JP7284656B2 - washing machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to washing machines.

For example, Patent Literature 1 describes an example of a shoe washing machine (washing machine). The shoe washing machine described in Patent Document 1 includes a shoe holder section and a brush section. The shoe holder part is fixed to a rotating shaft located in the center of the washing tub. The brush portion is secured to a brush holder located radially outwardly of the shoe holder portion. The brush portion is fixed so that the tip side of the bristles faces the side of the shoe fixed to the shoe holder portion. When washing the shoes, the rotation of the brush portion fixed to the brush holder is restrained, and the shoe holder portion fixed to the rotating shaft rotates. As a result, the brush portion and the shoes are repeatedly brought into contact with each other, and the shoes are washed by the brush portion.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 61-190978

In a washing machine, it is desired to suppress washing unevenness of the laundry to be washed.

A main object of the present disclosure is to provide a washing machine capable of suppressing uneven washing of laundry.

A washing machine according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a washing tub, an agitator, and a brush unit. The laundry is put in the washing tub. The agitator is arranged at the bottom of the washing tub and rotates. The brush unit is arranged inside the washing tub and has a plurality of brush parts arranged along the rotation direction of the agitator. Each of the plurality of brush portions has a plurality of bristle tufts. The plurality of brush portions includes a long brush portion and a short brush portion in which the length dimension of the plurality of bristle bundles is shorter than that of the long brush portion.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the washing machine according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the same washing machine. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of a washing tub in the same washing machine. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a brush unit in the same washing machine. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a short brush module in the same brush unit. FIG. 6A is an explanatory diagram of the arrangement of a plurality of bristle tufts of the short brush module in the same brush unit. FIG. 6B is an explanatory diagram of the arrangement of a plurality of bristle tufts of the middle brush module in the same brush unit. FIG. 6C is an explanatory diagram of the arrangement of a plurality of bristle bundles of the long brush module in the same brush unit. FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of a brush unit according to a first modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of a brush unit according to a second modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of another form of a brush unit according to a second modification of the first embodiment.

An example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below. However, the following embodiments are merely examples. The present invention is by no means limited to the following embodiments.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a washing machine 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the washing machine 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the essential parts of the washing tub 12 in the first embodiment. In addition, in each figure, the brush unit 6 is shown schematically and may differ from the actual shape.

The washing machine 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a washing machine suitable for washing, for example, a laundry 70 (see FIGS. 4, 5, etc.) containing a solid portion. Examples of the article to be washed 70 including a solid portion include footwear such as shoes, slippers, and sandals. The washing machine 1 is not particularly limited as long as the article 70 to be washed can be washed, but it is preferably capable of washing and dehydrating the article 70 to be washed. That is, the washing machine 1 is preferably a washing and dehydrating machine.

(Schematic configuration of washing machine 1)
A schematic configuration of the washing machine 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1 , washing machine 1 includes outer case 10 , top member 20 , top lid 30 , and base member 40 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the outer case 10 is formed in a cylindrical shape that opens upward and downward. An upper surface member 20 is connected to the upper opening of the outer case 10 . On the other hand, a base member 40 is connected to the lower opening of the outer case 10 .

The top surface member 20 is formed with an opening 21 for loading and unloading the laundry 70 . The opening 21 can be opened and closed by a top lid 30 rotatably attached to the top member 20 .

A water tank 11 is arranged in the outer box 10 . The water tank 11 has a substantially cylindrical shape with an open top. The opening of water tank 11 is connected to opening 21 . The bottom of the water tank 11 is provided with a drain for draining the water in the water tank 11 .

A washing tub 12 is arranged in the tub 11 . The washing tub 12, like the tub 11, has a substantially bottomed cylindrical shape with an upward opening. The washing tub 12 and the tub 11 are arranged so that their rotation axes are aligned with each other. The washing tub 12 is rotatable with respect to the tub 11 . A drainage part is formed in the bottom part 121 of the washing tub 12, a plurality of drain holes are formed in the uppermost part of the peripheral wall of the washing tub 12, and drain holes are formed in other parts of the peripheral wall of the washing tub 12. not However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. In the present invention, a plurality of drainage holes for draining water during spin-drying may be formed over substantially the entire peripheral wall of the washing tub 12 .

