JP7148221B2 - washing machine - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to washing machines.

In a so-called vertical shaft type washing machine, it has been considered to provide a rotatable roller on the upper surface of a pulsator provided at the bottom of the washing tub (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this case, two or three rollers are arranged so as to extend radially on the pulsator, and these rollers make it possible to improve the circulation of the laundry on the pulsator.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0180532

In the above-described pulsator provided with rollers, the effect of the movement of the laundry by the rollers reaches only a part of the pulsator. The effect of improving the cloth circulation of the laundry is not obtained so much. Therefore, it is conceivable to provide the rollers in the vertical direction on the inner wall of the washing tub instead of on the pulsator.

However, if shafts are simply provided at the upper and lower ends of the roller and the shafts are pivotally supported on the inner wall of the washing tub, the roller protrudes from the inner wall surface of the washing tub toward the inner circumference. For example, when viewed from above, the difference in level between the inner peripheral surface of the washing tub and the rollers becomes large. Therefore, it is expected that the laundry cannot be smoothly moved by the rollers, causing clogging or catching of the laundry.

Therefore, a washing machine is provided in which rollers are provided in the washing tub so as to improve the rotation of the clothes, and the washing can be smoothly moved by the rollers.

A washing machine according to the present embodiment includes a washing tub in which laundry is stored and washed, a cover member attached to an inner wall portion of the washing tub and forming a water channel extending vertically between the washing tub, a roller provided on the cover member so as to be rotatable with its axial direction extending vertically in a state where a part of the outer peripheral wall surface is exposed in the washing tub, and for promoting the movement of the laundry by rotation; side bulging portions provided on both sides of the roller of the above, connected so as to draw a smooth curve with respect to the exposed outer peripheral wall surface of the roller, and smoothly guiding the laundry toward the roller; the roller is configured to be held by a holding member and attached to the cover member; the side bulging portion is provided on the holding member and/or the cover member; The curved wall provided in the cover member and the curved wall provided in the cover member are provided in a continuous manner .

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment, and is a vertical cross-sectional side view schematically showing the overall configuration of the washing machine. Longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the washing tub in a cross-section different from that in FIG. Front view (a) and rear view (b) of the first cover member Vertical cross-sectional side view (a) along line AA and cross-sectional top view (b) along line BB of FIG. 3(a) of the first cover member FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state before the roller unit is attached to the first cover member; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in the middle of attaching and detaching the roller unit to and from the first cover member; Exploded perspective view (a) and perspective view (b) from the back side of the roller unit Front view (a), rear view (b), longitudinal side view (c) of the holding member Disassembled perspective view of roller Longitudinal view (a), top view (b), and bottom view (c) of the main part of the roller Perspective view (a), front view (b), longitudinal side view (c) of the cap part Rear view showing upper part (a) and lower part (b) of the roller shaft holding structure Cross-sectional top view showing rollers and side bulging portions A vertical cross-sectional view for explaining how washing water enters the roller. A cross-sectional top view showing a second embodiment, schematically showing two different forms (a) and (b) of rollers and side bulging portions. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional top view showing a third embodiment, schematically showing rollers and side bulging portions;

(1) First Embodiment Hereinafter, a first embodiment applied to a so-called vertical shaft type washing machine will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14. FIG. First, referring to FIG. 1, the overall configuration of a washing machine 1 according to this embodiment will be described. The washing machine 1 has a plastic top cover 3 on the upper part of an outer box 2 which is made of, for example, a steel plate and has a rectangular box shape as a whole. Inside the outer box 2, a water tank 4 capable of storing washing water is provided so as to be elastically suspended by a well-known elastic suspension mechanism (not shown). Although not shown, a drain port is formed at the bottom of the water tank 4, and a drain channel having a drain valve is connected to the drain port.

In the water tub 4, a vertical shaft type washing tub (rotating tub) 5 that also serves as a dewatering tub is rotatably provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the washing tub 5 has a bottomed cylindrical shape as a whole, and a large number of dehydration holes 17 are formed in the peripheral wall portion thereof. At the upper end of the washing tub 5, for example, a liquid-filled rotary balancer 6 is attached. A pulsator 7 is arranged at the inner bottom of the washing tub 5 . Laundry (not shown) is accommodated in the washing tub 5, and a washing operation including steps of washing, rinsing, dehydrating, etc., of the clothes is performed. The detailed structure inside the washing tub 5 will be described later.

A well-known driving mechanism 8 is arranged on the outer bottom of the water tank 4 . Although detailed illustration and description are omitted, the drive mechanism 8 includes a washing machine motor 9 composed of, for example, an outer rotor type DC three-phase brushless motor, a hollow tub shaft 10, an agitating shaft 11 penetrating the tub shaft 10, and the washing machine. A clutch mechanism or the like for selectively transmitting the rotational driving force of the machine motor to the shafts 10 and 11 is provided. The washing tub 5 is connected to the upper end of the tub shaft 10 , and the pulsator 7 is connected to the upper end of the stirring shaft 11 .

The clutch mechanism uses, for example, a solenoid as a driving source, and is controlled by a control device mainly composed of a computer. Thus, the clutch mechanism transmits the driving force of the washing machine motor 9 to the pulsator 7 via the stirring shaft 11 while the washing tub 5 is fixed (stopped) during the washing and rinsing processes. Directly forward and reverse rotation drive. Further, in the dewatering process, the clutch mechanism transmits the driving force of the washing machine motor 9 to the washing tub 5 via the tub shaft 10 while the tub shaft 10 and the stirring shaft 11 are connected to each other. and the pulsator 7) are directly rotated in one direction at high speed.

