 60, and the lid 61 is fixed in such a manner as to be fitted to the convex portion 60j. An air hole 61 a is formed in the top surface of the lid 61. The container 60 is fixed to the bottom surface of the rear storage box 17b so that the salt water discharge port 29c penetrates the box bottom surface.

  The inside of the container 60 is partitioned into an upper and lower first space and a second space by a partition wall 60d provided at a position slightly above the discharge port 29b. The first space above the partition wall 60d forms a salt storage space 60a, and the second space below the partition wall 60d is further divided by two mesh filters 29d and 29d into an upper space 29g, an intermediate space 29f, and a lower space 29e. It is divided into three spaces. The two mesh filters 29d and 29d are both provided above the water inlet 29a and below the outlet 29b. The intermediate space 29f is filled with an ion exchange resin 31. The partition wall 60d is formed with a through hole 60e penetrating from the salt storage space 60a to the upper space. Below this through hole 60e, a check valve 60f is arranged on the upper space 29g side. While the upper space 29g is filled with water, the through hole 60e is closed, and water is passed from the upper space 29g to the salt storage space 60a. Prevent inflow. In addition, a salt particle outflow prevention filter 60g is disposed on the salt storage space 60a side above the through hole 60e, and prevents salt particles from flowing out from the salt charging space 60a into the upper space 29g. The salt dissolving water injection pipe 60h has a discharge port located at an upper part in the salt storage space 60a and facing obliquely downward. The salt storage space 60a has a volume that can store about 200 g of salt 62 for one week (seven times 29 g of salt required for one regeneration). The salt storage space 60a is located above the upper surface of the rear storage box 17b so that the user can easily open and close the lid 61, and all or part of the surrounding wall surface is transparent. The salt 62 consumed by the regeneration of each ion exchange resin can be observed from the front surface of the washing machine.

A tube 35, a ball valve 34a, and a salt water discharge tube 36 are connected to the salt water discharge port 29c in the same manner as described above. Further, the ball valve 34a is provided with a salt water discharge solenoid 40 via a connecting rod 34d. These ball valves 34
The salt water discharge solenoid valve 39 is configured by a, the connecting rod 34d, and the salt water discharge solenoid 40.

  The operation of the washing machine provided with the water softening means configured as described above will be described.

The washing water supplied to the washing tub is passed through the cation exchange resin 31 in the container 60, so that calcium and magnesium in the water are removed by ion exchange to be softened and supplied to the washing tub. Since the cation exchange resin 31 has an exchange capacity that allows ion exchange, the hardness component leaks when the amount of treated water exceeds the exchange capacity. For this reason, it is necessary to regenerate the cation exchange resin 31 before the amount of treated water exceeds the exchange capacity. Since the cation exchange resin 31 is a sodium ion exchange resin, it can be regenerated by passing a saline solution in which sodium chloride 62, which is sodium chloride, is dissolved as a regenerant. Therefore, when the user throws in the salt 62 and periodically regenerates the cation exchange resin 31 (for one week), the washing water is softened even for long-term use, and the washing performance of the washing machine is maintained. be able to.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-244585

  However, in the conventional configuration, the cation exchange resin 31 uses sodium-type ion exchange resin and is regenerated with the salt 62, so that the user of the washing machine periodically puts the salt 62 into the washing machine. There was a problem that it had to be put in and maintenance was required.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and provides a washing machine capable of softening washing water without maintenance by a user of the washing machine and improving the washing performance of the washing machine. The purpose is to do.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the washing machine of the present invention is provided with a washing tub for storing laundry, a first water supply path for supplying water to the washing tub, and a softening means in the middle of the first water supply path. The water softening means is installed with a bipolar charged membrane having two layers, a cation exchange layer and an anion exchange layer, facing each other with a flow channel interposed therebetween, and with the bipolar charged membrane sandwiched therebetween. It is composed of a pair of electrodes, and the water softened by the water softening means is introduced into the washing tub, so that the calcium ion of the hardness component in the raw water in the cation exchange layer of the bipolar charged membrane The water can be softened by ion exchange of magnesium ions. Further, by applying a voltage to both sides of the bipolar charged membrane, water is efficiently dissociated at the interface between the cation exchange layer and the anion exchange layer, and hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions are generated. This hydrogen ion replaces calcium and magnesium ion-exchanged in the cation exchange layer to regenerate the bipolar charged membrane, so that washing water can be softened without using any chemicals, and washing performance of the washing machine Can be improved.

