JP7538995B2 - Drum type washing machine - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a drum-type washing machine.

Patent Document 1 discloses a washing machine that can reduce the vibration of its housing. This washing machine is equipped with an outer tub that stores water, a drum that is rotatably arranged inside the outer tub, a motor that drives and rotates the drum, a rear fluid balancer that is arranged behind the drum, and a front fluid balancer that is arranged in front of the drum.

JP 2019-084093 A

This disclosure provides a drum-type washing machine that can reduce vibration during the spin cycle.

The drum type washing machine according to the present disclosure includes a housing, a water tub provided within the housing so as to be able to swing, a rotating drum provided within the water tub so as to be able to rotate, a motor for driving the rotating drum to rotate, a first fluid balancer provided annularly on the front end peripheral portion of the rotating drum, and a second fluid balancer provided annularly on the rear end peripheral portion of the rotating drum, the first fluid balancer being provided within the first fluid balancer and including a first annular chamber containing a fluid , and a second fluid balancer forming a plurality of first compartments within the first annular chamber. the second fluid balancer is provided inside the second fluid balancer and has a second annular chamber containing a fluid, and a second partition wall which forms a plurality of second compartments in the second annular chamber and has second communication holes which are openings through which fluid can pass, and the ratio of the area of the second communication holes to the area of the second partition wall is greater than the ratio of the area of the first communication holes to the area of the first partition wall .

The drum-type washing machine disclosed herein can reduce vibration during the spin-drying process.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a drum-type washing machine according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a front view of a front fluid balancer of a drum type washing machine according to a first embodiment; 1 is a cross-sectional view of a front fluid balancer of a drum type washing machine according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a front view of a rear fluid balancer of a drum type washing machine according to a first embodiment; 1 is a cross-sectional view of a rear fluid balancer of a drum type washing machine according to a first embodiment; FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of a fluid balancer in a spin-drying process of the drum-type washing machine according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a comparison diagram of vibration waveforms of a water tub of a drum-type washing machine in the first embodiment.

Below, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanation of already well-known matters or duplicate explanation of substantially the same configuration may be omitted.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[1-1. Configuration]
[1-1-1. Configuration of drum washing machine]
In FIG. 1 , the drum type washing machine 100 includes a housing 101 , a water tub 102 , and a rotating drum 103 .

The water tank 102 is provided in the housing 101. The water tank 102 is supported by a vibration damper 111 provided between the bottom surface of the housing 101 and the lower surface of the water tank 102. The water tank 102 is also supported in a vibration-proof manner by a spring body (not shown) that connects the upper surface of the housing 101 and the upper surface of the water tank 102.

The rotating drum 103 is rotatably mounted within the water tub 102. The rotating drum 103 has a rotating shaft 113 supported by a bearing 114 mounted on the rear surface of the water tub 102. A motor 115 mounted on the rear surface of the water tub 102 is connected to the rotating shaft 113, and the rotating drum 103 rotates left and right about a central axis X. The central axis X is mounted so that the rear surface of the drum-type washing machine 100 faces downward from the horizontal or horizontal direction.

A lid 104 is provided on the front of the housing 101 so as to be freely opened and closed. The lid 104 opens and closes the openings of the housing 101 and the rotating drum 103. The user opens the lid 104 and places laundry into the rotating drum 103.

A water supply valve 121, a water supply path 122, and a detergent dispenser 123 are provided on the top of the housing 101. The water supply valve 121 is provided so as to be openable and closable. The water supply path 122 connects the water supply valve 121 and the water tub 102. The detergent dispenser 123 is provided on the water supply path 122. The user dispenses detergent and fabric softener into the detergent dispenser 123. When the water supply valve 121 is opened, water flowing in from the outside is supplied into the water tub 102 via the water supply path 122 and the detergent dispenser 123.

A drain valve 125 and a drain path 126 are provided at the bottom of the housing 101. The drain valve 125 is provided on the drain path 126 so as to be openable and closable. The drain path 126 connects the bottom of the water tub 102 to the outside of the housing 101. When the drain valve 125 is opened, the wash water in the water tub 102 is drained to the outside of the housing 101 via the drain path 126.

A control device 130 is provided inside the housing 101. The control device 130 controls the rotation of the motor 115 and the opening and closing of the water supply valve 121 and the drain valve 125, thereby controlling the washing operation of the drum washing machine 100.

