JPH03141987A - Dewatering method and dewatering washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To stably perform the next dewatering process by cutting off water of a wash to a certain degree to disentangle the wash as a whole in an inner tank before starting dewatering action and correcting deflection of the wash. CONSTITUTION:A spherical inner tank 30, which is rotatably supported to a supporter 21 about a tilt axial line tilted at a predetermined angle for a horizontal axial line X-X or a horizontal axial line with many holes 35 transmissively provided in the peripheral wall further with a wash containable, is provided, and washing and rinsing action action is performed by rotating the inner tank about the horizontal axial line or the tilt axial line. By completing this washing action or rinsing action, in a condition that discharge of water is ended, since the inner tank 30 is rotated with the horizontal axial line serving as the center, water of the wash is cut to a certain degree with less close adhesion of the wash to each other, when the inner tank is stopped with the wash disentangled, the wash, without deflection, is arranged in the lower center part of the inner tank in a fully disentangled condition. Under this condition, in the case of rotating the inner tank at a high speed around the vertical axial line X-Y, dewatering rotation of the tank is stably performed with abnormal vibration and noise prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field 1] The present invention relates to a laundry dehydrating method and a dehydrating washing machine.

[Prior Art] Recently, the inventors of this application have developed a dewatering method as described below! Invented II. This dehydrating washing machine has an outer tank that can contain water inside the case body, a support that can rotate around a vertical axis inside the outer tank, and a support that can hold the laundry. An inner tank for accommodating the tank is rotatably supported around a horizontal axis.

and washing the laundry by rotating the inner tub around the horizontal axis while supplying water to the outer tub so that the water level reaches the inside of the inner tub containing the laundry; Further, after draining the water in the outer tub, the support body and the inner tub are rotated at high speed around the vertical axis to dehydrate the laundry.

[FII Problem to be Solved by the Invention] After the washing machine completes the washing or rinsing operation by rotating the inner tub of laundry, the washing machine drains the rinsing water from the outer tub, and then shifts to the spin-drying operation. During washing or rinsing operations, the inner tub rotates around the horizontal axis and the laundry is transferred, so when the inner tub stops rotating, the water-containing laundry sticks to each other and the laundry is moved to the bottom of the inner tub. In this case, the entire product solidifies into a dumpling shape and is biased towards the rotational direction of the inner tank. If dehydration operation is performed by high-speed rotation in this state,
There was a problem in that abnormal vibrations and noise occurred, and in some cases, dewatering became impossible. In particular, if an imbalance occurs at the initial stage of dehydration, startup failure may occur.

The purpose of this invention is to remove a certain amount of water from the laundry before starting the spin-drying operation to loosen the entire laundry in the inner tub, correct the unevenness of the laundry, and perform the next spin-drying process stably. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for dehydrating laundry.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides an outer tank for storing washing water, a support rotatably supported within the outer tank around a vertical axis Y-Y, and the support. A spherical inner tank that is rotatably supported around a horizontal axis X-X or around an inclined axis tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal axis, has a large number of small holes in the peripheral wall, and can accommodate laundry. washing and rinsing operations are carried out by rotating the inner tub around the horizontal or inclined axis; and after the washing or rinsing operations, the inner tub is rotated along the vertical axis Y-Y with a support. In the case where the dewatering operation is performed by rotating at high speed around the device, a method is adopted in which the dewatering operation is started after the draining process is completed before the dehydrating process.

[Function] In the dewatering method of the present invention, the inner tub is rotated around the horizontal axis after the washing operation or the rinsing operation is completed and the drainage is finished, so that the laundry can be drained to some extent. When the laundry is loosened and the inner tub stops, the laundry is placed in the center of the lower part of the inner tub in a fluffy and loosened state without being unevenly distributed. When the inner tank rotates at high speed around the vertical axis in this state, the dewatering rotation is performed stably and abnormal vibrations and noise are prevented.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of a dehydrating/drying washing machine embodying the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

(Related structure of the case body, outer tank, and inner tank) As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the case body 1 is formed of an iron plate into a box shape, and has an opening at the top for loading and unloading laundry. 3 is attached to the main body cover 2.The main body opening/closing II 4 is attached at the rear end to the opening 3 of the main body cover 2 by a support shaft 5 so as to be rotatable in opening and closing, and the bottom surface of the main body opening/closing II 4 is provided with hot air when the main body is closed. A gasket 6 is attached to prevent leakage of water, moisture, or noise to the outside.