The top cover 3 has the shape of a thin hollow box with an open lower surface and an upper surface that slopes downward toward the front. , a substantially circular entrance for laundry is formed. The upper surface of the top cover 3 is provided with a lid 12 which has a rectangular panel shape as a whole and opens and closes the doorway. Although not shown in detail, a horizontally long operation panel is provided on the front side of the upper surface of the top cover 3 . A water supply mechanism for supplying water into the water tub 4 (washing tub 5) is provided in the rear portion of the top cover 3. As shown in FIG.

Here, the washing tub 5 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 as well. Specifically, the washing tub 5 is configured by connecting a tub bottom 16 to the lower end of a cylindrical body 15 and connecting the rotary balancer 6 to the upper end of the body 15 . The body portion 15 is made of a metal plate, such as a stainless steel plate, and has a cylindrical shape with both upper and lower sides opened. is formed. The tank bottom portion 16 is made of plastic and formed in a circular container shape, and is coupled to the lower portion of the body portion 15 by caulking and screwing.

A circular area of the inner bottom (upper surface) of the tank bottom 16 forms a pump chamber 20 between itself and the pulsator 7 . Outlet ports 21 are formed in the outer peripheral portion of the bath bottom portion 16 at three locations spaced apart by an angle of 120 degrees in the circumferential direction. The pulsator 7 has a disk-like shape with a convex portion for generating water flow on its surface (upper surface), and a plurality of thin-plate-like pumps positioned in the pump chamber 20 and extending in the radial direction on the back surface of the pulsator 7 . Blades 22 are integrally provided. This constitutes a centrifugal pump, and the rotation of the pulsator 7 directs the washing liquid (water or water in which detergent is dissolved) in the washing tub 5 toward the outer periphery of the pump chamber 20 (three outflow ports 21). will be ejected.

The side walls of the washing tub 5 are provided with a water channel (pumping water) for pumping the washing liquid in the washing tub 5 from each outflow port 21 of the pump chamber 20 and discharging (sprinkling) it from the upper part of the washing tub 5. road) 23 is provided. Here, a plurality of water channels 23, for example, three water channels 23, are provided extending in the vertical direction at intervals of 120 degrees in the circumferential direction of the washing tub 5. As shown in FIG. In this case, each water channel 23 is formed by attaching a cover member from the tub bottom portion 16 (outflow port 21 portion) of the washing tub 5 to the trunk portion 15 .

At this time, in this embodiment, in forming the three water channels 23, the first cover member 24 is provided at two locations in the washing tub 5, and the first cover member is provided at the remaining one location. A second cover member 25 is provided which differs in structure from 24 . A roller (roller unit) is attached to the first cover member 24 among them. The configuration of the first cover 24 and rollers (roller unit) will be described later.

The second cover member 25 is made of a molded plastic product, and as shown in FIGS. a main portion 25a, a lower connecting portion 25b provided at the lower portion of the main portion 25a and connected to the outflow port 21 of the tank bottom portion 16; It is integrally provided with an extending portion 25c. The main portion 25 a has an arcuate cross section that curves in the opposite direction to the curved surface of the body portion 15 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the main portion 25a of the second cover member 25 is formed with a vertically long rectangular opening 25d, and a filter member 26 is detachably mounted so as to close the rectangular opening 25d. there is Although not shown in detail, the filter member 26 has a rectangular plate shape as a whole, and has a plurality of horizontally elongated slit-shaped water passage holes on the plate surface, and a lint trapping filter is provided in the water passage portion. It has a well-known configuration with a mesh filter attached.

Further, the extended portion 25c of the second cover member 25 is provided with a detergent inlet 29 positioned below the rotary balancer 6 and opened at the inner wall portion of the washing tub 5. As shown in FIG. Although not shown in detail, the second cover member 25 constructed in this way is attached to the washing tub 5 by engaging the engaging claws with the engaging holes, for example. At this time, although not shown, packings are provided on the back side of the cover member 25 along the left and right sides in FIG. formed.

Thus, the user can put a required amount of detergent through the detergent inlet 29 in advance when starting the washing operation. When the washing operation is started and the pulsator 7 rotates, the washing water in the washing tub 5 rises from the outflow port 21 of the pump chamber 20 through the water channel 23 and flows through the water passage hole of the filter member 26 to the washing tub 5. Circulation is carried out by feeding in. At that time, the charged detergent is sent into the washing tub 5 while being dissolved in water. Also, the lint (thread waste) contained in the washing water is captured by the filter of the filter member 26 . By removing the filter member 26 from the second cover member 25, the filter can be easily cleaned.

Next, the first cover member 24 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6 as well. The first cover member 24 is made of a molded plastic product, and has substantially the same outer shape as the second cover member 25 described above. That is, the first cover member 24 has a generally plate-like shape elongated in the vertical direction as a whole. It is integrally provided with a lower connecting portion 24b connected to the 16 outflow ports 21 and an extending portion 24c extending upward and inwardly from the upper portion of the main portion 24a to the rotary balancer 6 portion.

As shown in FIG. 3, the extension 24c has an inverted trapezoidal opening at the front and a thin concave shape toward the back. It is connected to the upper end portion of the back surface side (water channel 23) of the main portion 24a. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the front opening of the extended portion 24c is closed by a discharge port cover 32 attached thereto. The discharge port cover 32 is formed with a laterally elongated slit-shaped discharge port 32a positioned near the upper portion thereof.