Agitator 13 is arranged at bottom 121 of washing tub 12 . Agitator 13 is a member for agitating water in washing tub 12 . Agitator 13 is rotatable with respect to washing tub 12 . Axis of rotation A1 of agitator 13 coincides with the axis of rotation of washing tub 12 . The stirrer 13 is connected to the driving mechanism 50 . The drive mechanism 50 is arranged below the washing tub 12 . The driving mechanism 50 rotates the agitating body 13 .

Further, the drive mechanism 50 rotates the washing tub 12 . A clutch 51 is provided between the drive mechanism 50 and the washing tub 12 and agitator 13 . The clutch 51 switches between a state in which the power of the driving mechanism 50 is transmitted to the washing tub 12 and the agitator 13 and a state in which the power is transmitted only to the agitator 13 . In a state in which only the agitator 13 of the washing tub 12 and the agitator 13 is connected to the drive mechanism 50 by the clutch 51, the washing tub 12 rotates in the normal direction with respect to the water tub 11 and the agitator 13. and reverse direction. However, in the present invention, the washing tub 12 cannot rotate with respect to the tub 11 when only the agitator 13 of the washing tub 12 and the agitator 13 is connected to the drive mechanism 50 by the clutch 51. may

A plurality of holder parts are arranged in the washing tub 12 . The holder part is a member to which the laundry 70 is fixed. In this embodiment, the plurality of holder parts are rotatably provided with respect to the washing tub 12 . Specifically, the plurality of holder portions are provided on the stirring body 13 . Therefore, the plurality of holder parts rotate together with the stirring body 13 .

A plurality of holder portions are provided at regular intervals around the rotation axis A1 of the stirring body 13 . The number of holders included in stirring body 13 is not particularly limited. The stirring body 13 preferably has, for example, 2 to 10 holder portions, preferably 4 to 6 holder portions.

The holder part can be composed of, for example, a rod-shaped body or a plate-shaped body extending upward from the stirring body 13 . In this case, for example, the article to be washed 70 can be fixed by inserting the rod-shaped body or plate-shaped body constituting the holder portion into the article of footwear or the like as the article to be washed 70 .

In the present invention, "fixed" includes not only the fact that the fixed object cannot be completely displaced with respect to the object to be fixed, but also the fact that the displacement of the fixed object with respect to the object to be fixed is restricted.

(Brush unit 6)
The brush unit 6 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2-6.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the brush unit 6 is provided inside the washing tub 12 . The brush unit 6 has a fixing portion 61 and a plurality of brush modules 62 and is provided on the inner peripheral surface 12 a of the washing tub 12 . Each of the plurality of brush modules 62 has a base 63 and a brush portion 64 provided on the base 63 . The brush portion 64 is composed of a plurality of tufts 65 (see FIGS. 6A to 6C).

The fixing part 61 is a fixing member that fixes the plurality of brush modules 62 to the washing tub 12 . The fixed portion 61 is, for example, a resin molded product. The fixing portion 61 is attached to the inner peripheral surface 12a of the washing tub 12 using screws or the like, for example. The fixed portion 61 has a holding mechanism that holds each brush module 62 . The holding mechanism is, for example, a groove that positions and holds the base 63 of each brush module 62 . Further, the holding mechanism may include claws that catch the base 63 and screws that fix the base 63 to the fixing portion 61 in order to prevent the brush module 62 from falling off from the fixing portion 61 .

A plurality of brush modules 62 are attached to the fixed portion 61 so as to be aligned along the rotation direction D1 of the agitator 13 . Each brush module 62 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface 12 a of the washing tub 12 via a fixing portion 61 . In this embodiment, the brush unit 6 has a first brush module 621 , a second brush module 622 , a third brush module 623 , a fourth brush module 624 and a fifth brush module 625 as the plurality of brush modules 62 . The plurality of brush modules 62 are arranged from one side (upper side in FIG. 3) in the rotational direction D1 of the agitator 13: a first brush module 621, a second brush module 622, a third brush module 623, a fourth brush module 624, a 5 brush modules 625 are provided in order.

As shown in FIG. 3, each brush module 62 has a base 63 and a brush portion 64 .

The base 63 is, for example, a resin molded product. The base 63 is formed in a rectangular plate shape having a longitudinal direction (rotational axis direction D2) along the rotation axis A1 (see FIG. 4) of the stirring body 13 (see FIG. 5). The base 63 is fixed to the fixed portion 61 . A brush portion 64 is provided on the base 63 so as to protrude from the surface of the stirring body 13 on the rotation axis A1 side.

