JP6933884B2 - Washing machine - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to washing machines.

Conventionally, in a washing machine, a pumping channel extending from the bottom of the washing tub to the upper part is provided, and a filter unit is provided at a discharge port portion above the pumping channel. In this type of washing machine, pump blades are provided on the back side of the stirrer located at the inner bottom of the washing tub, and the pumping action of the pump blades returns the water in the washing tub to the washing tub through the pumping channel. Make a cycle. At this time, lint and the like contained in the circulating water are captured by the filter of the filter unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-187183

The filter unit includes a check valve to prevent water from flowing back from the inflow port at the lower end of the filter cover. However, before the check valve operates, the water in the filter cover may flow back, and the function of preventing the backflow and the function of capturing by the filter are not fully exhibited.

Therefore, a washing machine capable of efficiently capturing lint and the like with a simple configuration is provided.

The washing machine of the present embodiment has the washing tub, a stirring body arranged at the inner bottom of the washing tub and having a back blade on the back side, and the washing tub by the pumping action of the back blades accompanying the rotation of the stirring body. It is provided with a water channel cover forming a pumping channel for pumping the water inside the tank wall along the inside of the tank wall, and a filter case provided on the water channel cover and having a filter for capturing lint and the like. The filter case is a back case having an inflow port for flowing pumped water into the inside and a front case combined with the back case, and the water flowing in from the inflow port is passed through the filter into the washing tub. It is provided with a front case having an outlet for flowing out to the laundry. The front case includes the filter provided in the front case from a position higher than the upper end of the inflow port to a position lower than the lower end of the inflow port, and the back case is located below the inflow port. The front case and the front case are provided with an opposing wall portion facing the tank wall and separated from the tank wall, an upper side wall portion located above the inflow port, and a guide portion provided in the vicinity of the inflow port. An internal space that can accommodate lint and the like between the back case and the like, and is sandwiched between the filter in the front case and the upper side wall portion and the facing wall portion in the back case. An internal space is provided from a position higher than the upper end of the inflow port to a position lower than the lower end of the inflow port, and a part of the pumping channel is formed by the tank wall and the facing wall portion, and the pumping channel is formed. The upper side wall portion is configured to guide the passed water to the inflow port by the guide portion, and the inflow port is located below the upper end portion of the internal space or in the vertical intermediate portion of the internal space. The guide portion is provided so as to project downward from the upper side wall portion toward the tank wall side .

Enlarged vertical side view of the filter case portion in the washing machine of one embodiment Breaking side view schematically showing the internal structure of the washing machine A perspective view showing the state where the filter case is removed together with a part of the washing tub. Enlarged perspective view from the back side of the filter case shown with the back case shifted.

Hereinafter, an embodiment applied to a fully automatic washing machine for both dehydration and dehydration will be described with reference to the drawings. The outer box 1 of the washing machine shown in FIG. 2 is formed by connecting a lower base 1a and an upper top cover 1c to a box body 1b. Inside the outer box 1, the water tank 2 is elastically supported by an elastic suspension mechanism 3 (only the suspension mechanism 3 at one corner is shown in FIG. 2) composed of support shafts 3a and springs 3b arranged at four corners. Has been done.

The water tank 2 has a bottomed cylindrical shape as a whole, and a drive device 4 is provided on the lower surface side of the bottom portion thereof. The drive device 4 includes, for example, an outer rotor type DC brushless motor 4a, a clutch mechanism (not shown), and the like. A drain port 5 is provided at the bottom of the water tank 2, and drains water from the drain port 5 to the outside of the machine through a drain valve 6 and a drain hose 7. An air trap 8 for detecting the water level is provided in the drain port 5, and a water level sensor (not shown) is connected to the air trap 8 via an air tube 9. Further, a washing machine control device (not shown) executes a water supply operation of supplying water to a predetermined water level, which will be described later, based on the water level detected by the water level sensor.

A ring-shaped tank cover 10 is provided on the upper edge of the water tank 2, and a lid 11 that can be opened and closed by folding in half is provided on the top cover 1c, for example.
Inside the water tub 2, a washing tub 12 that functions as a washing tub and a dehydration tub is rotatably arranged. The washing tub 12 has a bottomed cylindrical shape as a whole, and a large number of dehydration holes 13 are provided in the body portion 12a which is a peripheral wall portion of the tub wall. The washing tub 12 is provided with a substantially ring-shaped rotating balancer 14 at the upper end portion, and a stirring body 15 is arranged at the inner bottom portion. The stirring body 15 is integrally provided with radial water flow generating blades 16 for generating washing water flow in the washing tub 12 on the upper surface side thereof, and radial back blades 17 having a pumping action described later are provided on the lower surface side. ing. At the time of washing, only the stirring body 15 is directly and alternately rotated in both forward and reverse directions by the motor 4a of the driving device 4 while the washing tub 12 is stopped to generate the washing water flow. On the other hand, at the time of dehydration, the washing tub 12 and the stirring body 15 are synchronously rotated at high speed in one direction by the driving device 4, and the laundry in the washing tub 12 is centrifugally dehydrated.