The locking member 7 is provided at the front inside the main body cover 2, and is engaged with the main body opening/closing fi4 in the closed position. Lock I4 in the closed position.

The outer tank 15 for storing washing water is formed of synthetic resin into a substantially bottomed cylindrical shape, and is inserted into the case main body 1 in the axial and radial directions via support devices (not shown) at four locations. It is suspended and supported by one finger. The outer tank cover 16 is attached to the upper part of the outer W 115, and has an opening 1 opposite to the opening 3 of the main body cover 2 on its front upper surface.
7 is formed. A flexible cylindrical shield member 18 is installed between the inner peripheral edge of the opening 3 of the main body cover 2 and the peripheral edge of the opening 17 formed in the outer tank cover 16,
Other than the above! Regardless of the swing of 15, both openings 3 and 17 are always open.
The space between the outer tank 15 and the case body 2 is maintained in an airtight state to prevent air and moisture in the outer tank 15 from entering between the outer tank 15 and the case body 2.

The inner tank 21, which serves as a support, is formed of synthetic resin into a cylindrical shape with a bottom similar to the outer tank 1, and has an annular balancer 22 attached to its upper end. The center of the bottom of the inner tank 21 is formed by a support plate 23 made of iron plate for reinforcement, and a hollow soil shaft 24 is fixedly protruding from the lower surface of the support plate 23 . and,
Inside the outer tank 15, the inner tank 21 connects the earthen hollow shaft 24 to the outer tank 1.
5 through the bottom through the seal member 25.

It is rotatably supported by bearings 26 about a vertical axis Y-Y.

A large number of small holes 27 are provided through the peripheral wall and bottom wall of the inner tank 21 and the support plate 23 at predetermined intervals. Further, a pair of bearing portions 28 are formed approximately in the middle of the peripheral wall of the inner tank 21 so as to face each other from front to back (right and left in FIG. 3) on the horizontal axis XX.

(Related Structure of Inner Tank) The inner tank 30 for storing laundry therein is made of synthetic resin and has a substantially spherical shape, and a shaft portion 31 is formed protruding from the outer surface of both the front and rear sides of the inner tank 30. By fitting both shaft portions 31 into the bearing portions 28 of the inner tank 21, the inner tank 30 is rotatably supported within the inner tank 21 around the horizontal axis XX.

The rear shaft portion 31 to which the hot air is supplied is provided with a protection 1432 that allows the hot air to pass through and prevents the washed items from flying out. A similar protection net 33 is also provided on the front hollow shaft portion 31.

A pair of laundry reversing protrusions 34 are arranged along the horizontal axis X-X.
They are formed at predetermined intervals on the inner circumferential surface of the inner tank 30 so as to extend substantially parallel to the inner tank 30 . A large number of small holes 35 form the inner tank 30
They are transparent at predetermined intervals around the circumference. An inlet/outlet 36 for taking laundry in and out is formed in the peripheral wall of the inner tub 30 so as to face the opening 3 of the main body cover 2 and the opening 17 of the outer tub cover 16.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lid body 37 is integrally formed of synthetic resin and has a cover portion 37a and a pair of support leg portions 37b, and a large number of small holes 38 are formed in the cover portion 37a. A pair of shaft portions 39 are formed to protrude from the outer end surfaces of both support legs 37b, and by engaging both shaft portions 39 with a pair of bearing portions 40 provided on the peripheral wall of the inner tank 30, the lid body 37 is opened. Can be rotated to open and close inside the entrance/exit 36 of the inner tank 30] I! It is worn. The laundry reversing protrusion 41 is formed on the inner surface of the cover portion 37a of the eleven body 37 so as to extend substantially parallel to the horizontal axis XX, and is similar to the other protrusion 34 of the inner tub 30.
and are arranged opposite to each other at a predetermined interval.