As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, the brush portion 64 is composed of a plurality of tufts 65 of bristles. The hair bundle 65 is composed of a plurality of bundled hairs. A hair is an elastic, elongated linear member, and is made of, for example, resin, silicon, metal, or biological hair. A plurality of hair bundles 65 are planted on the base 63 . Each hair bundle 65 is held by the base 63 so as to protrude from a circular hole formed in the base 63, for example. The plurality of tufts 65 are arranged in a matrix so as to line up along the column direction along the rotating shaft direction D2 of the agitator 13 and the row direction perpendicular to the column direction. The arrangement of the plurality of hair bundles 65 will be described later.

In this embodiment, the brush portion 64 of the third brush module 623 is formed such that a plurality of tufts 65 protrude toward the rotation axis A1 of the stirring body 13 . The brush portions 64 of the other first, second, fourth, and fifth brush modules 621 , 622 , 624 , 625 each have a plurality of tufts 65 that correspond to the plurality of tufts of the brush portion 64 of the third brush module 623 . It is formed so as to be substantially parallel to 65 .

In each of the plurality of brush modules 62 (excluding the third brush module 623 in this embodiment), the length dimensions of the plurality of bristle bundles 65 are the same. The “length dimension of the hair bundle 65” in the present disclosure refers to a representative value (e.g., average value, median value, maximum value, etc.). That is, the plurality of bristle bundles 65 in one brush portion 64 have the same length dimension. Here, "the same length dimension" is not limited to the case where the length dimension is strictly the same value, but also includes the case where the length dimension is different within the range of error. In the following description, the representative value (for example, average value, median value, maximum value, etc.) of the length dimensions of the plurality of bristle bundles 65 in one brush module 62 is also referred to as brush dimension.

In this embodiment, the brush dimensions (the length dimensions of the plurality of bristle bundles 65) are different in the plurality of brush modules 62. FIG. The plurality of brush modules 62 are classified into long brush modules 62L, short brush modules 62S, and middle brush modules 62M according to the size of the brush dimensions. The long brush module 62L has a long brush portion 64L as the brush portion 64, and has the largest brush dimension among the plurality of brush modules 62. As shown in FIG. The short brush module 62S has a short brush portion 64S as the brush portion 64, and has the smallest brush size among the plurality of brush modules 62. As shown in FIG. The middle brush module 62M has a middle brush portion 64M as the brush portion 64, and has a smaller brush size than the long brush module 62L and a larger brush size than the short brush module 62S. That is, when the brush dimension of the long brush portion 64L is L1, the brush dimension of the middle brush portion 64M is L2, and the brush dimension of the short brush portion 64S is L3, the relationship of the brush dimensions L1 to L3 is L1>L2>L3. is.

In this embodiment, the first brush module 621 and the fifth brush module 625 are the long brush module 62L, the second brush module 622 and the fourth brush module 624 are the middle brush module 62M, and the third brush module 623 is the short brush module 62L. A brush module 62S. That is, the long brush module 62L is located on the end side (outside) of the plurality of brush modules 62 in the rotational direction D1 of the agitating body 13 . The short brush module 62S is positioned on the center side (inner side) of the plurality of brush modules 62 in the rotational direction D1 of the stirring body 13, in other words, positioned between the two long brush modules 62L. Among the plurality of brush modules 62, the middle brush module 62M is located between the long brush module 62L and the short brush module 62S. That is, the plurality of brush modules 62 are arranged so that the brush dimension decreases from the end side to the center side in the rotation direction D1 of the stirring body 13 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the short brush module 62S (third brush module 623) has a plurality of bristles of the short brush portion 64S (brush portion 64) in the rotational axis direction D2 of the stirring body 13. The bundles 65 are configured to have different length dimensions. In this embodiment, the short brush portion 64S is configured such that the length dimension of the plurality of bristle bundles 65 increases as the distance from the bottom portion 121 (see FIG. 2) of the washing tub 12 increases. That is, among the plurality of tufts 65 in the short brush portion 64S, the length of the tufts 65 closest to the bottom 121 of the washing tub 12 is the shortest, and the length of the tufts 65 furthest from the bottom 121 of the washing tub 12 is the shortest. longest dimension. In the present embodiment, the short brush portion 64S is configured such that the length of the bristle bundle 65 gradually increases as the distance from the bottom portion 121 of the washing tub 12 increases. The short brush part 64</b>S may be configured such that the length of the bristle bundle 65 increases stepwise as it moves away from the bottom of the washing tub 12 .