A pumping channel 20 extending in the vertical direction along the body portion 12a is formed on the inner surface side of the washing tub 12. The pumping channel 20 is covered with a water channel cover 21 having a predetermined width W shown in FIG. 3 from the outer peripheral side of the back blade 17 of the inner bottom portion to the rotating balancer 14 side of the upper portion of the inner surface of the body portion 12a. , The water channel is formed so as to be surrounded by the water channel cover 21 and the body portion 12a. The lower end of the pumping channel 20 communicates with the pump chamber 18 on the back blade 17 side, which is defined by the stirring body 15 and the lower surface of the washing tub 12.

The water channel cover 21 is made of, for example, synthetic resin, has a gentle arc surface shape that is convex toward the rotation axis 12b side of the washing tub 12 in order to form a water channel space, and is provided at a portion of the body portion 12a where there is no dehydration hole 13. There is. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a detergent charging portion 22 is provided at the upper end portion of the water channel cover 21. The detergent charging portion 22 is rotatably supported between the open position and the storage position by the pivotal support portion 22a below the detergent charging portion 22, and in the storage positions shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the water channel cover is provided by an engaging claw (not shown). Retained for 21.

A filter case 23 is provided at an intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the water channel cover 21. Hereinafter, the filter case 23 and its mounting structure will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4. Note that FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view from the back side of the filter case 23, that is, the outer peripheral side of the washing tub 12, and for convenience of explanation, the front case 24 and the back case 30 constituting the filter case 23 are arranged in the longitudinal direction thereof. It is shown with a slight shift to.

That is, the front case 24 and the back case 30 are both made of synthetic resin, for example, and form a rectangular thin box shape having an internal space S (see FIG. 1) in a state where both 24 and 30 are combined. Of these, the front case 24 has a front wall portion 24a formed so as to be flush with the water channel cover 21, and left and right protruding to the back side at the outer peripheral portion of the front wall portion 24a as shown in FIG. The frame portions 24b and 24c and the upper frame portion 24d are integrally provided, and the back side and the lower side are open to form a substantially rectangular lid shape. The left and right frame portions 24b and 24c are slidably contacted with the back case 30 so as to guide the back case 30 in the longitudinal direction (direction of arrow 100 in FIG. 4) inside the frame portions 24b and 24c. Although not shown, the left and right frame portions of the back case 30 are formed with convex or concave portions extending in the direction of the arrow 100 inside the left and right frame portions 24b and 24c, respectively. Each of the concave or convex portions can be formed, and the front case 24 and the back case 30 can be combined by sliding in the portions.

Further, the front case 24 is provided with a locking means for locking the combined state with the back case 30. Specifically, in the front case 24, the locking holes 26b and 26c (only one hole 26b is shown in FIG. 4) formed at the lower ends of the left and right frame portions 24b and 24c are the lower end portions of the back case 30. To lock. Further, the locking piece 26d formed on the upper frame portion 24d of the front case 24 locks the upper portion of the back case 30 (see FIGS. 1 and 4).

The front wall portion 24a of the front case 24 has a gentle arc surface shape similar to that of the water channel cover 21, and a large number of water outlets 25 are formed so as to penetrate in the plate thickness direction to form a lattice shape. .. On the back side of the front wall portion 24a, a net 27 having a dense mesh (only a part of the net 27 is shown in FIG. 1) is stretched as a filter so as to face each outlet 25. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a handle portion 28 recessed to the back side and a flexible fitting claw portion 29 are formed on the upper portion of the front wall portion 24a, and the entire filter case 23 is formed. When mounted on the mounting portion 40 described later, it is held by the fitting claw portion 29.

On the other hand, the back case 30 integrally includes the back wall portions 30a and 30t shown in FIG. 4, the left and right frame portions 30b and 30c and the upper frame portions 30d formed on the outer peripheral portions of the back wall portions 30a and 30t. However, the lower side is open. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the back wall portions 30a and 30t are formed with inflow ports 31 for allowing the water pumped through the pumping channel 20 to flow into the internal space S of the filter case 23.