As shown in FIG. 4(b), the main portion 24a has an arcuate cross section that curves in the opposite direction to the curved surface of the trunk portion 15. As shown in FIG. A mounting portion 31 to which a roller unit (to be described later) is detachably mounted is provided in a concave shape in a vertically long rectangular region of the front surface of the main portion 24a. The mounting portion 31 has a vertically long rectangular case shape with an open front surface having left and right side walls and a back wall. The rear wall portion of the mounting portion 31 is formed with a vertically long opening portion 31a that opens to the rear surface of a portion where a roller, which will be described later, is arranged. Rollers, which will be described later, are provided in a form separated from the water channel 23 .

In this case, as also shown in FIG. 13, of the main portion 24a, the left and right portions of the front opening portion of the mounting portion 31 bulge gradually inward from the left and right ends toward the center when viewed from above. Cover-side curved walls 39, 39 as curved walls are provided. As will be described later in detail, these cover-side curved walls 39, 39 together with the curved walls of the holding member (holding-member-side curved walls) constitute side bulging portions.

Although not shown in detail, the first cover member 24 is also attached to the washing tub 5 by, for example, engaging claws and engaging holes. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3(b), an outer packing holding groove 24d and an inner packing holding groove 24e are integrally formed on the back side of the first cover member 24. As shown in FIG. Among them, the outer packing holding groove 24d extends upward along the left and right side portions between the main portion 24a and the lower connecting portion 24b of the first cover member 24, and forms an inverted U-shape connecting just above the communication port 30. It is formed in a character-like form. In addition, the inner packing holding groove 24e is formed in a vertically long rectangular frame shape surrounding the outer periphery of the attachment portion 31 (opening portion 31a).

A band-shaped outer packing 33 with ends is held in the outer packing holding groove 24d, and along the outer periphery of the water channel 23, the back surface of the first cover member 24 and the inner wall surface of the body portion 15 are watertightly sealed. It is designed to In addition, a frame-shaped inner packing 34 is held in the inner packing holding groove 24e. be sealed watertight.

Thus, a channel 23 for raising the washing water is formed between the first cover member 24 and the inner peripheral wall of the washing tub 5 (trunk portion 15). In this case, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the water channel 23 extends upward from the outflow port 21 to the lower portion of the mounting portion 31, as indicated by the arrow a. Extending upward on the left and right sides of the portion 31 a ), they reunite above the mounting portion 31 and reach the communication port 30 . The washing water that has passed through the communication port 30 reaches the extension 24 a (front side) and is discharged into the washing tub 5 from the discharge port 32 a of the discharge port cover 32 . Therefore, the water channels 23 are provided on both sides of the rollers, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), the mounting portion 31 of the first cover member 24 has a locked portion positioned on the lower side thereof for locking a locking piece of a roller unit, which will be described later. 35 is provided. Along with this, the upper side portion of the mounting portion 31 is provided with a fitting hole 36 into which a fitting convex portion of a roller unit, which will be described later, is fitted. Further, the mounting portion 31 includes an upper holding portion 37 and a lower holding portion 38 which are positioned above and below the opening 30a to hold the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the shaft of the roller described later, respectively, in an anti-disengagement state. is provided. The upper holding portion 37 and the lower holding portion 38 are configured by having U-shaped concave portions 37a and 38a at the center of the tip surface of horizontally long plate-like pieces projecting forward.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, etc., a cylindrical roller 41 for promoting the movement of the laundry by rotation is provided on the inner wall of the washing tub 5 with its axial direction extending vertically. rotatably provided. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in this embodiment, the roller 41 is held by a holding member 42 to form a roller unit 43. In the state of the roller unit 43, each of the first cover members 24 is held. It is detachably (detachably) attached to the mounting portion 31 . The roller 41 and the roller unit 43 will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 7 to 13 as well.

First, the roller 41 will be described. As shown in FIG. 9 and the like, the roller 41 includes a roller main portion 44, a cap portion 45, a metal shaft 46, and upper and lower bushes 47, 47. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the roller main portion 44 is made of a plastic molded product and has a vertically long hollow cylindrical shape with an open top (the bottom end has a bottom wall), and the bottom (bottom end) has a Continuously, it integrally has a cylindrical portion 48 through which the shaft 46 is inserted and held. The cylindrical portion 48 has a cylindrical shape, and is provided so as to extend to the vicinity of the upper portion with the axial center portion of the roller main portion 44 directed in the axial direction (upward).

At this time, as shown in FIG. 10C, three openings 49 are formed in the bottom surface of the roller main portion 44 . These openings 49 are arranged at intervals of 120 degrees apart from the cylindrical portion 48 when viewed in the axial direction, and communicate with the internal space of the roller main portion 44 (the space on the outer peripheral side of the cylindrical portion 48). Further, as shown in FIG. 10B, three reinforcing ribs 44a are integrally formed on the inner peripheral surface of the roller main portion 44 at intervals of 120 degrees so as to be connected to the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion 48. It is Furthermore, three sets of engaging pins 44b and hooks 44c for connection with the cap portion 45 are integrally provided on the upper portion of the inner peripheral surface of the roller main portion 44 at intervals of 120 degrees in the circumferential direction. ing.

In contrast to the roller main portion 44, the cap portion 45 is also made of a molded plastic product, and as shown in FIG. It has a cylindrical cap shape integrally having a cylindrical wall portion 50 that fits into the inner peripheral surface of 44 . A cylindrical portion 51 is integrally formed at the center of the shaft of the cap portion 45 so as to extend downward so as to penetrate in the vertical direction, and through which the shaft 46 is inserted.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the cylindrical wall portion 50 has a configuration in which the tip portion of the cylindrical wall portion 50 is obliquely cut at three points in the circumferential direction, and the roller A cam portion 50a is provided with which the engaging pin 44b of the main portion 44 abuts and is relatively guided, and the engaging pin 44b is engaged and fixed to the terminal end of the cam portion 50a in an upward concave shape. An engaging recess 50b is provided. Further, the cylindrical wall portion 50 is formed with three locking holes 50c for locking the hooks 44c of the roller main portion 44 in a state of retaining them.