Further, as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, in the present embodiment, the long brush module 62L, the short brush module 62S, and the middle brush module 62M are configured such that the densities of the plurality of bristle bundles 65 included in the brush portion 64 are different from each other. is configured to The "density of a plurality of hair bundles 65" in the present disclosure is the number of hair bundles 65 (hairs) per unit area. In this embodiment, the long brush module 62L, the short brush module 62S, and the middle brush module 62M have the same size of the base 63, but differ in the number of the plurality of tufts 65 provided on the base 63. . The long brush module 62</b>L has the lowest density of the plurality of bristle bundles 65 among the plurality of brush modules 62 . The short brush module 62S has the highest density of the tufts 65 among the brush modules 62 . Among the plurality of brush modules 62, the middle brush module 62M has a lower density of the plurality of hair bundles 65 than the long brush module 62L and a higher density than the short brush module 62S.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, in the short brush portion 64S of the short brush module 62S, all of the plurality of hair bundles 65 arranged in the row direction (rotational axis direction D2) are aligned with the hair bundles 65 in the adjacent row. They are arranged side by side. In other words, in the short brush portion 64S, each of the plurality of hair bundles 65 is arranged continuously so as to be adjacent to at least one hair bundle 65 in each of the column direction and the row direction orthogonal to the column direction. there is

As shown in FIG. 6B, the middle brush portion 64M of the middle brush module 62M has half the number of tufts 65 of the short brush portion 64S. The middle brush portion 64</b>M is arranged such that the positions of the hair bundles 65 in the row direction are different among the plurality of hair bundles 65 arranged in two adjacent columns. In other words, the middle brush portion 64M is intermittently arranged such that each of the plurality of hair bundles 65 is not adjacent to the hair bundles 65 in each of the column direction and the row direction.

As shown in FIG. 6C, the long brush portion 64L of the long brush module 62L has half the number of hair bundles 65 of the middle brush portion 64M, in other words, the short brush portion 64S has half the number of hair bundles 65 of the middle brush portion 64M. It is a quarter of 65 numbers. In the long brush portion 64L, the number of columns of the plurality of hair bundles 65 is half the number of columns of the plurality of hair bundles 65 in the middle brush portion 64M, and each of the plurality of hair bundles 65 extends in the column and row directions. Each of them is intermittently arranged so as not to be adjacent to the hair bundle 65 .

The short brush portion 64S of the short brush module 62S is configured to have higher rigidity (bending rigidity) than the long brush portion 64L of the long brush module 62L. In other words, the short brush portion 64S is configured to be less deformable (bending) than the long brush portion 64L.

As described above, the short brush portion 64S has a shorter brush dimension than the long brush portion 64L. Furthermore, the short brush portion 64S has a higher density of the plurality of hair bundles 65 than the long brush portion 64L. Thereby, the short brush portion 64S has higher rigidity than the long brush portion 64L. Further, the short brush portion 64S and the long brush portion 64L may have different bristles constituting the bristle bundle 65 in terms of rigidity. For example, the bristles forming the tufts 65 of the short brush portion 64S may be thicker than the bristles forming the tufts 65 of the long brush portion 64L. Thereby, the short brush portion 64S has higher rigidity than the long brush portion 64L. Further, the short brush portion 64S and the long brush portion 64L may be made of different materials for the bristles forming the bristle bundles 65 . For example, the bristles forming the tufts 65 of the short brush portion 64S may be made of a harder (higher rigidity) material than the bristles forming the tufts 65 of the long brush portion 64L. Thereby, the short brush portion 64S has higher rigidity than the long brush portion 64L.

(Outline description of operation of washing machine 1)
Next, an outline of operation of the washing machine 1 will be described.

(Washing of laundry 70)
The article 70 to be washed 70 is washed in a state in which the article 70 to be washed, such as footwear, is fixed to the holder and detergent and water are stored in the washing tub 12 . Of the agitator 13 and the washing tub 12 , only the agitator 13 is rotationally driven by the drive mechanism 50 to wash the laundry 70 . As a result, the brush unit 6 rotates relative to the laundry 70 fixed to the holder provided on the agitator 13 . As a result, the plurality of brush portions 64 of the brush unit 6 come into contact with the laundry 70, and the laundry 70 is washed.

