JP4937046B2 - Washing machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a washing machine including a circulation device that sucks water in a water tank through a circulation water channel by a pumping action of a circulation pump, and discharges the water from a discharge port into the water tank for circulation.

Conventionally, for example, in a drum-type washing machine, for the purpose of improving cleaning performance and saving water, a circulation device having a circulation pump is provided, and when the laundry is washed or rinsed, by driving the circulation pump of the circulation device, There is a configuration in which water in a water tank is sucked through a circulation water channel and discharged from a discharge port into the water tank (inside the drum) for circulation (for example, Patent Document 1). In this case, the water discharged from the discharge port into the water tub is applied to the laundry stored in the drum. Thereby, water and a detergent part are mixed and foaming of a detergent part is accelerated | stimulated. Moreover, in this kind of thing, the lint capture part is provided in the circulation channel, and the lint (waste thread) which comes out of the laundry is captured in the lint capture part. In general, an induction motor such as a take-off motor or a condenser motor is used as a pump motor as a driving source of the circulation pump.
JP 2006-204427 A

  The above-mentioned conventional motor is an induction motor that uses AC (alternating current) 100V as a power source as a pump motor. Therefore, a rotational speed higher than the synchronous rotational speed depending on the commercial frequency cannot be output, and the output is small and necessary. In order to obtain a high pump pressure, a large motor must be used, and the weight is heavy. Further, the circulating pump has a configuration in which pump blades having a plurality of blades radially are arranged in a blade chamber having a circular inner peripheral surface in a form in which the tip of the blade plate is close to the blade chamber peripheral surface, The water taken in between each blade is transferred to the discharge port and discharged from the discharge port, and the necessary flow rate cannot be obtained unless the blade chamber and the blade plate itself are made large. There was also a problem that the pump performance could not be obtained.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to dramatically improve the pump performance while reducing the size of the circulation pump of the circulation device. An object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine that can improve the washing effect and contribute to the improvement of the washing effect.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a water tank capable of storing water, a rotary tank having a hole capable of passing water and rotatably disposed in the water tank, and a water take-out included in the water tank. A circulation water channel that communicates the mouth and the water return port outside the water tank, a circulation pump provided in the middle of the circulation water channel, the circulation water channel and the circulation pump, and water in the water tank. In a washing machine including a circulation device that sucks through the circulation water channel by the pumping action of the circulation pump and discharges it from the water return port into the water tank and circulates, a pump motor as a drive source of the circulation pump is: The circulation pump is composed of a combination of a pump casing having a volute and a pump main body having a pump blade and the pump motor. Is, and has a blade chamber and the pump vanes are arranged, having a suction port and a discharge port leading to該羽Nemuro, the volute, flat portion at an end portion of the water circulation passage side of the water outlet side And at the center of the flat plate portion has a central portion that protrudes in the direction of the blade chamber, and constricts in a substantially conical shape from the circulating water channel on the water outlet side toward the blade chamber. It is characterized in that a suction port having a tapered shape is provided .

  According to the present invention, the pump motor as the drive source of the circulation pump is configured by the DC brushless motor capable of changing the rotation speed, so that unlike the configuration using the pump motor composed of the conventional induction motor, it is small and has a high rotation speed. High output can be realized and the pumping capacity can be increased. As a result, the pump blade can be made small. Further, the circulation pump is configured by combining a pump casing having a volute and a pump main body having a pump blade and a pump motor, and the suction port provided in the volute is connected to the water outlet side. Since it has a tapered shape that constricts in a conical shape from the circulation channel toward the blade chamber, water from the circulation channel on the water outlet side is smoothly introduced into the blade chamber by the tapered suction port. Moreover, the pump pressure can be increased by providing a volute and the high speed rotation of the pump blades, and the necessary pump performance can be sufficiently obtained while using small pump blades. The assembly of the pump is also improved.

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
First, in FIGS. 6 and 7, the outer box 1 has a rectangular box shape, and a base plate 3 having legs 2 at the bottom is provided. A laundry doorway 4 is formed at the front portion (left side in FIG. 6) of the outer box 1, and a door 5 for opening and closing the laundry doorway 4 is rotatably provided via a hinge (not shown). .