After this, the cap portion 45 is fitted to the upper end portion of the roller main portion 44 so that the cam portion 50a of the cylindrical wall portion 50 abuts on the engaging pin 44b. By rotating clockwise, the engaging pin 44b is engaged and fixed to the engaging recess 50b, and the hook 44c is engaged to the engaging hole 50c. It has become.

11(c), ribs 52 for preventing the pinching of a cloth are integrally provided on the upper surface of the cap portion 45, which is the upper end surface of the roller 41. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12(a), the rib 52 is located on the outer peripheral side of the shaft 46 and is provided in a ring shape (cylindrical shape with a low height) rising upward. Secondly, the gap between the holding member 42 and the upper side of the rectangular opening 53a is closed to prevent the laundry cloth from being caught in the gap. Also, as will be described later, the ribs 52 also serve as misassembly prevention members that allow the rollers 41 to be held with respect to the holding member 42 in the normal orientation, but not in the opposite orientation.

In the roller 41, as described above, the cap portion 45 is attached to the roller main portion 44, the shaft 46 is inserted through the cylindrical portion 48 and the cylindrical portion 51, and the shaft 46 is fixed by the upper and lower bushes 47, 47. Assembled by Thus, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the roller 41 has a configuration in which a shaft 46 passes through the central portion of the shaft of the roller 41, and the shaft 46 protrudes vertically from the upper and lower end surfaces of the roller 41 by a slight length. It is said that

The holding member 42 is configured as follows with respect to the roller 41 configured as described above. That is, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the holding member 42 is made of a plastic molding, and has a vertically elongated rectangular shape as a whole so as to cover the mounting portion 31 of the first cover member 24. It is constructed in the shape of a thin case that is open in the front-rear direction. The central portion of the front surface of the holding member 42 has a bulging portion 53 that bulges forward in an arc shape (a semicylindrical shape) when viewed from above. A rectangular opening 53a is formed to expose a portion (less than half of the entire area). The rectangular opening 53 a is formed to have a length in the up-down direction corresponding to the length dimension of the roller 41 so that the roller 41 is fitted therein.

At this time, as shown in FIGS. 8(a) and 13, etc., the front surface of the bulging portion 53 of the holding member 42 has holding member side curved walls as curved walls at the left and right portions of the opening 53a. 61, 61. As will be described later, these holding member-side curved walls 61, 61 are continuous with cover-side curved walls 39, 39, and form side bulging portions 62, 62 together. The side bulges 62 , 62 are provided on both sides of the roller 41 , and are connected to draw a smooth curve with respect to the exposed outer peripheral wall surface of the roller 41 , so as to smooth the laundry toward the roller 41 . fulfill the function of leading to Further, in this embodiment, the holding member side curved walls 61 , 61 have a shape in which the curvature when viewed from above changes so as to follow the outer peripheral surface of the roller 41 more in the vicinity of the roller 41 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 8C and the like, the front surface of the bulging portion 53 of the holding member 42 has an upper bulging portion 63 that is located above the opening 53a. A portion located at the bottom of 53a serves as a lower swelling portion 64. As shown in FIG. The upper bulging portion 63 is positioned above the roller 41 and is provided in a form that is smoothly connected to the upper end portion of the roller 41 . Similarly, the lower bulging portion 64 is positioned below the roller 41 and is provided in a form that is smoothly connected to the lower end portion of the roller 41 .

As shown in FIGS. 7(a), 8(b) and 12, an upper wall portion 54 is integrally provided on the rear surface (inner surface) side of the holding member 42 at the upper end portion of the rectangular opening 53a. A lower wall portion 55 is integrally provided at the lower end of the rectangular opening 53a. At this time, the upper wall portion 54 is formed with a wide upper cutout portion 54a that allows the rib 52 of the roller 41 to be arranged (passed through) so as to open on the back side. A narrow lower notch 55a through which the shaft 46 of the roller 41 can pass is formed so as to open on the back side.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, on the rear surface (inner surface) side of the holding member 42 is positioned slightly above the upper wall portion 54 to rotatably support the upper end portion of the shaft 46 of the roller 41. is integrally provided with an upper bearing portion 56, and is positioned slightly below the lower wall portion 55 and is integrally provided with a lower bearing portion 57 for rotatably pivoting the lower end portion of the shaft 46 of the roller 41. ing. The upper bearing portion 56 and the lower bearing portion 57 have U-shaped cutouts 56a and 57a, respectively, which are open on the back side. , the roller 41 is rotatably supported.

Further, the holding member 42 is provided with a structure for detachably attaching the roller unit 43 to the mounting portion 31 of the first cover member 24 as follows. That is, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the lower end of the holding member 42 is integrally provided with a laterally long locking piece 58 protruding downward. By inserting the locking piece 58 into the locked portion 35 of the mounting portion 31 from above, the lower end portion of the holding member 42 is locked to prevent it from coming off forward.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, a knob portion 59 is integrally provided at the upper end portion of the holding member 42 . The knob portion 59 has an upper piece portion 59a and a lower piece portion 59b extending forward from the upper rear wall portion of the holding member 42, and the upper piece portion 59a and the lower piece portion 59b are elastic in the vertical direction. It is supposed to be transformable. At this time, as also shown in FIG. 6, a concave portion 59c into which the user can insert his or her finger is provided on the lower side of the lower piece portion 59b. The upper piece 59a is positioned at the upper end of the holding member 42, and on its upper surface, as shown in FIG. 60 is provided. In this way, the knob portion 59 is pinched vertically to narrow the gap between the upper piece portion 59a and the lower piece portion 59b, thereby elastically deforming the upper piece portion 59a downward (in the direction of the arrow b in FIG. 8(c)). Meanwhile, the fitting protrusion 60 can be attached to and detached from the fitting hole 36 .