  Since the washing machine of the present invention can regenerate the ion exchanger by efficiently dissociating water at the interface between the cation exchange layer and the anion exchange layer by applying a voltage to both sides of the bipolar charged membrane, The water for washing can be softened without the maintenance of the user putting the chemical into the washing machine, and the washing performance of the washing machine can be improved.

1st invention provides the washing tank which accommodates a laundry, the 1st water supply path | route which supplies water to the said washing tub, and the water softening means in the said 1st water supply path | route, The said water softening means is a flow path. A bipolar charged film having at least one pair of a cation exchange layer and an anion exchange layer disposed opposite to each other, and a pair of electrodes disposed with the bipolar charged film interposed therebetween. The water softened by the water softening means is introduced into the washing tub, whereby the calcium ion and the magnesium ion of the hardness component in the raw water are ion-exchanged in the cation exchange layer of the bipolar charged membrane to soften the water. Can be Further, by applying a voltage to both sides of the bipolar charged membrane, water is efficiently dissociated at the interface between the cation exchange layer and the anion exchange layer, and hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions are generated. This hydrogen ion replaces calcium and magnesium ion-exchanged in the cation exchange layer to regenerate the bipolar charged membrane, so that washing water can be softened without using any chemicals, and washing performance of the washing machine Can be improved.

  In the second invention, in particular, in the bipolar charged membrane of the first invention, the cation exchange layer of one of the bipolar charged membranes and the anion exchange layer of the other of the bipolar charged membranes are disposed to face each other. The cations and anions of hardness components such as calcium carbonate flowing in the channel can be adsorbed on the ion exchange layer of each polarity by electrophoresis, and can be efficiently exchanged and removed. Further, regeneration by water dissociation can be performed efficiently.

  In the third aspect of the invention, in particular, the bipolar charged membrane of the first aspect of the invention or the second aspect of the invention is made porous, so that the exchange capacity of the hardness component that can be ion-exchanged into the cation exchange layer and the anion exchange layer is increased. Therefore, the water softening means can be downsized.

  In the fourth invention, in particular, in any one of the first to third inventions, when softening water, a voltage is applied to the electrode on the cation exchange layer side, and when regenerating the bipolar charged membrane, an anion is used. By applying a voltage to the electrode on the exchange layer side, when water is softened, the cations and anions of the hardness component in the flow path are electrophoresed on the ion exchange layer corresponding to the polarity to facilitate adsorption. Therefore, the removal of the hardness component can be improved. In addition, since the polarity of the applied voltage changes during regeneration, the ionic component at the interface between the cation exchange layer and the anion exchange layer is reduced and the resistance is increased, and water is dissociated at a certain point. The membrane can be regenerated by efficiently dissociating water.

  The fifth aspect of the present invention is the first aspect of the present invention, in particular, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the drainage path for draining the concentrated water generated when the bipolar charged membrane is regenerated is connected to the first water supply path on the outlet side of the water softening means. By branching and providing a first switching valve at the branching section to switch the flow path, soft water is supplied to the washing tub at the time of washing, and concentrated water of hardness component is discharged to the outside of the water heater at the time of regeneration. be able to.

  According to a sixth aspect of the invention, in particular, in the fifth aspect of the invention, when the bipolar charged film is regenerated, the first switching valve is used to stop running water, store water in the water softening means, and apply a voltage for a certain period of time. Since the membrane is regenerated by batch processing by regenerating the charged membrane and draining the concentrated water from the drainage path by the first switching valve after regeneration, the amount of water discharged during regeneration can be reduced.

  In the seventh invention, in particular, in any one of the first to sixth inventions, the bipolar charged membrane is regenerated when water is not supplied to the washing tub in the washing step and the rinsing step. Since the regeneration does not hinder the supply of soft water to the washing tub at the time of washing, the time loss of washing due to the regeneration of the bipolar charged film is eliminated.

In an eighth aspect of the invention, in particular, in any one of the first to seventh aspects of the invention, a second water supply path for supplying water to the washing tub is provided on the upstream side of the water softening means, and is branched from the first water supply path. The part is provided with a second switching valve so that the flow path is switched. During the washing washing process, the flow path is switched to the first water supply path by the second switching valve and the water softened by the water softening means is supplied to the washing tub. By supplying the water and switching the flow path to the second water supply path during the rinsing process and supplying the raw water to the washing tub, the soft water is supplied to the washing tub only during the washing process. And long-term durability can be secured.

