JPH0251356B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to improvement of a dehydration tank, and particularly relates to a dehydration tank with excellent dehydration performance.

[Background of the invention]

Generally, in centrifugal dehydrators for washing machines,
For example, as shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-37994,
It is known that the wall of the dehydration tank is provided with grooves, unevenness, etc., or that it is simply provided with a plurality of dehydration holes.

However, as a result of experiments, in such a dehydration tank,
As shown in Figure 6, which is a graph showing the relationship between the distance from the tank wall and the dehydration rate in a conventional dehydration tank, the dehydration rate of the cloth near the tank wall is considerably lower than that of the cloth closer to the center. However, there was a problem with the overall non-uniformity.

In addition, the technology related to the dehydration tank of the Washaku dehydrator is as follows.
In addition to the above-mentioned publication, a method described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 56-120187 has also been proposed, which will be described later.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an aquarium with small dehydration unevenness, high dehydration performance, and excellent usability.

[Summary of the invention]

The structure of the dehydration tank according to the present invention includes a wall surface of the dehydration tank including a plurality of inclined convex portions that protrude inwardly;
A porous water-absorbing material having capillary action is lined on the inside of the wall surface of the dehydration tank, which is located between the inclined convex parts and formed by a valley part in which a plurality of dehydration holes are bored. It is characterized by:

Further details are as follows.

In other words, in conventional dehydration tanks, the dehydration rate near the inner wall is particularly low because dehydration progresses during dehydration and the moisture content of the fabric in the area in contact with the wall decreases to a value commensurate with the applied centrifugal force. This is because the centrifugal force applied to the water droplets contained in the cloth balances the adhesion force between the fibers and the water droplets, and water no longer escapes from the cloth.

On the other hand, water moves easily in continuous fibers, and even a relatively small centrifugal force can move water toward the wall surface. This is due to the help of the capillary phenomenon of the fibers, and can be understood from the fact that the dehydration rate of the fabric closer to the center, away from the wall surface, improves earlier. In addition, as water moves through the fibers, the water content in the area in contact with the wall surface gradually increases, but for the same reason as mentioned above, once the water content decreases to a level that corresponds to the applied centrifugal force, further dehydration will occur. does not proceed.

That is, although water can easily move within a continuous fiber, water can only move from the fiber to the outside when the applied centrifugal force exceeds the adhesion force between the water and the fiber.

Therefore, in the present invention, the wall surface of the dehydration tank is formed by a plurality of inclined protrusions protruding inwardly, and a trough located between the inclined protrusions and having a plurality of dehydration holes bored therein. By lining the inside of this dehydration tank wall with a porous water-absorbing material that has capillary action,
In addition, the inclined walls of the protrusions impart a circumferential component of centrifugal force to the water taken into the material, and the water passes through the material, which is easy to move, and collects in the valleys, reducing the water content of the same area. It is designed to achieve the desired purpose by increasing the amount of water and promoting dehydration.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Embodiments of the dehydration tank according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a washing machine equipped with a dehydration tank according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
The enlarged partial view of line A, Figure 3, is B in Figure 2.
4 is a sectional view taken along line B, FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a washing machine equipped with a dehydration tank according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a comparison of dehydration rates between the conventional type and the inventive type. FIG.

First, in the washing machine shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the washing machine is a two-tank washing machine including a fully automatic washing machine.

That is, a centrifugal dehydrator (simply referred to as a dehydrator) 3 is provided within an outer frame 2 forming the exterior of a washing machine 1 related to a two-tank washing machine. A dehydration tank 4 having a dehydration tank 4 is provided so as to be driven and rotated by a motor 5 via a rotating shaft 6.

This motor 5 is configured to rotate for a certain period of time by a timer 8 on an operation panel 7 provided at the top of the washing machine 1.

Further, the motor 5 is stopped and braked by opening the lid 9 covering the upper part of the washing machine 1.
A switch 10 and a brake 11 are provided within the operation panel 7 and above the motor 5, respectively.

Further, the motor 5 is elastically supported by a spring 12 on the bottom plate 13 of the washer 1, and the brake 11 and the lid 9 are connected to a wire rod 14 that operates the brake 11 when the lid 9 is opened. (The connection with the lid 9 is made by (not shown).

A cloth input port 15 is formed on the top surface of the dehydrator 3 at a position below the lid 9 at the top of the dehydration tank 4, and a water receiving tank 16 is provided on the outer periphery of the dehydration tank 4. A drain pipe 17 and a diaphragm 18 are provided at the bottom of the water receiving tank 16. 19a and 19b are legs of the washing machine 1.