In this embodiment, the brush unit 6 includes, as the plurality of brush modules 62, two long brush modules 62L (first and fifth brush modules 621 and 625), two middle brush modules 62M (second and fourth brush modules 622, 624), and one short brush module 62S (third brush module 623). The long brush portion 64L of the long brush module 62L, the middle brush portion 64M of the middle brush module 62M, and the short brush portion 64S of the short brush module 62S have different brush dimensions. Accordingly, the long brush module 62L, the middle brush module 62M, and the short brush module 62S are different from each other in contact with the article 70 to be washed.

Here, shoes (hereinafter also referred to as shoes 70) are assumed as an example of the article 70 to be washed. As shown in FIG. 5, the shoe 70 is fixed to a holder provided on the agitator 13 so that the sole 71 faces the inner side of the washing tub 12 (rotational axis A1 side). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the brush unit 6 comes into contact with the upper portion 72 and the side portion 73 of the shoe 70 .

Specifically, the brush dimension L1 of the long brush portion 64L is set to such a dimension that the tip portion of the long brush portion 64L contacts the side portion 73 of the shoe 70. As shown in FIG. The brush dimension L3 of the short brush portion 64S is formed so that the tip portion of the short brush portion 64S contacts the instep portion 72 of the shoe 70. As shown in FIG. The brush dimension L2 of the middle brush portion 64M is set so that the tip of the middle brush portion 64M contacts the portion of the shoe 70 between the instep portion 72 and the side portion 73. As shown in FIG. As a result, when the shoe 70 rotates about the rotation axis A1, the tips of the brushes 64 come into contact with the portions of the shoe 70 corresponding to the brush size (instep 72, side 73, etc.). 70 is washed. In other words, the washing machine 1 of the present embodiment can suppress uneven washing of the three-dimensional laundry object 70 (shoes 70) by providing a plurality of brush portions 64 having different brush sizes.

3 and 4, the long brush portion 64L, the middle brush portion 64M, the short brush portion 64S, the middle brush portion 64M, and the long brush portion 64L are arranged in this order from one side in the rotation direction D1. are placed. Therefore, the long brush portion 64L, the middle brush portion 64M, and the short brush portion 64S have large brush dimensions regardless of whether the laundry 70 rotates about the rotation axis A1 in the normal direction or in the reverse direction. The articles to be washed 70 come into contact in order. Therefore, the long brush portion 64L is supported by the adjacent middle brush portion 64M whose brush dimension is smaller than that of the long brush portion 64L, so that the long brush portion 64L is not bent toward the middle brush portion 64M side by being dragged by the rotating laundry 70. Suppressed. Similarly, the middle brush portion 64M is supported by the adjacent short brush portion 64S whose brush dimension is smaller than that of the middle brush portion 64M, so that the middle brush portion 64M is bent toward the short brush portion 64S along with the rotating laundry 70. is suppressed. This makes it easier to bring the tips of the middle brush portion 64M and the short brush portion 64S, which contact the laundry 70 after the long brush 64L, into contact with the laundry 70 . Therefore, uneven washing of the laundry 70 can be suppressed.

In this embodiment, the short brush portion 64S, the middle brush portion 64M, and the long brush portion 64L are arranged in descending order of rigidity. That is, among the plurality of brush portions 64, the long brush portion 64L that first contacts the laundry 70 has the lowest rigidity. As a result, the impact when the brush unit 6 collides with the laundry 70 can be softened by the long brush portion 64L, and the load applied to the brush unit 6 and the laundry 70 can be reduced.

Further, when the article to be washed 70 is shoes 70 , the brush size of the long brush portion 64</b>L is set to such a size that the tip portion contacts the side portion 73 of the shoes 70 . The side portion 73 of the shoe 70 , particularly the portion of the side portion 73 near the sole 71 , may become dirty due to solid matter such as sand, dirt, mud, etc. adhering to the surface of the shoe 70 . Such solid matter can be easily removed even if the force of contact with the brush portion 64 is relatively weak. Therefore, even if the rigidity of the long brush portion 64L is lower than that of the short brush portion 64S, dirt on the side portion of the shoe 70 can be removed, and uneven washing can be suppressed.