  According to a ninth aspect of the invention, in particular, in any one of the first to eighth aspects of the invention, a detergent case into which laundry detergent is introduced is provided, and the detergent case is provided on the downstream side of the water softening means. It is possible to prevent the detergent from flowing into the water softening means at the time of supplying water to the washing tub and blocking the bipolar charged membrane or adhering the membrane surface to deteriorate the performance.

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

(Embodiment 1)
In FIG. 1, the washing machine main body 1 has a washing tub 4 including an outer tub 2 and an inner tub 3 that operates rotatably in the outer tub 2. The inner tank 3 is configured so that the inner tank 3 can be rotated by the motor 5.

  One end of a drainage channel 6 is connected to the lower part of the outer tub 2, and a drain valve 7 is connected to the drainage channel 6 to drain the washing water in the outer tub 2.

  For supplying water for washing to the washing tub 4, a first water supply path 9 is connected to the washing tub 4 via a water tap (not shown) and a water supply valve 8. This is done by opening and closing the water supply valve 8.

  The inner tank 3 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and a large number of water passage holes communicating with the outer tank 2 are formed on the peripheral surface thereof, and baffles 10 are provided at a plurality of positions on the inner peripheral surface. A rotation axis is provided in a substantially inclined direction at the center of rotation of the inner tub 3, and the axial center direction of the inner tub 3 is inclined upward from the back side to the front side. A motor 5 attached to the rear side of the outer tub 2 is connected to this rotating shaft, and the inner tub 3 is rotationally driven in the forward and reverse directions.

  The laundry clothes are thrown into the washing machine by covering the opening provided in the upward inclined surface on the front side of the outer tub 2 with a lid 11 so that the lid 11 can be opened and closed. The laundry can be taken in and out. Since the lid 11 is provided on the inclined surface facing upward, the laundry can be taken in and out without bending the waist, and in general, the workability of the washing machine for taking in and out the laundry from the sideways opening is improved. is doing.

  Water softening means 12 is provided in the middle of the first water supply path 9. On the outlet side of the water softening means 12, a drainage path 13 for draining concentrated water generated when the water softening means 12 is regenerated is branched from the first water supply path 9, and the first switching valve 14 is provided at the branching portion. And the flow path is switched. The terminal end of the drainage channel 13 is connected to the drainage channel 6, and the concentrated water is discharged from the drainage channel 6 to the outside of the washing machine. Further, the detergent case 15 into which the laundry detergent is placed is installed on the downstream side of the water softening means 12 in the first water supply path 9.

  Further, on the upstream side of the water softening means 12, a second water supply path 16 for supplying water to the washing tub 4 is provided to branch from the first water supply path 9, and a second switching valve 17 is provided at the branch portion to provide a flow path. I try to switch.

  Next, the water softening means 12 will be described.

In FIG. 2, the water softening means 12 is provided with a pair of electrodes 19 at both ends in a casing 18. The electrode 19 is made of titanium plated with platinum, and ensures the wear resistance of the electrode. A pair of bipolar charged films 20 is provided between the electrodes 19 with a flow path 21 therebetween. The bipolar charged membrane 20 has a two-layer structure in which a cation exchange layer 22 having a strongly acidic ion exchange group and an anion exchange layer 23 having a strongly basic ion exchange group are bonded together. And it installs so that the cation exchange layer 22 and the anion exchange layer 23 may face each other. Here, the cation exchange layer 22 includes a strongly acidic ion exchange group having —SO ₃ H as a functional group, and the anion exchange layer 23 includes a strongly basic ion exchange group having —NR ₃ OH as a functional group. Including.

  The operation of the washing machine configured as described above will be described below.

  When the washing machine body 1 is turned on, the lid 11 is opened, clothes are put in, the detergent is poured into the detergent case 15, and the operation is started, the washing washing process starts.

First, the water supply valve 8 is opened and tap water is introduced into the water softening means 12 through the first water supply path 9. In the raw water, the hardness component calcium carbonate is ionized from the upper part of the casing 18 and flows through the flow path 21. At this time, a DC voltage is applied to the electrode 19 installed in the casing 18, a positive voltage is applied to the electrode 19 on the cation exchange layer 22 side, and a negative voltage is applied to the electrode on the anion exchange layer 23 side. Is applied. As a result, calcium ions in the raw water migrate to the cation exchange layer 22 and carbonate ions migrate to the anion exchange layer 23 and enter the layer. Then, calcium ions are ion-exchanged with hydrogen ions of —SO ₃ H of strongly acidic ion exchange groups of the cation exchange layer 22, and carbonate ions are —NR ₃ of strongly basic ion exchange groups of the anion exchange layer 23. Ion exchange with hydroxide ions of OH. Here, since the bipolar charged membrane 20 is formed in a porous structure, the membrane surface area is large, and the capacity for ion exchange can be increased. Thereby, size reduction of the water softening means 12 can be achieved.