Of the back wall portions 30a and 30t of the back case 30, the back wall portion 30a located on the upper side of the inflow port 31 is the upper side wall portion, and the back wall portion 30t located on the lower side is the facing wall portion. In this case, the upper side wall portion 30a and the facing wall portion 30t are not strictly flush with each other, and the upper side wall portion 30a is displaced to a position closer to the front side (to the left side in FIG. 1) with respect to the facing wall portion 30t. In other words, the upper side wall portion 30a and the facing wall portion 30t are parallel to each other, but the wall portions 30a and 30t are stepped in the plate thickness direction. The alternate long and short dash line 102 in FIG. 1 is attached to correspond to the facing wall portion 30t and to clarify the step with the upper side wall portion 30a.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the back case 30, the facing wall portion 30t is separated from the tub wall (hereinafter referred to as tub wall 12a) of the body portion 12a of the washing tub 12 so as to face the tub wall 12a. A part 20a of the pumping channel 20 is formed by the facing wall portion 30t.

Further, in the back case 30, a rib (hereinafter, referred to as a guide rib 32) as a guide portion is integrally formed at the lower end portion of the upper side wall portion 30a so as to project to the outside of the internal space S. The guide rib 32 extends in the vicinity of the inflow port 31 over the left and right frame portions 30b and 30c so as to block the pumping channel 20a, that is, over the entire width direction of the pumping channel 20a. The guide rib 32 extends from the lower end of the upper side wall portion 30a to a position where the tip of the rib 32 substantially abuts on the tank wall 12a, and gradually outwards and toward the upstream side of pumping from the base end toward the tip. By extending, it is inclined toward the inflow port 31 side. As a result, in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 1, the guide rib 32 and the upper side wall portion 30a have the same thickness dimension and form a “he” shape, and the water passing through the pumping channel 20a is brought to the inflow port 31 by the guide rib 32. It is easy to guide.

As shown in FIG. 4, the left and right frame portions 30b and 30c of the back case 30 are formed so as to extend in the vertical direction along the inside of the frame portions 24b and 24c of the front case 24. At the lower ends of the frame portions 30b and 30c of the back case 30, locking projections 33b and 33c (only one projection 33b is shown in FIG. 4) are symmetrically corresponding to the locking holes 26b and 26c. It is formed.

In this way, the front case 24 and the back case 30 are combined by sliding the frame portions 30b and 30c of the back case 30 upward in the direction of the arrow 100 in FIG. 4 with respect to the frame portions 24b and 24c of the front case 24. By this combination, the locking projections 33b and 33c of the back case 30 are locked to the locking holes 26b and 26c of the front case 24, and the upper frame portion 30d of the back case 30 is attached to the locking piece 26d of the front case 24. In the locked state, the filter case 23 having the internal space S is configured.

As shown in FIG. 3, the water channel cover 21 is provided with a rectangular opening 40a that matches the outer shape of the case 23 as the mounting portion 40 of the filter case 23. The opening 40a is formed at an intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the water channel cover 21 so that the inflow port 31 of the filter case 23 is located, for example, in accordance with the medium water level L2 in the washing tub 12 (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2). Has been done. The water levels L1 and L2 shown by the alternate long and short dash lines in FIG. 2 correspond to the capacity of the laundry put into the washing tub 12, and are, for example, less than the rated capacity at high load (9 kg). It represents a low water level L1 of about 1/3 at a low load (3 kg) and a medium water level L2 of about 1/2 at a medium load (6 kg). The opening 40a for the filter case 23 may be formed so that the inflow port 31 is located in the region from the low water level L1 to the medium water level L2.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the mounting portion 40 of the filter case 23 is composed of the opening 40a formed in the water channel cover 21, a fitting recess 40b at the peripheral edge thereof, and a receiving portion 40c. The fitting recess 40b is a recess located on the upper edge of the opening 40a and detachably fitted to the fitting claw portion 29 of the filter case 23. Further, the receiving portion 40c projects from the lower edge of the opening 40a toward the tank wall 12a so as to receive the lower surface portion of the filter case 23, particularly the facing wall portion 30t of the filter case 23 shown in FIG. Therefore, in FIG. 1, the inlet 20in of the pumping channel 20a on the back side (the right side) of the filter case 23 is secured on the right side of the receiving portion 40c, and the water pumped into the pumping channel 20a is collected by the receiving portion 40c in the filter case 23. It is configured so that it does not hit the lower surface of the.