  In the outer case 1, a water tank 6 capable of storing water is disposed via an elastic support mechanism 7. The water tank 6 has a bottomed cylindrical shape whose front surface is open and whose rear surface is closed, and is arranged so that the axial direction is inclined upwardly from the horizontal direction. An annular water tank cover 8 is attached to the front of the water tank 6. This water tank cover 8 has a projecting part 8a projecting in the center direction from the peripheral wall part of the water tank 6, and a short cylindrical projecting part 8b projecting forward from the tip of the projecting part 8a. An inner peripheral portion of the portion 8b is an opening 9. A bellows 10 is provided between the front end of the protrusion 8b and the laundry entrance / exit 4, and the bellows 10 connect the opening 9 of the water tub 6 and the laundry entrance / exit 4 in a watertight and airtight manner. ing.

  A drum 11 as a rotating tub is rotatably disposed in the water tub 6. Similarly to the water tank 6, the drum 11 has a bottomed cylindrical shape whose front surface is open and whose rear surface is closed, and is arranged so that the axial direction is inclined upward from the horizontal direction. A large number of holes 12 (only part of which are shown in FIG. 6) through which water and air can flow are formed in the peripheral wall portion of the drum 11, and a plurality of baffles 13 (only one in FIG. 6) are formed on the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion. Is shown). An annular balance ring 14 is provided at the front portion of the drum 11, and an opening 15 in the inner peripheral portion of the balance ring 14 communicates with the laundry entrance 4. The drum 11 is directly rotated by a drum motor 16 provided on the back side of the water tank 6. The drum motor 16 is constituted by, for example, an outer rotor type DC brushless motor, and functions as a driving unit of the drum 11. In the drum 11, the laundry is accommodated so as to be able to be taken in and out from the laundry entrance 4. The drum 11 functions as a shared tank for washing, rinsing and dehydrating laundry.

  One end of a drainage duct 20 is connected to a drainage port 19 provided at the lowermost part of the rear part of the water tank 6. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the other end of the drainage duct 20 is connected to the inlet of the filter case 22 of the filter unit 21 constituting the lint capturing unit. A filter cap 23 is detachably attached to the front portion of the filter case 22, and a lint filter (not shown) is provided on the filter cap 23. Therefore, the lint filter is detachably attached to the filter case 22 via the filter cap 23.

  A circulation pump 25 is provided at the rear of the filter unit 21. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the circulation pump 25 is configured by combining a pump casing 26 and a pump main body 27.

  The pump casing 26 is integrally formed in a cylindrical shape at the rear portion of the filter case 22, and a discharge port 26 a is formed in a part of the peripheral wall portion so as to extend in a substantially tangential direction. Further, a positioning convex portion 26 b is formed on a part of the inner peripheral portion of the pump casing 26. The pump casing 26 includes a volute 28 for constituting a spiral flow path.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the volute 28 has a circular shape as a whole, and is formed by integrally forming a central portion 28a, a flat plate portion 28b, and raised portions 28c and 28d. The central portion 28a is slightly raised rearward, and a suction port 28e is formed at the center of the central portion 28a. The inner surface of the one raised portion 28c includes a circular arc surface 28ca and a spiral surface 28cb having a substantially spiral shape. Further, the inner surface of the other raised portion 28d is provided with a circular arc surface 28da and a substantially spirally curved surface 28db. Therefore, the volute 28 has a curved shape (spiral curve) in the discharge rotation direction (direction of arrow A) of the pump blade (described later).