  Thus, the hardness component in the flow path 21 is removed and softened. Then, the softened water is supplied into the washing tub 4 as treated water flows out from the lower portion of the casing 18. At this time, since the detergent case 15 is provided on the downstream side of the water softening means 12, the detergent flows into the water softening means 12 when supplying water to the washing tub 4, and the bipolar charged film 20 is blocked or the surface of the film is covered. It is possible to prevent adhesion and performance degradation.

  A fixed amount of detergent and soft water is supplied into the washing tub 4, and the motor 5 rotates the inner tub 3 of the washing tub 4 to start the washing process. As the inner tub 3 rotates, the laundry stored in the washing tub 4 is lifted in the rotation direction by the baffle 10 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the inner tub 3, and agitated to fall from a lifted appropriate height position. Since the operation is repeated, the washing process is performed with the effect of tapping.

  Here, since the hardness component is removed from the washing water supplied into the washing tub 4 by the water softening means 12, it prevents the surfactant in the detergent from reacting to generate insoluble metal soap. be able to. Therefore, since the amount of the surfactant that contributes to cleaning is not reduced and the cleaning power is not reduced, the cleaning performance of the washing machine can be improved. Then, after the required washing time, the drain valve 7 is opened, the dirty washing liquid is discharged from the drainage channel 6, and the laundry contained in the laundry by the dehydrating operation of rotating the inner tub 3 of the washing tub 4 at high speed. The liquid is dehydrated and the washing process is completed.

After the washing process is finished, the rinsing process starts next. When the water supply valve 8 is opened and water supply is started, the water supply path is switched from the first water supply path 9 to the second water supply path 16 by the second switching valve 17, and rinse water is supplied to the washing tub 4. Then, as in the washing step, the laundry is rinsed by the rotation of the inner tub 3 to remove the detergent. And the water | moisture content of a laundry is spin-dry | dehydrated by the spin-drying | dehydration operation which rotates the inner tank 3 at high speed, and a rinse process is complete | finished. Here, in the rinsing step, since the rinsing water is supplied without passing through the water softening means 12, the amount of water treated by the water softening means 12 during washing can be reduced and long-term durability can be ensured.

  After such washing is performed for a certain period, the water softening means 12 enters the regeneration mode.

  In the regeneration mode, the second switching valve 17 is switched, and tap water is supplied from the first water supply path 9 to the water softening means 12. At this time, the first switching valve 14 is closed, and a certain amount of water is stored in the casing 18 of the water softening means 12.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the water softening means 12, a voltage in the direction opposite to that during softening is applied to the electrode 19. A positive voltage is applied to the anion exchange layer 23 side, and a negative voltage is applied to the electrode on the cation exchange layer 22 side. When a voltage is applied to both sides of the bipolar charged membrane 20, the ion component in the interface between the cation exchange layer 22 and the anion exchange layer 23 decreases, the resistance increases, and at a certain point in time, water is dissociated to generate hydrogen ions. And hydroxide ions are formed. In the cation exchange layer 22, calcium ions ion-exchanged during softening are ion-exchanged with the generated hydrogen ions and regenerated. Then, calcium ions are released into the flow path 21. On the other hand, in the anion exchange layer 23, carbonate ions ion-exchanged during softening are ion-exchanged with the generated hydroxide ions and regenerated. Then, carbonate ions are released into the flow path 21.

  In this manner, by applying a voltage having a polarity opposite to that during softening to both sides of the bipolar charged membrane 20, water dissociation is performed and the membrane is regenerated. Here, since the bipolar charged membrane 20 can take a large area at the interface between the cation exchange layer 22 and the anion exchange layer 23, the water can be efficiently dissociated at a low voltage, thereby regenerating the membrane. Can be performed with low power consumption.