Fluid balancers 200 are provided on the front and rear peripheries of the rotating drum 103. The fluid balancers 200 reduce vibrations caused by uneven conditions (hereinafter referred to as imbalance) of the laundry inside the rotating drum 103 that occur during the spin-drying process. The fluid balancers 200 include a front fluid balancer 210 provided at the front end of the rotating drum 103 and a rear fluid balancer 220 provided at the rear end of the rotating drum 103.

[1-1-2. Configuration of the front fluid balancer]
2 and 3, the front fluid balancer 210 has a first annular chamber 211 sealed with a viscous fluid sealed therein. Five first annular chambers 211 are provided in the radial direction within the front fluid balancer 210, and the front fluid balancer 210 has a five-layer structure.

A first partition wall 212 is provided in the first annular chamber 211. The first partition wall 212 is provided in the radial direction in the first annular chamber 211. The first partition wall 212 forms a plurality of first partition chambers 213 in the circumferential direction in the first annular chamber 211.

In FIG. 3, the first partition wall 212 forms a first communication hole 214, which is an opening through which the fluid sealed in the first annular chamber 211 can pass. The first communication hole 214 is provided in the first partition wall 212, opening from the inner wall surface side of the first annular chamber 211 to approximately half the height of the first annular chamber 211. In the front fluid balancer 210, the first opening ratio P1, which is the ratio of the area of the first communication hole 214 to the area of the first partition wall 212, is formed to be approximately 35% (±5%).

[1-1-3. Configuration of rear fluid balancer]
4 and 5, the rear fluid balancer 220 has a second annular chamber 221 sealed with a viscous fluid sealed therein. Three second annular chambers 221 are provided in the radial direction within the rear fluid balancer 220, and the rear fluid balancer 220 has a three-layer structure.

A second partition wall 222 is provided in the second annular chamber 221. The second partition wall 222 is provided in the second annular chamber 221 at an angle of 45° to the direction of rotation of the rotating drum 103 during the dehydration process relative to the radial direction. The second partition wall 222 forms a plurality of second partition chambers 223 in the circumferential direction in the second annular chamber 221.

In FIG. 5, the second partition wall 222 forms a second communication hole 224, which is an opening through which the fluid sealed in the second annular chamber 221 can pass. The second communication hole 224 is provided in the second partition wall 222, opening from the inner wall surface side of the second annular chamber 221, and a portion of the second communication hole 224 opens to the outer wall surface side of the second annular chamber 221. In the rear fluid balancer 220, the second opening rate P2, which is the ratio of the area of the second communication hole 224 to the area of the second partition wall 222, is formed to be approximately 47% (±5%).

[1-2. Operation]
The operation and function of the drum type washing machine 100 configured as above will be described below.

[1-2-1. Operation during dehydration process]
In the washing operation, when the washing step and the rinsing step are completed and the wash water in the water tub 102 is drained, the spin-drying step is started.

During the dehydration process, the control device 130 controls the motor 115 to change the rotation speed N of the rotating drum 103. In this embodiment, the rotating drum 103 rotates in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 6 (clockwise). Note that the rotation direction of the rotating drum 103 during the dehydration process is not limited to the clockwise direction, and it may be rotated counterclockwise.

Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the front fluid balancer 210 and the rear fluid balancer 220 of the drum-type washing machine 100 in this embodiment during the spin-drying process. In Figure 6, (a) shows the stopped state of the rotating drum 103 (rotation speed N is 0 r/min), (b) shows the first resonance point of the water tub 102 (rotation speed N is about 100 r/min), (c) shows the second resonance point of the water tub 102 (rotation speed N is about 200 r/min), (d) shows the steady rotation speed of the rotating drum 103 (rotation speed N is about 800 r/min), and (e) shows the high-speed rotation range of the rotating drum 103 (rotation speed N is about 900 r/min or more).

7 is a diagram comparing the magnitude of the amplitude of the water tub when a 700 g weight is placed inside the rear of the rotating drum as a simulated unbalance, between a conventional drum-type washing machine that has a fluid balancer on the front peripheral edge of the rotating drum and no fluid balancer on the rear peripheral edge of the rotating drum, and drum-type washing machine 100 of the present embodiment. In Fig. 7, the vertical axis represents the amplitude of the water tub, and the horizontal axis represents the number of rotations N of the rotating drum.

The operation of the front fluid balancer 210 and the rear fluid balancer 220 during the spin-drying process will be described below with reference to Figures 6 and 7.