The dehydration tank 4 has a wall inside thereof.
It is lined with a porous material 21 that has an inner wall surface 21a and is made of a dehydrating material that exhibits capillary action and has a large number of pores, such as a resin that has open cells.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 in detail, the shape of the wall surface 24 of the dehydration tank 4 includes a plurality of slanted protrusions 23 and troughs 25 that protrude inward, and reinforcement walls 24. Furthermore, a plurality of dehydration holes 20 are provided in the trough portion 25 so as to penetrate through a porous material 21 lined therewith.

Note that 26 indicates an inclined portion.

The structure of the dehydration tank 4 described above relates to the structure that characterizes the present invention.

When dewatering is performed using the dehydrator 3 configured as described above, the initial large amount of water is mainly removed from the dehydrator 3.
The water is discharged from the dewatering hole 20 and flows out through the water receiving tank 16 and the drain pipe 17.

As dehydration progresses, the water content in the fabric decreases, and in a normal dehydration tank, centrifugal force is no longer sufficient to remove water from the fabric. Water moves from the cloth into the porous material 21 due to the action of capillary action and centrifugal force in the porous material 21.

In addition, the water that has moved to the porous material 21 is directed toward the outer circumferential direction due to centrifugal force, but a circumferential component of the centrifugal force is applied by the inclined portion 26 related to the inclined surface of the convex portion 23, and the porous material 21 is easily moved. Since water passes through the inside of the material 21 and collects in the troughs 25, the water content in this region increases and dewatering from the dehydration holes 20 continues, and the porous material 21
This allows for efficient drainage of water inside the tank.

For this reason, the dehydration rate of the cloth in contact with the wall surface 24 is improved, and uneven dehydration is reduced, and particularly when dehydrating small volumes, the dehydration rate is significantly improved.

In addition, the above-mentioned Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-120187 discloses a washing dehydrator in which a water-absorbing material is detachably attached to the inner wall of the dehydration tank, and dehydration can be carried out using the dehydrator described in the publication. When this happens, a certain amount of water is discharged out of the dehydration tank due to centrifugal force, but as the water content decreases, the centrifugal force gradually decreases, and eventually the centrifugal force and the The water retention capacity of the water-absorbing material will be balanced.
Since centrifugal force is applied only in the radial direction of the dehydration tank, as mentioned above, when the water-retaining force of the water-absorbing material in the dehydration tank is balanced with the centrifugal force, as stated in the same publication, Secondly, the water in the water-absorbent material stops moving and remains as it is, and when drying naturally after dehydration, it takes a long time to dry the water-absorbent material that retains a large amount of water.

For this reason, in the dehydrator described in the above-mentioned Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-120187, a water-absorbing material is detachably attached to the dehydration tank, and after the dehydration is completed, a large amount of water is absorbed as described in the same publication. The water-retaining water-absorbing material is taken out of the dehydration tank and forced to dry using an electric dryer or the like.

However, with this configuration, each time a dehydration operation is performed, the user has to remove the water-absorbing material that retains a large amount of water from the dehydration tank, force dry it using an electric dryer, etc., and then attach it to the dehydration tank again after drying. This is not only extremely troublesome, but also requires a dryer such as an electric dryer to force dry the water-absorbing material, which is a serious inconvenience for households that do not have such a dryer. Even if drying in the sun is taken into consideration, if the weather continues to be bad, it will take a long time to naturally dry the water-absorbent material, which retains a large amount of water, and the moisture will not be removed artificially from the water-absorbent material. The problem is that it is unusable and extremely troublesome for the user, and there is still room for improvement in this respect.

In addition, in the dewatering machine described in the above-mentioned Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1987-120187, as mentioned above, when the water-retaining force of the water-absorbing material in the dehydration tank and the centrifugal force are balanced, the water-absorbing material inside the water-absorbing material The water in the dehydration tank stops moving and ends up being retained, so in the early stages of dehydration when the items to be washed contain a large amount of water, remove the water-absorbing material from the dehydration tank as described in the same publication. Normal dehydration is performed, and then the water-absorbing material is attached to the dehydration tank and the dehydration tank is rotated at high speed again to increase the efficiency of dewatering the items to be washed. It is not possible to consistently perform dehydration from the initial stage to the final stage while the dewatering process is in progress, and it is necessary to ask for the help of a worker during the process.
This is also extremely inconvenient for users.
Therefore, there is still room for improvement in this respect as well.

In contrast, according to the present invention, the water-absorbing porous material 21 lined on the inner wall of the dehydration tank is in contact with the inclined wall surface 24 of the dehydration tank 4 obliquely perpendicular to the direction of centrifugal force, so that the Water-absorbing porous material 21
Even when the water-retaining force of the water-absorbing porous material 21 and the centrifugal force are balanced, the water that has moved inside is subjected to the circumferential component of the centrifugal force and moves along the inclined wall surface 24 to the trough 25. As the water continues to move and the water continues to drain from the dehydration hole 20, the water content in the water-absorbing porous material 21 decreases significantly. All the various problems faced by the dehydrator described in the publication can be solved.