  After regeneration by applying a voltage to the bipolar charged film 20 for a certain time, the flow path is switched toward the drainage path 13 by the first switching valve 14. And the concentrated water of the hardness component in the flow path 21 of the water softening means 12 is drained outside through the drainage path 13. After the concentrated water is drained, the first switching valve 14 is closed again. Then, a certain amount of water is again introduced into the water softening means 12 and the bipolar charged film 20 is regenerated. Thereafter, the flow path is switched by the first switching valve 14, and the regenerated concentrated water is discharged through the drainage path 13. By repeating such a process several times, the water softening means 12 is regenerated.

  In this way, since the membrane is regenerated by batch processing, the amount of water discharged during regeneration can be reduced. Further, since the bipolar charged film 20 is regenerated when water is not supplied to the washing tub in the washing step and the rinsing step, the regeneration does not prevent soft water from being supplied to the washing tub during washing. Therefore, the time loss of washing due to the regeneration of the bipolar charged film 20 is eliminated.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the washing tub 4 for storing the laundry, the first water supply path 9 for supplying water to the washing tub 4, and the water softening means 12 in the middle of the first water supply path 9 are provided. The water softening means 12 is provided with a bipolar charged film 20 having two layers of a cation exchange layer 22 and an anion exchange layer 23 disposed at least one pair facing each other with a flow channel 21 therebetween, and a bipolar charged film 20 The water is softened by the water softening means 12 and introduced into the washing tub, so that the cation exchange layer of the bipolar charged membrane is used as the raw water. It is possible to soften water by ion exchange of calcium ions and magnesium ions of the hardness components. Further, by applying a voltage to both sides of the bipolar charged membrane, water is efficiently dissociated at the interface between the cation exchange layer and the anion exchange layer, and hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions are generated. This hydrogen ion replaces calcium and magnesium ion-exchanged in the cation exchange layer to regenerate the bipolar charged membrane, so that washing water can be softened without using any chemicals, and washing performance of the washing machine Can be improved.

  As described above, the washing machine according to the present invention can soften the washing water without maintenance that the user puts the regenerant into the washing machine, and improves the washing performance of the washing machine. Therefore, it can be applied to uses such as dishwashers.

Sectional drawing of the washing machine in Embodiment 1 of this invention Sectional drawing at the time of water sampling of the water softening means of the washing machine in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Sectional drawing at the time of reproduction | regeneration of the water softening means of the washing machine in Embodiment 1 of this invention Sectional view of water softening means of a conventional washing machine

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 Washing tank 9 1st water supply path 12 Water softening means 13 Drainage path 14 1st switching valve 15 Detergent case 16 2nd water supply path 19 Electrode 21 Flow path 22 Cation exchange layer 23 Anion exchange layer

Claims (9)

A washing tub for storing laundry, a first water supply path for supplying water to the washing tub, and a water softening means provided in the middle of the first water supply path, wherein the water softening means has at least one pair across the flow path. Is composed of a bipolar charged membrane having two layers of a cation exchange layer and an anion exchange layer placed opposite to each other, and a pair of electrodes placed across the bipolar charged membrane, and the water softening means A washing machine in which softened water is introduced into the washing tub. 2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the bipolar charged membrane has a cation exchange layer of one of the bipolar charged membranes and an anion exchange layer of the other bipolar charged membrane facing each other. The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bipolar charged film is a porous body. The voltage is applied to the electrode on the cation exchange layer side when softening, and the voltage is applied to the electrode on the anion exchange layer side when regenerating the bipolar charged membrane. The washing machine according to item. A drainage path for draining concentrated water generated when the bipolar charged membrane is regenerated is branched from the first water supply path on the outlet side of the water softening means, and the flow path is switched by providing a first switching valve at the branching portion. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4. When regenerating the bipolar charged membrane, the flowing water is stopped by the first switching valve, the water is stored in the water softening means, and the bipolar charged membrane is regenerated by applying a voltage for a certain period of time. The washing machine according to claim 5, wherein concentrated water is drained from the path. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the bipolar charged film is regenerated when water is not supplied to the washing tub in the washing step and the rinsing step. A second water supply path for supplying water to the washing tub is provided on the upstream side of the water softening means so as to branch from the first water supply path, and a second switching valve is provided at the branch portion to switch the flow path, thereby washing the washing process. Sometimes, the flow path is switched to the first water supply path by the second switching valve and the water softened by the water softening means is supplied to the washing tub, and during the rinsing process, the flow path is switched to the second water supply path to supply the raw water to the washing tub. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein water is supplied to the water. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a detergent case for supplying a laundry detergent is provided, and the detergent case is provided downstream of the water softening means.