In the roller unit 43 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 7A, the roller 41 is accommodated and held in the bulging portion 53 from the back side of the holding member 42 . Specifically, the upper end portion of the shaft 46 of the roller 41 is inserted into the notch portion 56 a of the upper bearing portion 56 so as to be rotatably supported. At this time, the rib 42 of the upper end surface of the roller 41 is arranged in the wide upper notch 54 a of the upper wall 54 . Along with this, the lower end of the shaft 46 is inserted into the notch 57a of the lower bearing 57, and is rotatably supported. At this time, the part of the shaft 46 immediately below the lower end surface of the roller 41 is arranged in the narrow lower notch 55 a of the lower wall 55 .

As a result, as shown in FIG. 7B and the like, the roller 41 is rotatably held by the holding member 42, and the front portion of the roller 41 (the portion slightly narrower than the half circumference) is rectangular. It is arranged in the opening 53a and exposed forward. In this holding state, as shown in FIG. 12(a), the rib 52 on the upper end surface of the roller 41 is arranged in the gap between the rectangular opening 53 on the upper end surface side of the roller 41 and the cloth. Performs the function of preventing pinching. At this time, as is clear from FIG. 12, due to the presence of the rib 52, even if the roller 41 is attached to the holding member 42 upside down, the rib 52 will be caught by the lower wall portion 55, causing the roller to be stuck. 41 can not be held upside down on the holding member 42 .

The roller unit 43 is detachably attached to the attachment portion 31 of the first cover member 24 on the inner wall portion of the washing tub 5 . When attaching the roller unit 43 to the mounting portion 31, first, the locking piece 58 at the lower end of the holding member 42 is inserted into the locked portion 35 on the lower side of the mounting portion 31 from diagonally above. Lock it (see FIG. 6). Next, the grip portion 59 is pinched and the upper portion 59a is elastically deformed downward (in the direction of the arrow b) while the upper portion of the roller unit 43 is fitted into the mounting portion 31 so that the fitting protrusion 60 is fitted into the fitting hole 36. mated against. The roller units 43 are attached to the first cover members 24 at two locations, respectively.

Thereby, the roller unit 43 is mounted so as to be fitted into the mounting portion 31 . At this time, as shown in FIG. 1 , the upper end portion of the shaft 46 of the roller 41 is held by the upper holding portion 37 and the lower holding portion 38 provided on the first cover member 24 on the back side of the roller unit 43 . At the lower end of the shaft 46 , the lower end of the shaft 46 is prevented from coming out to the rear (rear side) by the lower holding portion 38 just above the lower bearing portion 57 . back side).

In the attached state of the roller unit 43, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the roller 41 is rotatably arranged in the middle portion of the inner wall portion of the washing tub 5 with its axial direction in the vertical direction, and rotates itself. This promotes movement of the laundry along the inner wall of the washing tub 5 in the circumferential direction. At this time, as shown in FIG. The side bulges 62, 62 are provided at the outer peripheral wall surface of the roller 41 so as to draw a smooth curve to guide the laundry smoothly toward the roller 41. .

In this embodiment, the side bulging portion 62 is provided in a form in which the holding member side curved wall 61 provided on the holding member 42 and the cover side curved wall 39 provided on the first cover member 24 are continuous. . Further, as shown in FIG. 13 , in the holding member side curved wall 39 , the curvature when viewed from above changes along the outer peripheral surface of the roller 41 in the vicinity of the roller 41 . Further, an upper bulging portion 63 is provided at the upper portion of the roller 41 and smoothly connected to the upper end portion of the roller 41, and is located at the lower portion of the roller 41 and smoothly connected to the lower end portion of the roller 41. A lower bulging portion 64 is provided which continues to the .

As shown in FIG. 14, when the roller unit 43 is installed, the opening 49 on the bottom surface of the roller 41 communicates with the interior of the washing tub 5 through gaps at a plurality of locations on the bottom surface of the holding member 42 or the like. Therefore, in the steps of washing and pre-rinsing, the washing water in the washing tub 5 flows in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow c and enters the inside of the rollers 41 through the openings 49 . However, when draining water from the washing tub 5 , the washing water in the rollers 41 flows in the direction indicated by the arrow c and is discharged from the rollers 41 through the openings 49 .

When the roller unit 43 is removed from the mounting portion 31, contrary to the above, the knob portion 59 is pinched to elastically deform the upper piece portion 59a downward (in the direction of the arrow b) so that the fitting projection portion 60 is fitted. Withdraw downward from the hole 36 and pull out the upper part of the holding member 42 (see FIG. 6). Next, the roller unit 43 can be removed by pulling out the locking piece 58 obliquely upward to unlock it from the locked portion 35 . Further, in the roller unit 43 after being removed from the washing tub 5 (attachment portion 31), the roller 41 can be easily removed from the holding member 42 and attached.

Next, the action and effect of the washing machine 1 having the above configuration will be described. In the above configuration, since the roller 41 is rotatably provided on the inner wall of the washing tub 5, the movement of the laundry in the washing tub 5 is facilitated, and the washing effect can be enhanced. In this case, since the rollers 41 are arranged with the axial direction oriented vertically, the laundry can be spread over a relatively wide area on the inner wall portion of the washing tub 5, not just above the pulsator 7. Better and more effective. In particular, when the amount of laundry in the washing tub 5 is large, the laundry becomes difficult to rotate, and there is a risk that stain removal may be uneven. It is possible to eliminate such unevenness of stain removal.

