JPH0327236B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the structure of a balancer that is integrated with a balancer for automatic suppression of fabric softener and the like in a washing machine that also performs dehydration and washing.

In the past, efforts have been made to automate washing operations by integrating an automatic loading device for softening agent, etc., into a balancer for suppressing vibrations after spin-drying, using the centrifugal force generated by spin-drying rotation. For example, there are balancers that form a plurality of chambers that communicate with each other and form part of an automatic dispensing device for softening agent, etc., but balancers generally have two upper and lower chambers made of synthetic resin. It is constructed by sealing a liquid such as salt water and welding annular concave grooves together in a liquid-tight manner.If this is formed as part of the automatic feeding device mechanism for softening agent, etc., the mold The shape of the bottom surface of the balancer is likely to be irregular. As a result, clothes and the like in the washing/dehydration tank may get caught in this irregularly shaped portion during washing or dehydration, causing problems such as damage to the clothes and the like.

The present invention provides a balancer structure that solves this problem.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below using a one-tub centrifugal dehydrating washing machine in which a balancer is provided with a part of an automatic injection mechanism for liquids such as fabric softener.

Figure 1 shows an example of a single-tub centrifugal dehydrating washing machine.
1 is an outer box, 2 is a washing/dehydrating tank, and 3 is a water receiving tank. Laundry and detergent are put into the washing and dewatering tank 2, the time switch 4 is operated, the water supply valve 5 is opened, and water is injected through the water supply hose 6. When a certain amount of water enters, the motor 7 rotates the pulsator 10 via the pulley 8 and belt 9 to perform cleaning. Thereafter, after opening the drain valve 11 to drain the water, the rotational drive of the motor 7 is transmitted to the washing and dehydrating tank 2 by the washing/dehydrating switching mechanism section 16, which is rotated to perform dewatering by centrifugal force. In order to dampen the vibrations during dewatering, the vibration system is suspended from the outer box 1 by several hanging rods 13 via a vibration damper 12.

After dehydrating, pour water again, rinse, drain,
Perform dehydration. Repeat this rinse cycle several times, then dehydrate at the end. These operations are automatically performed using the time switch 4.

On the other hand, if a soft finish is desired, it is necessary to add a softener during the final rinse. A container 1 that integrally forms a part of an automatic dispensing mechanism for softening agent, etc., and also becomes a part of the automatic dispensing mechanism.
5 is removably attached to the balancer 14, thereby allowing the softening agent to be added without interrupting the process from washing to dehydration.

Figures 2 to 7 are for explaining the specific structure and operation of the balancer 14 with an automatic loading device for softening agent, etc., and the loading container 15 attached thereto, where a indicates the direction of spin rotation. and b
"c" indicates a liquid such as a fabric softener, and "c" indicates a cloth used for laundry. Reference numeral 17 denotes a saucer portion provided in the input container 15, and has an injection hole 18 formed in the center. Also,
The input container 15 is provided with a stop holding chamber A20 for softening agent, etc., inside the input container 15.
is detachably attached to the balancer 14 by means of a hook 19. A substantially cylindrical or prismatic pipe 21 as a discharge port is provided on the side wall of the stop holding chamber A20, and a communication port A2 is provided on the side wall of the balancer 14.
Please contact 2. On the other hand, inside the balancer 14,
A water passage 26 filled with salt water, etc., and a rotating holding chamber A2 that constitutes a part of the feeding mechanism for softening agent, etc.
3. A holding chamber B24 during stoppage, a holding chamber B25 during rotation, etc. are formed, and are partitioned from the water passage 26 by partition walls A28 and B29, and partition wall C30.
and D31, the rotation holding chamber A2
3. Three chambers are formed: a holding chamber during stop B24 and a holding chamber during rotation B25. In addition, the communication port B32 provided in the partition wall D31, the outflow port A27 provided by cutting out a part of the partition wall C30, the outflow port B33 that communicates the outside of the balancer 14 with the holding chamber B25 during rotation, and the communication port A22, The stop holding chamber A20 of the charging container 15 communicates with the three chambers of the balancer 14 and the outside of the balancer 14. Reference numeral 34 denotes a partition E, which incompletely partitions the outflow port B33 and the rotation holding chamber B25.

Next, while explaining the automatic feeding mechanism for softening agent, etc., we will explain why the outer bottom surface of the balancer 14 is irregularly shaped due to the structure of each chamber, and why an inward recess is formed on the outer bottom surface of the balancer. state.

When liquid b such as a fabric softener is poured into the injection hole 18 of the saucer portion 17 of the feeding container 15 and mounted on the balancer 14, the liquid b falls into the holding chamber A20 during stoppage and collects therein. This state is shown in FIG. 4A. During washing, liquid b remains retained here.

When the water is drained and the washing and dewatering tank 2 starts rotating for centrifugal dewatering, the balancer 14 and the input container 15 also rotate, and as a result, centrifugal force acts on the liquid B.
The liquid b moves to the holding chamber A23 during rotation through the pipe 21, and is pressed against the partition wall A28.

This state is shown in FIG. 4B.