  Two openings 28fa and 28fb are formed around the central portion 28a by a gap between the raised portions 28c and 28d. From these openings 28fa and 28fb, a pump blade (described later) discharge rotation A first discharge passage portion 28g and a second discharge passage portion 28h having a curved shape (substantially a spiral shape) in the direction (arrow A direction) are formed by a gap between the raised portions 28c and 28d. Further, a positioned recess 28i is formed on the outer surface of the raised portion 28c.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the volute 28 is inserted and arranged in the pump casing 26 in such a manner that the positioning recessed portion 28i is fitted to the positioning protruding portion 26b. The first discharge passage portion 28g communicates with the discharge port 26a, and the second discharge passage portion 28h communicates with the discharge port 26a via the communication passage 28j and the first discharge passage portion 28g. Yes. The communication passage 28j is formed by a gap between the raised portion 28d and the inner surface of the pump casing 26. Further, the space portion on the rear side of the central portion 28a of the volute 28 forms a front blade chamber 28k.

  The pump body 27 is configured by providing a pump lid 30 with a pump motor 30 and pump blades 31. The pump lid portion 29 has a mounting flange portion 29a at the peripheral portion, a rear blade chamber 29b that is recessed in a substantially flat conical shape at the front central portion, and a shaft that penetrates forward and backward. An insertion portion 29c is formed, and a motor arrangement recess 29d is formed at the rear portion.

  The pump motor 30 includes a stator 33 provided on the outer periphery of the shaft tube portion 32 and an outer rotor type permanent magnet rotor 35 connected to a rotating shaft 34 that is rotatably inserted in the shaft tube portion 32. It is a DC brushless motor. A motor cover 30 a is attached to the pump motor 30.

  The pump motor 30 is disposed in the motor arrangement recess 29d and appropriately attached. And the pump blade | wing 31 is connected with the front-end part of the rotating shaft 34 so that it can rotate integrally. The pump blade 31 has a boss portion 31b to which the rotary shaft 34 is connected on the rear side of the flat plate portion 31a, and has, for example, four blade portions 31c on the front side. Between the boss portion 31b and the shaft insertion portion 29c of the pump lid portion 29, a seal member 36 capable of water sealing while allowing the rotation of the pump blade 31 is disposed.

  The flange portion 29a for attachment of the pump lid portion 29 of the pump body portion 27 thus configured is attached to the attachment flange portion 26e of the pump casing 26 with screws 37, so that the circulation pump 25 is connected to the pump casing 26. It is configured by combining with the pump body 27. In this case, the pump casing 26 and the pump main body 27 are sealed by the packing 38.

  In the assembled state of the pump body 27 and the pump casing 26, as shown in FIG. 1, a blade chamber 39 is formed by the front blade chamber 28k of the volute 28 and the rear blade chamber 29b of the pump lid portion 29, A blade portion 31 c of the pump blade 31 is located in the blade chamber 39.

  One end of the circulation duct 40 is connected to the discharge port 26 a (see FIGS. 6 and 7) of the pump casing 26. The other end of the circulation duct 40 extends upward and is connected to a water return port 41 provided at the upper part of the water tank cover 8. The water return port 41 is configured to discharge water supplied from the circulation duct 40 toward the rear portion of the drum 11.

The filter case 22 of the filter unit 21 is provided with a drain valve 42, and a drain hose 43 is connected to the drain valve 42.
Here, the drainage duct 20, the filter case 22 of the filter unit 21, the circulation pump 25, and the circulation duct 40 constitute a circulation water channel 44. The circulation pump 25 is provided in the middle of the circulation water channel 44. The drain port 19 also serves as a water outlet, and the drain port 19, the circulation water channel 44, the circulation pump 25, and the water return port 41 constitute a circulation device 45.

  The suction port 28e and the discharge port 26a communicate with the blade chamber 39. In this case, the suction port 28e corresponds to the circulation water channel 44 on the drain port 19 side which is a water outlet. To the blade chamber 39 toward the blade chamber 39. In addition, the inner diameter of the port 28e1 facing the pump blade 31 at the suction port 28e is smaller than the outer diameter of the pump blade 31. Further, a central portion 28a corresponding to a portion from the suction port 28e to the peripheral portion on the inner surface of the blade chamber 39 has a sloped shape inclined toward the filter case 22 which is the circulation water channel 44 on the drain port 19 side. Is formed.