The mounting recess 42 is formed on the outer surface of the end portion of the cover portion 37a of the lid body 37. The locking member 43 is rotatably supported in the mounting recess 42 by a support shaft 44 at an intermediate portion thereof, and is normally biased by a spring 45 in a direction to engage with the opening edge of the entrance/exit port 36, and this engagement closes the lid. Body 37 is locked and held in the closed position. In this embodiment, the cover part 37a of the cover body 37 is formed to be larger than the opening area of the entrance/exit port 36 of the inner tank 30, and the turning radius of the cover part 37a of the cover body 37 is spherical. As shown in FIG. 3, the n-body 3
The entrance/exit 36 is closed when the cover 37a of the lid 37 is engaged with the inner surface of the opening of the entrance/exit 36, and the entrance/exit is closed when the cover 37a of the lid 37 is rotated into the inner tank 30 (not shown). 36 is released.

(Bottom of driving tank of inner tank and middle tank) The driven gear 46 is integrally formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inner tank 30. A lateral drive motor 51 capable of forward and reverse rotation is attached to the lower surface of the outer tank 15 via a bracket (not shown), and a drive pulley 53 equipped with a motor cooling fan 52 is fixed to the motor shaft. There is.

The support plate 5 is connected to the lateral drive motor 51 so that the descending hollow shaft 54 is located below the soil hollow shaft 24 and on the same axis.
5 and a bearing 56, and is connected to the earth hollow shaft 24 through a brake drum support case 57. A cylindrical clutch Uf, 59, and a driven pulley 61 connected to the driving pulley 53 via a belt 60 are respectively fixed to the lower end thereof. ing.

A gear cover 64 made of synthetic resin has a pinion 63 fixed to the upper end of the rotational drive $1lI58, and a gear cover 64 is connected to the inner tank 21.
It is disposed in a watertight manner on the support plate 23 at the inner bottom of the housing via a gasket 65. A transmission shaft 66 extending in the transverse direction is rotatably supported within the gear cover 64 via a bearing 67.
One end of the pinion 6 is disposed within the gear cover 64.
A hypoid gear 68 that meshes with the inner tank 30 is fixed at the other end, and a drive gear 69 that meshes with the driven gear 46 on the outer periphery of the inner tank 30 is fixed at the other end.

The spring clutch 71 is provided astride the descending shaft 54 and the clutch joint 59, and when the clutch pawl 72 is disengaged from the clutch housing 73, the rotational drive shaft 58
and the descent shaft 54 are operatively connected via the spring clutch 71, and when the clutch pawl 72 is engaged with the clutch housing 73, the rotational drive shaft 58 and the descent shaft 54 are disconnected. The brake drum 74 is provided on the outer periphery of the brake drum support case 57.
By joining the brake body 75 to 4, the inner tank 21
rotation is braked together with the upper and lower hollow shafts 24.54.

During washing, rinsing, and drying, the spring clutch 71 is in a disconnected state and the brake body 75 is in a disconnected state.
is in braking state, and I! The rotation of the drive motor 5I is caused by the drive pulley 53, belt 60, driven pulley 61, rotary drive shaft 58, binion 63, hypoid gear 68, transmission shaft 66,
The deceleration is transmitted to the inner barrel 30 via the driving gear 69 and the driven gear 46, and the inner barrel 30 is rotated around the horizontal axis XX.

Further, during dewatering, the spring clutch 71 is in a connected state and the brake body 75 is in a non-braking state, and the rotation of the lateral drive motor 51 is controlled by the drive pulley 53, belt 60,
Driven pulley 61, rotational drive shaft 58, spring clutch 71,
Rotation is transmitted to the inner tank 21 at the same speed and in the same direction via the descending hollow shaft 54, the brake drum support case 57, and the earth hollow shaft 24, and the inner tank 21 and the inner tank 30 are integrally rotated along the vertical axis YY.
is rotated at high speed around the

The drive system including the rotary drive shaft 58 and the like during washing, rinsing and drying constitutes the drive means 76 for rotating the inner tub, and the drive system including the spring clutch 71 and the like during the spin-drying constitutes the drive means for spin-drying. 77 are configured.