[1-2-2. Operation of the front fluid balancer and the rear fluid balancer during the spin-drying process]
As shown in Figure 6 (a), when the rotating drum 103 is stopped, the liquid sealed in the first annular chamber 211 and the second annular chamber 221 is stored in the lower part of the first annular chamber 211 and the second annular chamber 221, respectively.

When the rotating drum 103 starts rotating and the rotation speed N reaches about 60 r/min, the laundry in the rotating drum 103 sticks to the inner surface of the rotating drum 103 due to centrifugal force. This causes an imbalance in the rotating drum 103. After the imbalance occurs in the rotating drum 103, until the rotation speed N reaches 100 r/min and passes the first resonance point of the water tub 102, the fluid in the first annular chamber 211 and the second annular chamber 221 tries to move in phase with the imbalance, which may amplify the vibration of the water tub 102. At this time, in order to suppress the amplification of the vibration at the first resonance point of the water tub 102, it is desirable that the fluid is evenly distributed in the first annular chamber 211 and the second annular chamber 221 at the first resonance point of the water tub 102 of 100 r/min, as shown in FIG. 6(b).

The second partition wall 222 of the rear fluid balancer 220 is disposed in the second annular chamber 221 at an angle of 45° to the direction of rotation of the rotating drum 103 during the spin-drying process, relative to the radial direction. This allows the second partition wall 222 to efficiently scoop up the fluid in the second annular chamber 221 like a water wheel, dispersing the fluid evenly, allowing the first resonance point to be passed smoothly.

As shown in FIG. 6(c), when the rotation speed N reaches approximately 200 r/min and the water tank 102 is near the secondary resonance point, the fluid sealed in the first annular chamber 211 and the second annular chamber 221 attempts to move in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the rotating drum 103 (the direction of arrow B in FIG. 6) so as to move in the opposite phase to the imbalance. If the movement of the fluid is impeded at this time, the vibration suppression efficiency decreases, so it is desirable not to suppress the movement of the fluid.

In the front fluid balancer 210, the first opening ratio P1, which is the ratio of the area of the first communication hole 214 to the area of the first partition wall 212, is approximately 35%, while in the rear fluid balancer 220, the second opening ratio P2, which is the ratio of the area of the second communication hole 224 to the area of the second partition wall 222, is approximately 47%. In addition, in the front fluid balancer 210, the first communication hole 214 is provided so as to open from the inner wall surface side of the first annular chamber 211 to approximately half the height of the first annular chamber 211, while in the rear fluid balancer 220, a part of the second communication hole 224 is opened to the outer wall surface side of the second annular chamber 221. With this configuration, in the second annular chamber 221, the flow resistance of the fluid that is stuck to the outer wall surface of the second annular chamber 221 due to centrifugal force is smaller than the flow resistance of the fluid in the first annular chamber 211. Therefore, the fluid in the second annular chamber 221 can move more in the opposite phase to the imbalance (the ideal correction direction), so that the amplitude of the water tank 102 near the secondary resonance point can be reduced, as shown in FIG. 7.

6(d), the fluids in the first annular chamber 211 and the second annular chamber 221 are in antiphase with the imbalance until the rotation speed N reaches a steady rotation speed (about 800 rpm) and the rotating drum 103 approaches a stable state. While the fluids are in antiphase with the imbalance, the generation of vibrations due to the imbalance is suppressed, and the vibrations of the water tank 102 can be reduced.

The drum-type washing machine 100 of this embodiment is equipped with a rear fluid balancer 220 in addition to the front fluid balancer 210, and a part of the second communication hole 224 opens to the outer wall surface side of the second annular chamber 221. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the amplitude of the water tub 102 can be significantly reduced from when the rotation speed N exceeds the secondary resonance point until it reaches the steady rotation speed.

When the rotation speed N becomes larger than the steady rotation speed and reaches the high rotation speed range (approximately 900 r/min or more) as shown in FIG. 6(e), the fluid in the first annular chamber 211 and the second annular chamber 221 tries to move to the same phase as the unbalance, and the vibration of the water tank 102 increases. Therefore, in the high rotation speed range, it is necessary to suppress the movement of the fluid. In particular, in the high rotation speed range, the front of the rotating drum 103 swings widely around the bearing 114. At this time, it is necessary to suppress the movement of the fluid in the first annular chamber 211 to the same phase as the unbalance in the front fluid balancer 210 located away from the rotating shaft 113.