On both sides of the roller 41 of the washing tub 5, side bulging portions 62, 62 are provided so as to form a smooth curve with respect to the exposed outer peripheral wall surface of the roller 41. 41 is smoothly guided toward the exposed outer peripheral wall surface. As a result, according to the present embodiment, the rollers 41 are provided in the washing tub 5 to improve the circulation of the laundry, and the laundry can be smoothly moved by the rollers 41. It is possible to obtain the excellent effect of becoming

At this time, the roller 41 is held by a plastic holding member 42 to constitute a roller unit 43, and the roller unit 43 is attachable to and detachable from the plastic first cover member 24 provided on the inner wall surface of the washing tub 5. , and the side bulging portion 62 is provided on the holding member 42 and the first cover member 24 . This makes it possible to easily provide the side bulging portion 62 even if it has a relatively complicated shape, while keeping the cost low. Handling such as attachment/detachment operation of the roller 41 (roller unit 43) to/from the washing tub 5 is facilitated. In the present embodiment, the side bulging portion 62 is provided in a form in which the holding member side curved wall 61 of the holding member 42 and the cover side curved wall 39 of the first cover member 24 are continuous. The side bulges 62 can be provided over a wide range so as to draw a curve.

In particular, in this embodiment, the holding member side curved wall 61 is configured such that the curvature when viewed from above changes in the vicinity of the roller 41 . As a result, it is possible to smoothly guide the laundry toward the roller 41 by the side bulging portion 62 that draws a smooth curve, while it is more suitable for preventing clogging and catching of the cloth in the vicinity of the roller 41. shape. Since the upper bulging portion 63 is provided above the roller 41, it is possible to prevent the upper portion of the roller 41 from clogging or catching the cloth. Since the lower bulging portion 64 is provided at the lower portion of the roller 41, it is possible to prevent clogging and catching of the cloth on the lower portion of the roller 41 as well.

In addition, in this embodiment, the following functions and effects can also be obtained. That is, since the roller 41 is detachably provided with respect to the washing tub 5, the user can easily remove the roller 41 for cleaning even if dirt tends to adhere to the vicinity of the mounting portion of the roller 41. can be performed, and the improvement of cleanability can be aimed at. Bearings 56 and 57 for rotatably holding the roller 41 are provided on the holding member 42, so that the complicated-shaped portion to which dirt easily adheres, in other words, the dirt is difficult to remove, is placed on the washing tub 5 side. This eliminates the need for cleaning, and makes it easier to clean.

The holding member 42 is provided with a knob portion 59 for putting fingers on when attaching and detaching the roller unit 43. By using the knob portion 59, the attachment and detachment work of the roller unit 43 can be easily performed. It becomes possible. Since the holding member 42 is provided with bearings 56 and 57 that pivotally support the shafts 46 at both ends of the roller 41 , the roller 41 can be rotatably held by the bearings 56 and 57 . It is possible to dispense with the bearing function on the side.

Further, a rib 52 is provided on the end face of the roller 41 so as to close the gap between the outer circumference of the shaft 46 and the rectangular opening 53a of the holding member 42 for preventing the cloth from being pinched. For example, the rib 52 can prevent the laundry cloth from being caught in the gap between the roller 41 and the upper side of the rectangular opening 53a, which is more effective. In this case, due to the weight of the roller 41, the upper end side of the roller 41 is more likely to have a gap between it and the holding member 42 than the lower end side. more effective in prevention.

Moreover, the ribs 52 are configured to also serve as erroneous assembly prevention members that can hold the rollers 41 with respect to the holding member 42 in the normal orientation, but not in the opposite orientation. As a result, erroneous assembly in which the roller 41 is assembled in the opposite direction to the holding member 42 can be prevented. Since the ribs 52 also serve as misassembly prevention members, the configuration can be simplified compared to the case where the misassembly prevention members are provided separately from the ribs 52 .

The roller 41 includes a roller main portion 44 and a cap portion 45 attached to one end of the roller main portion 44. The cap portion 45 is fitted to the roller main portion 44 and then rotated to be attached. and As a result, the cap portion 45 can be easily attached to the roller main portion 44, and the assembly work of the roller 41 can be easily performed. More specifically, an engagement pin 44b is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the roller main portion 44, and an engagement recess 50b is provided in the cap portion 45, and the engagement pin 44b is positioned relatively toward the engagement recess 50b. A cam portion 50a for guiding is provided. As a result, it is possible to realize the roller 41 with a relatively simple structure and easy assembly work.

The mounting portion 31 of the first cover member 14 is provided with an upper holding portion 37 and a lower holding portion 38 that hold the shaft 46 of the roller 41 in a state of preventing it from slipping off in cooperation with the holding member 42 . As a result, unlike the case where the shaft 46 is held by the holding member 42 alone, the structure of the bearing portions 56 and 57 of the holding member 42 can be simplified, and the roller 41 can be removed from the roller unit 43 at the time of removal. easier.

In this embodiment, the roller 41 is hollow and has an opening 49 at the lower end surface thereof. The washing liquid can be discharged, and the accumulation of the washing liquid in the roller 41 can be prevented. Needless to say, the roller 41 itself can be made lightweight and inexpensive. At this time, since the opening 49 of the roller 41 is arranged at a position outside the cylindrical portion 48 holding the shaft 46 when viewed in the axial direction, the roller 41 (roller main portion 44) is formed from a plastic molded product. Also, the formation of the opening 49 is facilitated.