(Water Supply, Drainage, and Overflow Configuration) The water supply device N81 is disposed inside the main body cover 2, and includes a water supply valve (not shown) and a water supply port 82 opened near the outer circumferential upper surface of the inner tank 30. There is. During water supply and rinsing, the water supply port 8 is opened by opening the water supply valve.
Water is supplied from 2 toward the upper surface of the outer periphery of the inner tank 30.

A drain port 84 is provided at the bottom of the outer tank 15, and a drain valve 8
5 to a drain hose 86. and,
In this embodiment, the drain valve 85 is opened and closed in conjunction with the clutch claw 72 of the spring clutch 71 and the brake body 75, and when the spring clutch 71 is in the disconnected state and the brake body 75 is in the braking state, such as during washing, When the drain valve 85 is closed and the brake body 75 is in a non-braking state with the spring clutch 71 in a connected state during dewatering or the like,
Drain valve 85 is opened.

The overflow hose 87 is connected to an overflow port (not shown) provided on the side wall of the outer tank 15 that also serves as a hot air exhaust port, and is connected to the drain hose 86 at its lower end. When water is supplied to the outside 41115 by the water supply device 81, the normal water level Wn at rest is set at a position corresponding to the overflow port, as shown by the chain line in FIG. The expansion cooling chamber 88 is provided in the middle of the overflow hose 87, and the expansion cooling chamber 88, the drain hose 86, and the overflow hose 87 cool the hot and humid air discharged from the overflow port through the overflow hose 87 during drying. and dehumidify.

(Configuration of Hot Air Supply Device) A hot air generation source 95 constituting a hot air supply device 94 as a heating means is connected to the case body 1 and the body cover 2 above the outer tank 15, the inner tank 21, and the inner tank 30. It has a fan motor 96, a fan 97, and a heating heater 98.

A hot air supply passage 99 of the hot air supply device 94 is integrally formed on the rear surface of the outer tank 15 and the outer tank cover 16, and is connected to the hot air generation source 95 via a flexible bellows-shaped connecting cylinder 100. connected. The air outlet 101 is formed on the rear wall of the outer tub 15 at the lower end of the hot air supply passage 99 so as to be close to and face the rear bearing part 28 and the rear shaft part 31, which also serve as the air outlet described above, and is used to store the laundry. When drying, warm air supplied from the warm air supply device W94 flows through the air outlet 101 to the rear bearing portion 28.
and is introduced into the inner tank 30 through the rear shaft portion 31.

(Configuration of control circuit) As shown in FIG. 5, a central processing unit (CPU) 111 controls the control means and executes programs for controlling the entire operation of the dehydrating/drying/washing machine, washing, rinsing, and washing. It has a built-in memory for storing setting data for each operation time such as balance correction, dehydration, and drying.

On the other hand, the main winding 51a and the auxiliary winding 51b of the seed section driving motor 51, the solenoid 112 for opening and closing the water supply valve of the water supply device 81, the opening and closing of the drain valve 85, and the clutch pawl 72
Solenoid 113 and W lock member 7 for engaging and disengaging
Solenoid 114 for engaging and disengaging the hot air supply device 94
A fan motor 96 and a heating heater 98 are connected in parallel to an AC power supply circuit 115 via triacs 116 to 122, respectively. Then, an activation signal is output from cpull to the gate terminal of each triac 116 to 122 via a driver 123, a resistor, and the like.

(Overview of Operation) Next, an overview of the operation of the dehydrating/drying washing machine configured as described above will be described.