The first communication hole 214 provided in the first partition wall 212 of the forward fluid balancer 210 is provided on the inner wall surface side of the first annular chamber 211 and does not open to the outer wall surface side. As a result, in the first annular chamber 211, the flow resistance to the fluid adhering to the outer wall surface side of the first annular chamber 211 is large, and the fluid is prevented from moving to the same phase side as the imbalance. Therefore, vibration of the water tank 102 in the high speed rotation range can be suppressed.

In addition, since the rear fluid balancer 220 is located near the rotating shaft 113, the effect of resonant vibration in the high speed rotation range is smaller than that of the front fluid balancer 210. However, if the second aperture ratio P2 in the rear fluid balancer 220 is made too large, it is not possible to prevent the fluid in the second annular chamber 221 from moving to the same phase as the imbalance in the high speed rotation range. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second aperture ratio P2 is set to approximately 47% (±5%), but the second aperture ratio P2 is not limited to approximately 47%, and the optimal value may be determined by experiment or CAE analysis.

In this embodiment, the rear fluid balancer 220 has three second annular chambers 221 and has a three-layer structure, whereas the front fluid balancer 210 has five first annular chambers 211 and has a five-layer structure, and the diameter of the front fluid balancer 210 is larger than the diameter of the rear fluid balancer 220. With this configuration, the first maximum correction force F1, which is the weight of the maximum imbalance that the front fluid balancer 210 can cancel, is set to be larger than the second maximum correction force F2, which is the weight of the maximum imbalance that the rear fluid balancer 220 can cancel. This reduces vibrations caused by imbalance on the front fluid balancer 210 side, which is installed away from the rotating shaft 113, and reduces the load on the rotating shaft 113.

[1-3. Effects]
As described above, in this embodiment, drum type washing machine 100 includes housing 101, water tub 102 provided in housing 101 so as to be able to swing, rotating drum 103 provided in water tub 102 so as to be able to rotate, motor 115 for driving rotating drum 103 to rotate, front fluid balancer 210 provided in an annular shape on the front end peripheral portion of rotating drum 103, and rear fluid balancer 220 provided in an annular shape on the rear end peripheral portion of rotating drum 103. Front fluid balancer 210 has first annular chamber 211 therein that contains a fluid, and rear fluid balancer 220 has second annular chamber 221 therein that contains a fluid, and the flow path resistance of second annular chamber 221 is smaller than the flow path resistance of the first annular chamber.

As a result, the rear fluid balancer 220 does not hinder the movement of the fluid contained therein after the first resonance point (approximately 100 r/min), and the front fluid balancer 210 can suppress the movement of the fluid contained therein during high speed rotation (approximately 900 r/min or more).

Therefore, the rear fluid balancer 220 can reduce vibrations that occur at the secondary resonance point (approximately 200 r/min), and the front fluid balancer 210 can reduce vibrations during high-speed rotation. In addition, the front fluid balancer 210 and the rear fluid balancer 220 can reduce noise generated during the spin-drying process.

As in this embodiment, the front fluid balancer 210 has a first partition wall 212 that forms a plurality of first partition chambers 213 in the first annular chamber 211, and the first partition wall 212 forms a first communication hole 214 that is an opening through which fluid can pass, and the rear fluid balancer 220 has a second partition wall 222 that forms a plurality of second partition chambers 223 in the second annular chamber 221, and the second partition wall forms a second communication hole 224 that is an opening through which fluid can pass, and the second opening ratio P2, which is the ratio of the area of the second communication hole 224 to the area of the second partition wall 222, may be greater than the first opening ratio P1, which is the ratio of the area of the first communication hole 214 to the area of the first partition wall 212.

As a result, the rear fluid balancer 220 does not impede the movement of the fluid contained therein after the first resonance point (approximately 100 r/min), and the front fluid balancer 210 can suppress the movement of the fluid contained therein during high speed rotation (approximately 900 r/min or higher).

Therefore, the rear fluid balancer 220 can reduce vibrations that occur at the secondary resonance point (approximately 200 r/min), and the front fluid balancer 210 can reduce vibrations during high-speed rotation. In addition, the front fluid balancer 210 and the rear fluid balancer 220 can reduce noise generated during the spin-drying process.

As in this embodiment, the rear fluid balancer 220 may open a portion of the second communication hole 224 to the outer wall surface side of the second annular chamber 221.

This prevents the centrifugal force from impeding the movement of the fluid that has stuck to the outer wall surface of the second annular chamber 221.