In addition, the short brush portion 64S has a higher density of the plurality of bristle bundles 65 and a higher rigidity than the long brush portion 64L. As a result, the tip of the short brush portion 64S can increase the force of contact with the instep 72 of the shoe 70, and the cleaning performance can be improved. For example, even if the instep 72 of the shoe 70 is made of fabric and soaked with dirt, the instep 72 can be efficiently washed, and uneven washing can be suppressed.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the shoe 70 is fixed so that the toe portion 74 faces the opposite side of the bottom portion 121 of the washing tub 12 (opening portion 21 side). As shown in FIG. 5, the instep 72 of the shoe 70 is inclined away from the sole 71 from the toe portion 74 toward the heel portion 75 side. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of bristle tufts 65 of the short brush portion 64S are configured such that their length dimension increases with distance from the bottom portion 121 of the washing tub 12 . That is, the short brush portion 64</b>S has an inclined tip along the inclination of the instep 72 of the shoe 70 . As a result, the tip portion of the short brush portion 64S can be efficiently brought into contact with the inclined instep 72, so that the instep 72 can be efficiently washed, and uneven washing can be suppressed.

When the laundry 70 is washed, the washing tub 12 and the holder may be rotated relative to each other, and the washing tub 12 may be non-rotatable or rotatable with respect to the tub 11. It may be said that

(Dehydration of laundry 70)
After washing the article 70 to be washed, dehydration of the article 70 to be washed is optionally performed. Specifically, when the washing of the laundry 70 is completed, the detergent and water are discharged from the washing tub 12 via the drainage portion and the drain hole provided in the washing tub 12 . Next, the agitator 13 and the washing tub 12 are integrally rotationally driven by the drive mechanism. As a result, a centrifugal force acts on the laundry 70 fixed to the holder provided in the agitator 13, and the laundry 70 is dehydrated.

For example, when the article to be washed 70 is a shoe 70, it is preferable to fix the shoe 70 to the holder portion so that the opening of the shoe 70 faces radially outward. By doing so, the water inside the shoe 70 can be efficiently discharged to the outside.

(Modification)
Modifications of the washing machine 1 according to the present embodiment will be described below. Modifications described below can be applied in appropriate combination with the above-described embodiment or other modifications. Moreover, in the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as in the above-described embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

(First modification)
In the example described above, the plurality of brush portions 64 are configured to be parallel to each other, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 7, at least two of the plurality of brush portions 64 may be configured to be non-parallel.

In the brush unit 6 of this modified example, the two long brush portions 64L and the two middle brush portions 64M are configured to be non-parallel to the short brush portion 64S. The long brush portion 64L is configured to face outward so as to separate from the short brush portion 64S as it goes from the base end to the tip end. The middle brush portion 64M is configured inward so as to approach the short brush portion 64S from the base end toward the tip.

In this modified example, the long brush portion 64L is configured to face outward, so that the distal end faces the laundry 70 approaching the brush unit 6 . This makes it easier to bring the tip of the long brush portion 64L into contact with the laundry 70, thereby improving the cleaning power.

Further, since the long brush portion 64L is configured to face outward away from the middle brush portion 64M and the short brush portion 64S, even if the long brush portion 64L is bent inward by the laundry 70, It is possible to prevent the long brush portion 64L from interfering with the contact between the tips of the middle brush portion 64M and the short brush portion 64S and the article to be washed 70 .

(Second modification)
In the example described above, the plurality of brush portions 64 includes three types of brush portions 64 (long brush portion 64L, middle brush portion 64M, and short brush portion 64S) having different brush dimensions, but the present invention is not limited to this. The brush unit 6 may include at least two types of brush portions 64 having different brush dimensions.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the brush unit 6 may include, as the plurality of brush portions 64, two long brush portions 64L and three short brush portions 64S. The three short brush portions 64S are arranged between the two long brush portions 64L in the rotational direction D1. The two long brush portions 64L are configured to face outward away from the short brush portion 64S.

In this modification, the instep 72 of the shoe 70, on which dirt tends to accumulate, can be efficiently washed by increasing the number of the short brush portions 64S.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 9, the brush unit 6 may include five brush portions 64 having different brush sizes. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the brush unit 6 includes one long brush module 62L, one short brush module 62S, and three first to third middle brush modules 62M1 to 62M3. The first to third middle brush modules 62M1 to 62M3 have first to third middle brush portions 64M1 to 64M3, respectively. The first to third middle brush portions 64M1 to 64M3 have different brush dimensions. Among the first to third middle brush portions 64M1 to 64M3, the brush dimension of the first middle brush portion 64M1 is the shortest, and the brush dimension of the third middle brush portion 64M3 is the longest.