In addition to the above, in the present embodiment, the first cover member 24 functions both to attach the rollers 41 and to form the water channel 23, which simplifies the structure and saves space. can be improved. At this time, since the rollers 41 are provided in a form separated from the water channel 23, the direction of water flow in the water channel 23, the discharge position, the flow rate, etc. can be easily adjusted (set) by the design of the water channel 23. Unlike the case where the rollers 41 are positioned in the water channel 23, the lint is less likely to be caught or clogged on the rollers 41, and a good flow of the water channel can be ensured. In this embodiment, the opening 31a provided in the first cover member 24 can ensure a clearance between the roller 41 and the inner peripheral surface of the washing tub 5, and the space for arranging the roller 41 can be reduced to the washing tub. 5 can be made smaller in the radial direction.

In addition, since the inner packing 34 is provided between the first cover member 24 and the washing tub 5 at a position surrounding the outside of the opening 31a, the water channel 23 is provided outside the opening 31a. Since the opening 31a is sealed by the inner packing 34 surrounding the opening 31a, washing water can be prevented from leaking through the opening 31a. Since the water channels 23 in the first cover member 24 are provided on both sides of the rollers 41, the water channels 23 and the rollers 41 can be relatively compactly arranged, and the cross-sectional area of the water channels 23 (water flow rate) can be reduced. ) can be secured to a large extent.

(2) Second, Third and Other Embodiments FIG. 15 shows a second embodiment, which differs from the first embodiment in the following points. That is, a roller 92 is rotatably provided on the inner peripheral wall of the washing tub 91 with its central axis positioned on the inner peripheral side of the washing tub 91 . The inner peripheral wall of the washing tub 91 is positioned on the left and right sides of the roller 92 in the drawing, and is connected to the exposed outer peripheral wall of the roller 92 so as to draw a smooth curve, and the laundry is directed toward the roller 92. Side bulges 93, 94 are provided for smooth guidance.

These side bulging portions 93 and 94 are in the shape of a curved thin plate that gently bulges inward when viewed from above. Of these, the side bulging portion 93 on the left side in the drawing is pivotally supported by a hinge at the base end side (left end side in the drawing), and is in the extruded position shown in FIG. It is rotatable (oscillating) displaceable about the vertical axis between the retracted position. In the pushing position of the side bulging portion 93, the tip side portion located on the left side of the roller 92 is located on the inner peripheral side of the washing tub 91 with respect to the central axis of the roller 92, and is retracted. In terms of position, the tip side portion side is located on the outer peripheral side with respect to the central axis of the roller 92 .

Similarly, the side bulging portion 94 on the right side in the drawing is pivotally supported by a hinge at the base end side (right end side in the drawing), and the extruded position shown in FIG. 2 and the retracted position shown in FIG. In the wall of the washing tub 91, a left water passage hole 91a is formed on the rear side near the base end of the side bulging portion 93, and the base of the side bulging portion 94 is formed. A right water passage hole 91b is formed on the back side near the end. As the washing tub 91 rotates, these left water passage holes 91a and right water passage holes 91b flow washing water from between the outer peripheral surface of the washing tub 91 and the water tub (not shown) in accordance with the direction of rotation. It is designed to suck in or out.

In the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 15(a), when the washing tub 91 rotates in the counterclockwise direction (the direction of the arrow CCW) as viewed from above, as shown by the arrow d, the left water flow hole 91a moves toward the inside. Washing water is sucked in, and the water pressure displaces the left side bulging portion 93 to the pushing position. In addition, as indicated by arrow e, the washing water is discharged to the outside from the right water passage hole 91b, and the back side of the right side bulging portion 94 becomes negative pressure, and the side bulging portion 94 moves to the retracted position. displaced. In this state, a relatively clockwise rotating water flow (in the direction of arrow CW) is generated in washing tub 91, and the laundry moves in the direction of arrow CW. Thus, the laundry can be smoothly guided to the roller 92 portion by the left side bulging portion 93 in the pushing position.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15(b), the washing tub 91 rotates in the clockwise direction (arrow CW direction) when viewed from above, and as shown by the arrow f, the right water flow hole 91b turns inside the washing machine. Water is sucked in, and the water pressure displaces the right side bulge 94 to the pushed position. Further, as indicated by the arrow g, the washing water is discharged to the outside from the left water flow hole 91a, and the back side of the left side bulging portion 93 becomes negative pressure, and the side bulging portion 93 moves to the retracted position. displaced. In this state, a relatively counterclockwise rotating water flow (in the direction of the arrow CCW) is generated in the washing tub 91, and the laundry moves in the direction of the arrow CCW. Thus, the laundry can be smoothly guided to the roller 92 portion by the right side bulging portion 94 in the pushing position.

According to the second embodiment, since the side bulging portions 93 and 94 on the upstream side in the direction of the rotating water flow are positioned at the pushing position, the laundry is directed toward the outer peripheral wall surface of the roller 92. can be moved smoothly. In addition, since the side bulging portions 93 and 94 are at the retracted positions on the downstream side of the rotating water flow, it is possible to prevent the space (volume) in the washing tub 5 from being unnecessarily narrowed. The side bulging portions 93 and 94 can be displaced by water flow (water pressure), and a special mechanism such as a drive source for displacing the side bulging portions 93 and 94 can be dispensed with. .

FIG. 16 shows a third embodiment, which differs from the second embodiment in the following points. That is, in this embodiment, a roller 97 is rotatably provided on the inner peripheral wall portion of the washing tub 96 with its central axis located on the inner peripheral side of the washing tub 96 . The inner peripheral wall of the washing tub 96 is positioned on the left and right sides of the roller 97 in the drawing, and is continuous with the exposed outer peripheral wall of the roller 97 so as to draw a smooth curve, and the laundry is directed toward the roller 97. Left and right side bulges 98, 99 are provided for smooth guidance.