  In this case, when water is supplied into the water tank 6 with the drain valve 42 closed, the water enters the water outlet 19, the drain duct 20, the filter case 22, and the circulation pump 25 and is stored. The water supplied more than that is stored in the water tank 6. When the pump motor 30 of the circulation pump 25 is driven in this state, the water in the water tank 6 is sucked into the pump casing 26 through the drainage duct 20 and the filter case 22 by the pumping action of the circulation pump 25, and The water in the pump casing 26 is discharged from the discharge port 26a to the circulation duct 40 side, passes through the circulation duct 40, and is discharged from the water return port 41 into the drum 11 and eventually into the water tank 6. The water inside is circulated through the circulation channel 44 (see arrow B in FIGS. 6 and 7). The circulation pump 25 is operated in the washing process or in the rinsing process. In the washing process, the foaming of the detergent is good, and the rinsing effect is increased in the rinsing process.

  In addition, when the drain valve 42 is opened while water is stored in the water tank 6, the water in the water tank 6 flows from the drain port 19 to the drain duct 20, the filter case 22, the drain valve 42, and the drain hose 43. Through the machine.

  An operation panel 48 provided with an operation unit 46 and a display unit 47 (see FIG. 8) is provided at the top of the front surface of the outer box 1, and a microcomputer is included on the back side of the operation panel 48 (see FIG. 7). A control device 49 (see FIG. 8) is provided as control means. A water supply valve 50 is provided at the rear part of the upper part in the outer box 1, and a water supply case 51 is provided at the front part, and an outlet of the water supply valve 50 is connected to the water supply case 51 through a water supply pipe 52. . Although not shown, a hose connected to a tap is connected to the water inlet 50a of the water supply valve 50. A detergent is put into the water supply case 51. The lower part of the water supply case 51 is connected to a water supply port 54 provided in the upper part of the water tank 6 through a water supply hose 53.

  In this case, when the water supply valve 50 is opened, tap water is supplied to the water supply case 51 through the water supply pipe 52, and the water is supplied to the water tank 6 through the water supply hose 53 together with the detergent introduced into the water supply case 51. Of these, the drum 11 is supplied.

  FIG. 8 shows an electrical schematic configuration related to the gist of the present invention. 8, the control device 49 includes an operation unit 46 provided on the operation panel 48, a water level sensor 55 for detecting the water level in the water tank 6, a rotation sensor 56 for detecting the rotation speed of the drum motor 16, and a pump motor. A signal from a rotation sensor 57 that detects a rotation speed of 30 is input. The rotation sensors 56 and 57 are composed of Hall elements, for example. Based on these input signals and a control program prepared in advance, the control device 49 displays the display 47 provided on the operation panel 48, the water supply valve 50, the drum motor 16, the pump motor 30 of the circulation pump 25, and the drain valve 42. Are controlled via the drive circuits 47a, 50b, 16a, 30b, and 42a, respectively.

  In this case, a DC power supply voltage of 24V is applied to the drive circuit 30a for the pump motor 30. The 24V DC power supply voltage is a commercial AC100V power supply generated by a DC power supply circuit, and this DC power supply circuit is provided as a standard power source for various electrical components in a washing machine.

  The drive circuit 30b can control the speed of the pump motor 30 formed of a DC brushless motor by driving the DC voltage applied to the pump motor 30 with a DC voltage of 24V or less by appropriately controlling the DC voltage. . In this case, the detection result by the rotation sensor 57 is fed back and compared with the set rotational speed, and the PWM control is performed according to the comparison result.