This reduces the vibration and noise of the drum-type washing machine 100 after it passes the secondary resonance point and reaches a stable state.

As in this embodiment, the first maximum correction force F1 in the front fluid balancer 210 may be greater than the second maximum correction force F2 in the rear fluid balancer 220.

This allows for better correction of imbalance that occurs on the front fluid balancer 210 side, which is located away from the rotation shaft 113 of the rotating drum 103.

This reduces the vibrations caused by imbalance during the spin-drying process and the load on the rotating shaft 113.

As in this embodiment, the number of second annular chambers 221 may be less than the number of first annular chambers 211.

This allows the radial width of the rear fluid balancer 220 located at the rear end of the rotating drum 103 to be reduced.

This reduces the space required by the rear fluid balancer 220 around the rotating shaft 113, where many mechanisms are mounted.

Other Embodiments
As described above, the first embodiment has been described as an example of the technology disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made.

Therefore, other embodiments are given below as examples.

In the first embodiment, the front fluid balancer 210 and the rear fluid balancer 220 are described as an example of the fluid balancer provided at the front end and the rear end of the rotating drum. The fluid balancer is not limited to the front fluid balancer 210 and the rear fluid balancer 220 as long as it suppresses vibration during the spin-drying process. The front fluid balancer and the rear fluid balancer may be the same or different. However, it is desirable for the rear fluid balancer to have a small flow resistance so as to smoothly pass the first resonance point of the water tank and suppress vibration at the second resonance point. The communication hole provided in the partition wall of the rear fluid balancer does not have to open to the outer peripheral wall surface side of the annular chamber of the rear fluid balancer, but it is desirable for the communication hole provided in the partition wall of the rear fluid balancer to have a larger opening rate than the communication hole provided in the front fluid balancer, and the height of the communication hole may be formed high.

The number of partition walls provided on the front fluid balancer and the number of partition walls provided on the rear fluid balancer may be the same, or the number of partition walls provided on the rear fluid balancer may be fewer. When the number of partition walls provided on the rear fluid balancer is fewer than the number of partition walls provided on the front fluid balancer, the flow path resistance in the rear fluid balancer can be reduced.

This disclosure is applicable to drum-type washing machines that have fluid balancers in front and behind the rotating drum.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Drum type washing machine 101 Housing 102 Water tub 103 Rotating drum 104 Lid 111 Anti-vibration damper 113 Rotating shaft 114 Bearing 115 Motor 121 Water supply valve 122 Water supply path 123 Detergent dispenser 125 Drain valve 126 Drain path 130 Control device 200 Fluid balancer 210 Front fluid balancer (first balancer)
211: First annular chamber 212: First partition wall 213: First compartment chamber 214: First communication hole 220: Rear fluid balancer (second balancer)
221 Second annular chamber 222 Second partition wall 223 Second compartment chamber 224 Second communication hole

Claims (5)

A housing and
A water tank provided in the housing so as to be able to swing freely;
A rotating drum having a rotating shaft supported by a bearing provided on the rear surface of the water tank and rotatably provided within the water tank;
A motor that rotates the rotary drum;
a first fluid balancer provided annularly on the front end peripheral edge portion of the rotating drum;
a second fluid balancer provided annularly on the rear end peripheral edge portion of the rotary drum;
Equipped with
The first fluid balancer includes:
a first annular chamber provided within the first fluid balancer and containing a fluid ;
a first partition wall that defines a plurality of first partition chambers in the first annular chamber and has first communication holes that are openings through which a fluid can pass;
having
The second fluid balancer includes:
a second annular chamber disposed within the second fluid balancer and containing a fluid ;
a second partition wall that defines a plurality of second partition chambers in the second annular chamber and has second communication holes that are openings through which a fluid can pass;
having
a ratio of an area of the second communication hole to an area of the second partition wall is greater than a ratio of an area of the first communication hole to an area of the first partition wall ;
Drum type washing machine. The second partition wall is provided so as to be inclined radially toward the rotation direction of the rotating drum in the dehydration process relative to the first partition wall.
The drum type washing machine according to claim 1. The second fluid balancer has a portion of the second communication hole opened to an outer circumferential wall surface side of the second annular chamber.
3. The drum type washing machine according to claim 1 or 2. the correction force of the first fluid balancer is greater than the correction force of the second fluid balancer;
The drum type washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3. the number of the second annular chambers is less than the number of the first annular chambers;
The drum type washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4.