These side bulging portions 98 and 99 are shaped like thin plates that gently bulge toward the inner periphery when viewed from above, and are fixedly provided in the washing tub 96 . At this time, the distal end portions of the side bulging portions 98 and 99 are provided with a gap between them and the roller 97 . And, on the wall of the washing tub 96, it is located on the back side near the base end side of the side bulges 98 and 99, and from between the outer peripheral surface of the washing tub 96 and the water tub (not shown), Water passage holes 96a and 96b for sucking washing water are formed inside. In this structure, the rotation of the washing tub 96 causes the washing tub 96 and the water tub to move as indicated by arrows h and i in the figure. The washing liquid between the rollers 97 and 98 is sucked into the rear side of the side bulges 98 and 99 through the water passage holes 96a and 96b, and passes through the gaps between the rollers 97 and the side bulges 98 and 99 and into the washing tub 96. An inward flowing water current is generated. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the side bulging portions 98 and 99 allow the laundry to move smoothly toward the outer peripheral wall surface of the roller 97, and the roller 97 and the side bulging portion 98 move smoothly. , 99 can be effectively prevented from being caught in the laundry.

Various modifications can be considered for the shape and structure of the side bulging portion. For example, the side bulging portion may be provided only on the holding member or only on the cover member. Various modifications can also be considered for the structure of the roller, such as a structure in which a shaft is integrally provided at the end surface without providing a shaft, or a structure in which the outer diameter of the roller is largest at the upper end and goes downward. It may be configured to have a tapered surface that gradually becomes smaller as the distance increases. Furthermore, various modifications are possible with respect to the configuration of the holding member that holds the rollers. In the first embodiment, the roller is rotatably held by the holding member that constitutes the roller unit. good. As a result, the number of parts can be reduced compared to the case of unitization, and a simple and inexpensive configuration can be achieved.

The above embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

In the drawings, 1 is a washing machine, 5, 91, and 96 are washing tubs, 7 is a pulsator, 23 is a water channel, 24 is a first cover member (cover member), 31 is a mounting portion, 31a is an opening, and 33 is an outside. 34 is an inner packing, 35 is a locked portion, 36 is a fitting hole, 37 is an upper holding portion, 38 is a lower holding portion, 39 is a curved wall on the cover side (curved wall), and 41, 92 and 97 are rollers. , 42 is a holding member, 43 is a roller unit, 44 is a roller main portion, 44a is an engagement pin, 45 is a cap portion, 46 is a shaft, 48 is a cylindrical portion, 49 is an opening, 50a is a cam portion, and 50b is an engagement. 52 is a rib, 53 is a bulging portion, 53a is a rectangular opening, 56 is an upper bearing portion, 57 is a lower bearing portion, 58 is a locking portion, 59 is a knob portion, 60 is a fitting protrusion, and 61 is a fitting projection. Holding member side curved walls (curved walls), 62, 93, 94, 98, and 99 denote side swelling portions, 63 denotes an upper swelling portion, and 64 denotes a lower swelling portion.

Claims (7)

a washing tub in which the laundry is stored and washed;
a cover member attached to the inner wall of the washing tub and forming a water channel extending vertically between the washing tub;
a roller provided on the cover member so as to be rotatable with its axial direction extending vertically in a state in which a part of the outer peripheral wall surface is exposed in the washing tub, and for promoting the movement of the laundry by rotation;
Provided on both sides of the roller of the washing tub, the side bulges are continuous with the exposed outer peripheral wall surface of the roller so as to draw a smooth curve, and the side bulges are used to guide the laundry smoothly toward the roller. and
The roller is configured to be held by a holding member and mounted on the cover member,
The side swelling portion is provided on the holding member and/or the cover member , and the curved wall provided on the holding member and the curved wall provided on the cover member are continuous. machine. 2. The washing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the curved wall provided on said holding member has a curvature viewed from above that changes in the vicinity of said roller. 3. The washing machine according to claim 1, further comprising an upper bulging portion located above said roller of said washing tub and smoothly connected to the upper end portion of said roller. 4. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising a lower bulging portion positioned below the roller of the washing tub and smoothly connected to the lower end portion of the roller. The side bulging portion has an extruded position where the tip side portion located on the side of the roller is located on the inner peripheral side of the washing tub with respect to the central axis of the roller, and a retracted position where it is located on the outer peripheral side. 5. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the washing machine is configured to be displaceable between and displaceable in accordance with the direction of the rotating water flow of the washing liquid generated in the washing tub. A water current is generated in which the washing liquid in the washing tub flows from the back side of the side bulging portion into the washing tub through the gap between the roller and the side bulging portion. A washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . a washing tub in which the laundry is stored and washed;
a roller provided on the inner wall of the washing tub so as to be rotatable with its axial direction extending vertically in a state where a part of the outer wall surface is exposed in the washing tub, and for promoting the movement of the laundry by rotation;
Provided on both sides of the roller of the washing tub, the side bulges are continuous with the exposed outer peripheral wall surface of the roller so as to draw a smooth curve, and the side bulges are used to guide the laundry smoothly toward the roller. and
The side bulging portion has an extruded position where the tip side portion located on the side of the roller is located on the inner peripheral side of the washing tub with respect to the central axis of the roller, and a retracted position where it is located on the outer peripheral side. and a washing machine that is displaceable according to the direction of the rotating water flow of the washing liquid generated in the washing tub.

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