  As described above, the pump motor 30 of the circulation pump 25 is driven in a washing process or an excessive process, and the rotational speed of the pump motor 30 is set to be higher than 3600 rpm. When the pump motor 30 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow A which is the discharge direction, the water in the water tank 6 passes through the drainage duct 20 and the filter case 22 by the pumping action of the circulation pump 25, and the suction port 28e of the pump casing 26. Into the blade chamber 39. At this time, since the suction port 28e has a tapered shape constricted in a conical shape from the filter case 22 toward the blade chamber 39, it becomes a so-called water conveyance surface, and water in the water tank 6 is smoothly introduced into the blade chamber 39. it can. Further, the water introduced into the blade chamber 39 is urged in the centrifugal direction by the rotation of the pump blade 31, but a part of the water is urged toward the periphery of the suction port 28 e in the blade chamber 39. In this case, since the central portion 28a, which is a portion from the suction port 28e to the peripheral portion on the inner surface of the blade chamber 39, is formed in a slope shape that is inclined toward the filter case 22, the central portion 28a has a flat surface. Unlike the case, the water can be smoothly guided in the direction of the discharge port 26a (the direction of the openings 28fa and 28fb), and the return of water to the filter case 22 side can be prevented as much as possible. Then, the gas flows out of the openings 28fa and 28fb and is discharged from the discharge port 26a through the first discharge passage portion 28g, the second discharge passage portion 28h and the communication passage 28j of the volute 28 having a spiral curve in the arrow A direction. The

  In this case, according to the present embodiment, the pump motor 30 as the drive source of the circulation pump 25 is constituted by a DC brushless motor capable of changing the rotation speed, so that it is different from a configuration using a pump motor comprising a conventional induction motor. Thus, it is possible to realize a small size, a high rotation and a high output, and it is possible to increase the pump capacity. Further, the circulation pump 25 is configured by combining a pump casing 26 having a volute 28 and a pump main body 27 having a pump blade 31 and a pump motor 30, and the suction port 28 e provided in the volute 28 is provided. In addition, since the tapered water-conducting surface is formed so as to be conically constricted from the filter case 22 toward the blade chamber 39, water from the filter case 22 enters the blade chamber 39 via the suction port 28e. The pump pressure can be increased by the provision of the volute 28 that can smoothly introduce water and spirally guide the water and the high speed rotation of the pump blade 31, which is necessary while using a small pump blade 31. Pump performance can be sufficiently obtained, and the amount of circulating water can be increased. Further, the assembly of the circulation pump 25 is improved. Incidentally, in the past, the outer diameter of the pump blade was about 70 mm, whereas the outer diameter of the pump blade 31 in the present embodiment was only about 25 mm, and the miniaturization could be dramatically achieved.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the central portion 28a that is a portion from the suction port 28e to the peripheral portion on the inner surface of the blade chamber 39 is inclined toward the filter case 22 that is the circulation channel on the water outlet side. Unlike the case where the central portion 28a forms a flat surface, it is possible to prevent water from returning to the filter case 22 side, and to smoothly guide the water toward the discharge port 26a. Efficiency can be further increased.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the inner diameter of the mouth portion 28e1 facing the pump blade 31 at the suction port 28e is smaller than the outer diameter of the pump blade 31, the suction port 28e is introduced into the blade chamber 39. All of the water is subjected to the rotary centrifugal action of the pump blade 31, so that the pump pressure can be increased efficiently, contributing to an increase in the amount of circulating water while reducing the size.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since a DC brushless motor is used as the pump motor 30, the rotation speed can be easily changed and the pump performance can be set widely. And since the rotational speed of the pump motor 30 is set higher than 3600 rpm, unlike the case where the induction motor is a pump motor, the circulation pump 25 can be operated at a rotational speed that cannot be produced by the induction motor, and the high pumping capacity can be achieved. Can demonstrate.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the power supply voltage of the pump motor 30 is set to DC 24V, which is a DC power supply voltage normally provided in the washing machine. There is no need to provide a DC power supply circuit, and an increase in the number of components can be prevented, and an increase in washing machine cost can be suppressed.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the volute 28 has a plurality of openings 28fa and 28fb on the outer peripheral side of the pump blade 31. Therefore, the pump performance is improved, and one opening is formed by lint, for example. Even if it becomes narrow, the pump performance can be maintained by another opening.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the openings 28fa and 28fb are provided at equal intervals, so that the flow distribution to the openings 28fa and 28fb can be made uniform, contributing to improvement in pump performance.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, the volute 28 is configured to have a curved shape in the discharge rotation direction of the pump blade 31, so that the water flow in the circulation pump 25 can be improved and the pump performance is improved. Can contribute.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be modified as follows. The number of openings in the volute 28 may be as shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 shown as the second to fourth embodiments of the present invention, respectively. That is, in FIG. 9, the volute 28 has one opening 28f1, and in this case, there is one raised portion (indicated by reference numeral 28c1). In FIG. 10, the volute 28 includes three openings 28f1, 28f2, and 28f3, and there are three raised portions (indicated by reference numerals 28c1 to 28c3). In FIG. 11, the volute 28 includes four openings 28f1, 28f2, 28f3, and 28f4, and there are four raised portions (indicated by reference numerals 28c1 to 28c4).