The first to third middle brush portions 64M1 to 64M3 are arranged between the short brush portion 64S and the long brush portion 64L in the rotational direction D1. The first middle brush portion 64M1, the second middle brush portion 64M2, and the third middle brush portion 64M3 are arranged in this order from the short brush portion 64S side. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the plurality of brush portions 64 are arranged such that the brush dimension increases (or decreases) from one side to the other side in the rotational direction D1.

(Other modifications)
Other modified examples of the brush unit 6 will be listed below.

In the example described above, the plurality of brush portions 64 are arranged so that the brush dimension decreases from the end side to the center side in the rotation direction D1 of the stirring body 13, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the brush unit 6 includes one long brush portion 64L, two middle brush portions 64M, and two short brush portions 64S. 64L, the middle brush portion 64M, and the short brush portion 64S may be arranged in this order. That is, the plurality of brush portions 64 may be arranged so that the brush dimension increases from the end side to the center side in the rotation direction D1 of the stirring body 13 .

In the above-described example, the brush unit 6 includes five brush portions 64, but the number of brush portions 64 is not limited to five. good. For example, the brush unit 6 may be configured with three brush portions 64: two long brush portions 64L and one short brush portion 64S arranged between the two long brush portions 64L. .

In the example described above, the plurality of brush portions 64 are provided so as to correspond to the plurality of bases 63 on a one-to-one basis, but the configuration is not limited to this. The brush portion 64 may be provided on a common base 63 with other brush portions 64 . For example, one base 63 may be provided with two or more brush portions 64 .

In the above example, as shown in FIG. 5, the short brush portion 64S is configured such that the plurality of bristle bundles 65 have different lengths along the rotation axis direction D2. The length of the hair bundle 65 may be constant.

In the above example, as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, the long brush portion 64L, the middle brush portion 64M, and the short brush portion 64S have different densities of the plurality of hair bundles 65. good too.

In the example described above, the hair bundle 65 is composed of a plurality of hairs, but may be composed of a single hair.

In the example described above, the washing machine has one brush unit 6 , but the washing machine is not limited to this and may have two or more brush units 6 .

In the example described above, the brush unit 6 was provided on the inner peripheral surface 12a of the washing tub 12, but this is not the only option. For example, the brush unit 6 may be provided on a columnar portion protruding from the stirring body 13 so as to be coaxial with the rotation axis A1. In this case, since the brush unit 6 is configured to rotate, it is preferable that the laundry 70 is not fixed or is fixed to the inner peripheral surface 12 a of the washing tub 12 .

1 washing machine 12 washing tub 121 bottom 13 agitator 62 brush unit 64 brush part 64L long brush part 64S short brush part 65 bristle bundle 70 article to be washed D1 rotation direction D2 rotation axis direction

Claims (6)

a washing tub in which the laundry to be washed is placed;
a rotating agitator disposed at the bottom of the washing tub;
a brush unit arranged inside the washing tub and having a plurality of brush parts arranged along the rotation direction of the agitator;
each of the plurality of brush parts has a plurality of hair bundles,
The plurality of brush portions include a long brush portion and a short brush portion provided closer to the center in the rotational direction than the long brush portion and having a shorter length dimension of the plurality of tufts than the long brush portion. ,including,
washing machine. the plurality of brush portions includes two long brush portions and the short brush portion;
The short brush portion is arranged between the two long brush portions in the rotational direction of the agitator,
The washing machine according to claim 1. The short brush portion has a higher density of the plurality of bristle bundles than the long brush portion,
The washing machine according to claim 1 or 2. The short brush portion has higher rigidity than the long brush portion,
The washing machine according to any one of claims 1-3. The short brush part is configured such that the length dimension of the plurality of bristle bundles increases in the direction of the rotation axis of the agitator as the distance from the bottom part of the washing tub increases.
The washing machine according to any one of claims 1-4. The plurality of brush portions are provided such that the length of the plurality of bristle bundles decreases from one side in the rotational direction toward the center side,
The washing machine according to any one of claims 1-5.

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