First, after putting the laundry into the inner tub 30 with the main body opening/closing 114 and the inner load lid 37 open, the inner tub opening/closing body 37 and the main body opening/closing fi4 are closed and the operation switch (not shown) is turned on. Under the control, a series of operations are automatically performed in sequence as shown in the time chart of FIG. That is, (a) Water supply operation by the water supply device 81 (b) Washing operation based on the rotation of the inner tank 30 (c) Drain valve 8
(d) A balance correction operation for laundry based on the forward and reverse rotation of the inner tub 30 (e) A dewatering operation based on the rotation of the inner tub 21 (f) Water supply operation by the water supply device 81 (g) Water supply Rinsing operation based on water supply by the device 81 and rotation of the inner tub 30 (h) Draining operation by opening the drain valve 85 (1) Laundry balance correction operation based on forward and reverse rotation of the inner tub 30 (j) Rinse operation based on the rotation of the inner tub 21 Dewatering operation based on rotation (k) This is a drying operation based on hot air supply by the hot air supply device 94 and rotation of the inner tank 30.

(Details of Operation) Next, each of the above-mentioned operations (a) to (k) will be explained in detail.

Now, as mentioned above, when washing the laundry with both the main body opening/closing 114 and the lI#37 closed and the laundry stored in the inner tub 30 in advance, the drain valve will automatically open when a switch (not shown) is operated. 85 is closed and the spring clutch 71 is in the disconnected state, the brake body 75 is in the braking state and rotation of the inner tank 21 is regulated. In this state, the water supply valve of the water supply device 81 is opened, and water is supplied into the outer tank 15 from the water supply port 82. When the water level in the outer tank 1w15 reaches the inside of the inner tank 30 and reaches the normal water level Wn, the WI drive motor 51 is rotated, and the inner tank 30 is rotated around the horizontal axis X-X to wash the water. The operation begins.

During this washing operation, the spherical inner tub 3 containing the laundry
0 is rotated around the horizontal axis XX, and along with the rotation, the laundry is rolled by the reversing protrusions 34, 40 of the avL, and so-called beating washing is performed.

Next, the drain valve 85 is opened and the washing water is discharged from the outer tub 15, and the laundry is balanced according to the flowchart of FIG.

That is, when the drainage operation of the Stella 71 shown in FIG. At this time, the inner tank 30 is repeatedly rotated forward and reverse around the horizontal axis for a predetermined period of time (approximately 1 minute) by the seed section movement motor 51. As a result, the water in the laundry is drained to some extent, weakening the adhesion between the laundry, and the laundry that had been unbalanced and stuck in one place in the inner tub 30 is moved to the second It is loosened into a fluffy state as shown in Figure (b).

Thereafter, in step 4, the inner tub 30 is stopped and held at a predetermined position, and the balance of the laundry is corrected and the laundry is gathered at the lower center of the inner tub 30 without being unevenly distributed. Then, in this state, the dehydration operation (step 5) is performed. That is, the spring clutch 71 is brought into a connected state, and the brake body 75 is brought into a non-braking state, allowing the inner tank 21 to rotate. When the seed part movement motor 51 is rotated in this state,
The inner tub 21 and the inner wI 30 are rotated at high speed around the vertical axis @YY to dehydrate the laundry.

At this time, the laundry is balanced in the inner tub 30 as described above, so no abnormal vibration or noise is generated.
Stable and efficient dewatering operation is performed.

After the spin-drying operation is completed, the inner tub 30 is rotated by the seed section movement motor 51, similar to the washing operation.

Furthermore, when the water supply valve of the water supply device 81 is opened, water is supplied from the water supply port 82 toward the upper surface of the outer circumference of the inner tank 30, and the rinsing water in the outer tank 15 passes through the overflow port and overflow hose 87 (not shown). The water level is maintained at a constant level.

Therefore, while rinsing water is being replaced sequentially, the water supply port 8
The water from 2 effectively washes away the foam adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the inner tub 30 and the foam adhering to the laundry in the inner tub 30.