The filter case 23 is placed on the receiving portion 40c while being inserted so as to match the opening 40a in the above-mentioned combined state, and if the fitting claw portion 29 is fitted into the fitting recess 40b, the mounting portion 40 It is attached detachably. On the other hand, if the attached filter case 23 is pulled up by hooking a finger on the handle portion 28, the fitting claw portion 29 bends and the attachment portion 40 is disengaged. Therefore, the filter case 23 should be removed as it is. Can be done. Further, if the removed filter case 23 is separated from the front case 24 by sliding the back case 30, the locking protrusions 33b and 33c locked in the locking holes 26b and 26c and the locking piece 26d can be removed. The upper frame portion 30d comes off. As a result, the filter case 23 can be easily disassembled, and lint and the like adhering to the net 27 of the front case 24 can be removed.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described.
At the time of washing, laundry and detergent (not shown) are put into the washing tub 12. When the detergent is added through the detergent charging section 22, the detergent is distributed to the left and right of the filter case 23 inside the water channel cover 21 and heads toward the inner bottom side of the washing tub 12. That is, even if the detergent is passed through the pumping channel 20 from above, it does not directly enter the filter case 23 by the guide rib 32 or the like, and can be easily dissolved by using the pumping water.

When the washing operation is started, water is supplied into the washing tub 12 to, for example, the water level of L2 in FIG. 2 as the water level according to the amount of laundry based on the water level detected by the water level sensor. After that, by driving the drive device 4, the stirring body 15 is alternately rotated in both forward and reverse directions while the washing tub 12 is stopped, and the washing water flow is generated in the washing tub 12 by the water flow generating blades 16 for washing. Things are washed.

In this case, the water in the pump chamber 18 in the washing tub 12 is pumped toward the pumping channel 20 by the pumping action of the back blade 17 accompanying the rotation of the stirring body 15. As a result, as shown by arrows 101 and 101a in FIGS. 1 and 2, the water pumped through the pumping channels 20 and 20a flows into the filter case 23 from the inflow port 31. Specifically, the water pumped from the lower side of the pumping channel 20 in FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrow 101 does not hit the lower surface of the filter case 23 by the receiving portion 40c, and passes through the inlet 20in of the pumping channel 20a on the back side of the filter case 23. As the water is pumped in the direction of arrow 101a as it is, it is guided to the guide rib 32 and flows into the filter case 23 from the inflow port 31. When the water flowing into the filter case 23 is discharged from the outlet 25 into the washing tub 12, it passes through the mesh of the net 27, and the lint and other foreign substances in the water are captured by the net 27. .. In this way, at the time of washing, the pumping by the back blade 17 toward the pumping channel 20 is repeated, so that the water circulating in the pumping channel 20 is discharged into the washing tub 12 through the mesh of the net 27.

As described above, in the filter case 23, the back case 30 has a facing wall portion 30t located below the inflow port 31 and separated from the tank wall 12a, and a guide provided in the vicinity of the inflow port 31. A guide rib 32 as a portion is provided, and a part 20a of the pumping channel 20 is formed by the tank wall 12a and the facing wall portion 30t, and the water passing through the pumping channel 20a is guided to the inflow port 31 by the guide portion. It was configured as follows.

According to this, a part 20a of the pumping channel 20 is formed between the facing wall portion 30t of the filter case 23 and the tub wall 12a of the washing tub 12, and the capacity of the pumping channel 20a and the filter case 23 is formed. It is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the filter case 23 in the thickness direction of the tank wall 12a while ensuring the above. Further, the filter case 23 can guide the water pumped through the pumping channel 20a to the inflow port 31 by the guide portion, and efficiently captures lint and the like with a simple configuration that does not require a check valve. be able to.

Since the guide portion is provided so as to block the pumping channel 20a, the water pumped by the pumping action of the back blade 17 can be more efficiently guided to the inflow port 31.
The guide portion includes ribs integrally provided on the back case 30 so as to project to the outside of the internal space S of the filter case 23. According to this, the thickness dimension of the back case 30 and the guide portion can be reduced, the guide portion can be easily molded, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

In the back case 30, the upper side wall portion 30a on which the ribs are formed located on the upper side of the inflow port 31 and the facing wall portion 30t located on the lower side are formed in the plate thickness direction of the wall portions 30a and 30t. It has a staggered step shape. By shifting the upper side wall portion 30a on which the ribs are formed and the facing wall portion 30t in the plate thickness direction (left side in FIG. 1) in this way, the pumped water further flows into the filter case 23. It can be easily configured. Further, regarding the shape of the filter case 23 or the capture of lint and the like, wasteful dead space can be omitted, and a simpler configuration can be made. If the wall portions 30a and 30t are made parallel to each other as in the present embodiment, it can be said that the configuration is more preferable in relation to the tank wall 12a.