However, in the above embodiment, the dehydration tank 4
Although the inner wall surface is an uneven surface having a linear inclination, it may alternatively be an uneven surface having a curved inclination.

Further, in the above embodiment, a porous material such as a resin having pores exhibiting a capillary phenomenon and having a large number of pores is used as the water absorbing material. However, it is possible to use a ceramic material of the same type, and the nonwoven fabric can be used as a water-absorbing material.

Next, FIG. 4 shows still another embodiment.

The illustrated washing machine is a one-tank fully automatic washing machine, and its dewatering tank also serves as a washing tank.

That is, 31 is a knob that controls the operation of the washing machine 1A, 32 is a lid that opens and closes around a fulcrum 33,
34 is a connecting pipe that supplies fresh water from a water pipe (not shown) through the water supply valve 35 and from the water supply port 60; 36 is a cloth input port; and 37 is a lid that prevents cloth from falling into the outer tank 44. , 38 is a dehydration tank having normal strength and also serving as a washing tank, the inner wall of which is lined with a porous material 48 made of the same material as explained in the previous embodiment, and its cross-sectional shape is , has the shape shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 as explained in the previous embodiment.

Moreover, the dehydration tank 38 according to this embodiment has a larger diameter than that of the previous embodiment, has a balancer 40 for reducing vibration during dehydration, and has a dehydration hole 39 and a hollow shaft 61. It is something that you have.

41 is a stirring blade, and its cylindrical part has small blades 43.
Further, the substantially conical portion has a blade 42, and the rotating shaft 62 of the clutch portion 51 repeatedly rotates forward and backward in a short period of time to perform washing.

45a and 45b are hanging rods that suspend the outer tank 44 via a spring 46. 50 is a drain pipe that opens to the outside, and has a valve 49 that is opened and closed by an electromagnet (not shown). 52 is a V-belt that transmits the power of the motor 55 to the clutch portion 51 via pulleys 53 and 54; 56 is a stay that supports the motor 55; 59 is a back cover; 47 is an exterior case;
7 and 58 are legs.

On the other hand, when dehydration related to centrifugal dehydration is performed by rotating the dehydration tank according to the present embodiment configured as described above, dehydration proceeds through the same process as in the embodiment described above, and uneven dehydration is prevented. High dehydration performance can be obtained with less water.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the inner wall surface of the dehydration tank 38 may be an uneven surface having a curved slope, as in the case of the modification of the previous embodiment.

As mentioned above, the present invention, as shown in each of the above embodiments,
The wall surface of the dehydration tank used for centrifugal dehydration is divided into a plurality of inclined protrusions protruding toward the inner wall, a plurality of grooves formed by the troughs, and a plurality of dehydration holes drilled in the grooves. Furthermore, since the inner wall of the tank is lined with a porous water-absorbing material that exhibits capillary action, it is possible to provide a dehydration tank with small dehydration unevenness and high dehydration performance. The effect is significant.

Here, FIG. 5 shows the conventional type (6th type) explained earlier.
This graph shows a comparison of the dehydration rate between the present invention type according to each example and the dehydration rate of the present invention type according to each example.As is clear from this graph, the present invention type is A high dehydration rate can be expected.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a dehydration tank that has small dehydration unevenness, high dehydration performance, and is easy to use, and has excellent practical effects. can.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a washing machine equipped with a dehydration tank according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
The enlarged partial view of line A, Figure 3, is B in Figure 2.
4 is a sectional view taken along line B, FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a washing machine equipped with a dehydration tank according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a comparison of dehydration rates between the conventional type and the inventive type. The graph shown in FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the distance from the inner side of the tank wall and the dehydration rate in a conventional dehydration tank. 1,1A...Washing machine, 4,38...Dehydration tank,
5,55...Motor, 20...Dehydration hole, 21,4
8... Water-absorbing porous material having capillary action, 2
1a...inner wall surface, 22...rib, 23...convex portion,
24... Wall surface, 25... Valley part, 26... Slope part.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a dehydration tank in which a water-absorbing material is attached to the inner wall surface of the tank, the wall surface of the tank has a plurality of slanted protrusions projecting inwardly, and a plurality of dehydration holes located between the slanted protrusions. 1. A dehydration tank characterized in that the wall surface of the dehydration tank is formed by perforated valleys and is lined with a porous water-absorbing material having capillary action.