Further, after the laundry rinsing operation is completed, the above-mentioned draining operation is performed, and after this, a balance correction operation similar to the above-mentioned balance operation is performed. Furthermore, after this balance correction operation is completed, spin-drying is performed, but in this case as well, the laundry is balanced in the inner tub 30 as described above, so it is stable without abnormal vibrations or noise. An efficient dewatering operation is performed.

When the laundry is dried after being dehydrated, the inner tub 30 is rotated around the horizontal axis X-X by the seed section motor 51, and the fan motor 96 and By energizing the heating heater 98, hot air is generated from the hot air source 95 of the hot air supply device 94, and the i
The M wind is connected to the connecting cylinder 100, the hot air supply passage 99, and the air outlet 10.
1 and the rear shaft portion 31 into the inner tank 30,
It is discharged from each small hole 35. Therefore, while transferring the laundry, hot air can be applied to the laundry to effectively dry the laundry.

During this drying operation, the hot and humid air in the inner tank 30 flows from an overflow port (not shown) provided in the outer tank 15 that also serves as a hot air exhaust port, through an overflow hose 87, and into the expansion cooling chamber 88.
After being cooled and dehumidified in the overflow hose 87, expansion cooling chamber 88, etc., it is discharged to the outside through the drainage hose 86.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned practical example, but may be embodied in a washing machine that performs only a washing operation, or in which the inner tub can be rotated around an inclined axis that is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal axis. The bottom of the tank can be modified as desired without departing from the gist of the invention, such as by supporting the tank bottom.

[Effect of the invention] This invention has a tank bottom as explained above, so
Since the inner tub is rotated before the spin-drying operation, the laundry is not loosened and can be stored in a balanced manner in the inner tub.
As a result, the dewatering operation can be performed stably and efficiently without generating abnormal vibrations or noise.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of the main parts of this invention;
2(a) and 2(b) are viscous explanatory diagrams for explaining the operation of the main parts, FIGS. 3 and 4 are sectional views showing the entire dehydrating/drying washing machine embodying this invention, and FIG. The figure is a control circuit diagram,
FIG. 6 is a time chart of the washing operation. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Main body case, 15... Outer tank, 21... Inner tank as support, 30... Inner tank, 35... Small hole, 7
6...First drive #IJI constituting the drive means for inner tank rotation
l Horizontal, 77... Driving means for dewatering, 111... Control means, X-X... Horizontal axis line.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An outer tank (15) for storing washing water, and a support (21) rotatably supported within the outer tank around a vertical axis (Y-Y); The support body (21) is rotatably supported around a horizontal axis (X-X) or an inclined axis tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal axis, and a large number of small holes (35) are formed in the peripheral wall,
and a spherical inner tank (30) capable of storing laundry; the inner tank (30) is rotated around the horizontal axis or the inclined axis to perform washing and rinsing operations; In a device in which the inner tank (30) is later rotated at high speed around the vertical axis (Y-Y) together with the support to perform a dewatering operation, after the draining step before the dehydrating step is completed and before the dewatering operation is started. A dewatering method in which the inner tank is rotated around a horizontal axis or an inclined axis for a predetermined number of times or for a predetermined time, and then a dewatering operation is started. 2. An outer tank (15) for storing washing water, a support (21) rotatably supported within the outer tank (15) around a vertical axis (Y-Y), and the support (21) is rotatably supported around a horizontal axis (X-X) or an inclined axis inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal axis, and has a large number of small holes (35) transparent in the peripheral wall. a spherical inner tub (30) capable of accommodating a washing machine; a washing drive means (76) for rotating the inner tub (30) about a horizontal axis or an inclined axis to perform washing and rinsing operations; a dewatering drive means (21) for rotating at high speed around the vertical axis together with the support (21) to perform a dewatering operation;
77) After the completion of the drainage process before the dewatering process and before the start of the dewatering operation, the inner tank is rotated around the horizontal axis or the inclined axis for a predetermined number of times or for a predetermined time, and then the dewatering operation is started. A dehydrating washing machine comprising a control means (111) for controlling the operation of the washing driving means (76) and the dehydrating driving means (77).