Unlike the present embodiment, when the inflow port of the filter case is provided above the medium water level L2, if the amount of laundry is small and the water level is L1, sufficient water cannot be pumped up to the inflow port, and lint and the like cannot be pumped sufficiently. There is a risk that it cannot be captured. In this respect, the filter case 23 of the present embodiment is provided so that the inflow port 31 is located in the region from the low water level L1 to the medium water level L2 in the washing tub 12. According to this, even if the water level in the washing tub 12 is low, it is possible to efficiently capture lint and the like.

The washing machine described above is not limited to the above embodiment, and for example, a guide portion that is not a rib can be provided instead of the guide rib 32. In this case, although specific illustration is omitted, for example, the plate thickness of the upper side wall portion 30a in FIG. 1 is set to be thicker toward the tank wall 12a than the position of the alternate long and short dash line 102, and the thickness is increased. The lower surface of the side wall portion is formed so as to have an inclined surface similar to the guide rib 32. Such an upper side wall portion may be hollow or non-hollow, but since the lower surface thereof is thickened so as to form a guide portion, the same function and effect as those of the guide rib 32 can be obtained.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples. The guide portion of the above example may be formed so as to be in contact with the tank wall 12a or slightly separated from the tank wall 12a as long as it is formed so as to block the pumping channel. Further, for example, in a combination of the back case and the front case, the locking projections 33b and 33c of the back case 30 are used as pivotal support portions, and the locking protrusions 26b and 26c of the front case 24 are swingably supported. A filter case may be configured.

Further, depending on the pump performance of the back blades, the filter case 23 may be arranged so that the inflow port 31 is located in a region other than the region from the low water level L1 to the medium water level L2 in the washing tub 12. As such, the embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

In the drawing, 12 is a washing tub, 12a is a tub wall, 15 is a stirrer, 17 is a back blade, 20, 20a is a pumping channel, 21 is a water channel cover, 23 is a filter case, 24 is a front case, and 25 is an outlet. 27 is a net (filter), 30 is a back case, 30a is an upper side wall portion, 30t is an opposing wall portion, 31 is an inflow port, and 32 is a guide portion.

Claims (5)

The washing tub and
A stirring body arranged at the inner bottom of the washing tub and having a back blade on the back side,
A water channel cover that forms a pumping channel that pumps water in the washing tub along the inside of the tub wall by the pumping action of the back blades accompanying the rotation of the stirring body.
A filter case provided on the water channel cover and having a filter for capturing lint and the like is provided.
The filter case is
A back case with an inflow port that allows pumped water to flow inside,
A front case to be combined with the back case, the front case having an outflow port for flowing water flowing in from the inflow port into the washing tub through the filter.
The front case is
The filter provided in the front case is provided from a position higher than the upper end of the inflow port to a position lower than the lower end of the inflow port.
The back case
A facing wall portion located below the inflow port and separated from the tank wall.
An upper side wall located above the inflow port and
A guide portion provided in the vicinity of the inflow port is provided.
An internal space that can accommodate lint and the like between the front case and the back case, and is sandwiched between the filter in the front case and the upper side wall portion and the facing wall portion in the back case. As an internal space, an internal space extending from a position higher than the upper end of the inflow port to a position lower than the lower end of the inflow port is provided.
A part of the pumping channel is formed by the tank wall and the facing wall portion, and the water passing through the pumping channel is configured to be guided to the inflow port by the guide portion.
The inflow port opens between the upper side wall portion and the facing wall portion so as to be located below the upper end portion of the internal space or in the vertical intermediate portion of the internal space, and the guide portion is the guide portion. A washing machine provided so as to project downward from the upper side wall toward the tub wall side. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion is provided so as to block the pumping channel. The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide portion includes ribs integrally provided on the back case so as to project to the outside of the internal space of the filter case. The back case has a stepped shape in which the upper side wall portion on which the ribs are formed located on the upper side of the inflow port and the facing wall portion located on the lower side are displaced in the plate thickness direction of the wall portions. The washing machine according to claim 3. In the water channel cover, the filter case is provided so that the inflow port is located in the region from the low water level to the medium water level in the washing tub, the lower end of the water channel cover is lower than the low water level, and the upper end of the water channel cover. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the washing machine is configured to be higher than the low water level and lower than the maximum water level.

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