  In the first embodiment, the circulation pump 25 is attached to the filter unit 21. However, the circulation pump 25 may be provided separately from the filter unit 21. In this case, the pump casing 26 may be connected to the filter case 22 by piping. In the first embodiment, the volute 28 is configured as a separate member from the pump casing 26, but the volute 28 may be formed integrally with the pump casing 26. The present invention can also be applied to a vertical so-called dehydrating washing machine.

1 is a longitudinal side view of a circulation pump portion showing a first embodiment of the present invention. Rear view of pump casing part KK sectional view of FIG. Volute perspective view The perspective view from the back of the filter unit in the state which separated the pump casing and the pump main-body part Longitudinal side view of washing machine Partially broken perspective view of washing machine Electrical configuration block diagram FIG. 2 equivalent view showing a second embodiment of the present invention FIG. 2 equivalent view showing a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 equivalent view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

  In the drawings, 6 is a water tank, 11 is a drum (rotary tank), 19 is a drain port (water outlet port), 21 is a filter unit, 22 is a filter case (circulation channel on the water outlet side), 25 is a circulation pump, 26 Is a pump casing, 26a is a discharge port, 27 is a pump body, 28 is a volute, 28a is a central portion (periphery of the suction port on the inner surface of the blade interior), 28e is a suction port, 28fa and 28fb are openings, and 29 is a pump lid. , 30 is a pump motor, 31 is a pump blade, 39 is a pump chamber, 41 is a water return port, 44 is a circulation channel, and 45 is a circulation device.

Claims (8)

A water tank capable of storing water,
A rotating tub having a hole capable of passing water and rotatably arranged in the water tank;
A circulating water channel communicating the water outlet and water return port of the water tank outside the water tank;
A circulation pump provided in the middle of the circulation channel,
A circulation device configured to include the circulation water channel and the circulation pump, and circulate the water in the water tank by sucking the water through the circulation water channel by the pumping action of the circulation pump and discharging the water from the water return port into the water tank. In a washing machine equipped with
The pump motor as a drive source of the circulation pump is constituted by a DC brushless motor capable of changing the rotation speed,
The circulation pump is configured by combining a pump casing having a volute and a pump main body portion having a pump blade and the pump motor, and has a blade chamber in which the pump blade is disposed. Has an inlet and outlet leading to
The volute has a flat plate portion at the end of the circulating water channel side on the water outlet side, and has a central portion raised in the direction of the blade chamber at the center of the flat plate portion. A washing machine comprising a suction port having a tapered shape constricted in a substantially conical shape from the circulation channel on the water outlet side toward the blade chamber.   2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the washing machine is formed in a slope shape inclined toward the circulating water channel on the side of the water outlet from the suction port to a peripheral portion of the blade interior surface.   The suction port has a tapered shape constricted in a conical shape from the circulating water channel on the water outlet side toward the blade chamber, and the inner diameter of the mouth portion facing the pump blade is smaller than the outer diameter of the pump blade. The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.   The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a rotation speed of the pump motor is set to be higher than 3600 rpm.   The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a power supply voltage of the pump motor is set to 24 VDC or less.   The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the volute includes a plurality of openings on an outer peripheral side of the pump blade.   The washing machine according to claim 6, wherein the openings are provided at equal intervals.   The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the volute is curved in the discharge rotation direction of the pump blade.

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