When the dehydration is completed, the liquid b falls to the bottom of the rotating holding chamber A23 due to gravity. On the other hand, liquid b falls to the bottom of the holding chamber A23 during rotation. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the bottom of the rotation holding chamber A23 is separated from the stop holding chamber B24 by a step with the outflow port A27 as a boundary, and has an inclined surface with respect to the bottom of the stop holding chamber B24. Therefore, the liquid flows out from the rotation holding chamber A23 through the outlet A27 to the stop holding chamber B24 due to gravity, and is held there. The storage capacity of the liquid in the holding chamber B24 during stoppage is determined by the step of the above-mentioned outlet A27.

By the way, the balancer 14 is generally formed by liquid-tightly joining the open ends of an annular groove body A35 and an annular groove body B36 made of a synthetic resin material by welding or the like, and sealing a liquid such as salt water inside. A part of the feeding device for softening agent, etc. of this embodiment is integrally formed with the annular groove body A35 and the annular groove body B36.

Therefore, the bottom surface of the holding chamber A23 during rotation, the bottom surface of the holding chamber B24 during stoppage, and the bottom surface of the water passage 26 are all formed into an annular groove body A35, and the wall thickness is limited due to the structure of the mold and the molding of the resin. cannot be made very thick, so the step on the bottom becomes a step on the outer bottom of the annular groove body A35, and since the outer bottom of the stop holding chamber B24 and the outer bottom of the water passage 26 are on the same plane,
The outer bottom surface of the holding chamber A23 during rotation is formed by protruding the outer bottom surface of the balancer inward to form a recess 37.

Next, water is supplied again, the pulsator 10 rotates,
While the rinsing process is being performed, the liquid b remains held in the stop holding chamber B24. This state is shown in FIG. 4C. When dehydration starts again, the liquid moves from the communication port B32 to the holding chamber B25 during rotation and is pressed against the partition wall B29 due to the centrifugal force caused by the dehydration rotation (FIG. 4D). When the dehydration is completed, the liquid falls to the bottom of the rotation holding chamber B25 by gravity.

At the bottom of the holding chamber B25 during rotation, there is an outlet B33.
Since the liquid is inclined to the outlet B33, the liquid flows through the outlet B33.
The liquid flows by gravity, flows out from here to the outside of the balancer, and is introduced into the washing/dehydration tank 2, where the liquid is introduced into the second rinsing process in which the liquid should be introduced.

By the way, here as well, since the bottom surface of the holding chamber B25 during rotation is inclined with respect to the outlet B33, if the position of the outlet B33 is the same as the outer bottom surface of the water passage 26 of the balancer 14, the mold Structurally, the outer bottom surface of the holding chamber B25 during rotation protrudes inward from the outer bottom surface of the water passage 26 portion that occupies most of the balancer 14 to form a recess 38.

As described above, a complicated recess is formed on the outer bottom surface of the balancer.

FIG. 5 shows the balancer structure in this embodiment, in which the rib 39 is formed in the recess 37 formed by the outer bottom surface of the holding chamber A23 during rotation.

During the washing and rinsing process, when the pulsator 10 rotates the items to be washed in the washing/dehydration tank 2, so-called cloth circulation, the balancer 1 is used as shown in Fig. 1.
Since the outer bottom surface of the balancer 4 comes into contact with the item to be washed, it is desirable that the outer bottom surface be as smooth and flat as possible to prevent the cloth C from getting caught on the outer bottom surface of the balancer.

However, as mentioned above, during rotation, the holding chamber A23
Since it is necessary to provide a step between the bottom of the holding chamber B24 during stoppage and the bottom of the holding chamber B24 during stoppage, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the outer bottom surface of the holding chamber A23 during rotation is
4 is made concave from the outer bottom surface to obtain height, and the outer bottom surface of the holding chamber B24 during stoppage is made flush with the outer bottom surface of the balancer, or conversely, as shown in FIG.
23 Make the outer bottom surface and the balancer outer bottom surface the same surface,
There is a method of obtaining the step by making the outer bottom surface of the stop holding chamber B24 more convex to the outside of the balancer than the outer bottom surface of the balancer.

However, compared to the area of the entire outer bottom surface of the balancer, the area of the outer bottom surface of the holding chamber B24 during stoppage is small.
Since the step is as large as approximately 30 mm to secure the volume of the holding chamber B24 during stoppage, the presence of such a protrusion on the outer bottom of the balancer has a very negative effect on the fabric of the items to be washed. There is a high possibility that something will get damaged if it hits this protrusion.

If a step is obtained by forming a recess 37 as shown in FIG. 6, there is a high possibility that the laundry will get stuck in the recess 37, which will also have an adverse effect on the threading performance and cause damage. By forming a rib 39 as shown in FIG. 5 and providing a sufficiently rounded tip at the tip of the rib 39, it is possible to prevent the cloth from getting stuck in the recess 37. Depending on the size of the recess 37, the rib 39 is
All you have to do is increase the number of . The height of the rib 39 is preferably equal to the depth of the recess 38.
This provides the effect of making the outer bottom surface of the balancer 14 substantially flat.

In the case of this embodiment, since the concave portion 37 on the outer bottom surface of the balancer 14 corresponding to the holding chamber A23 during rotation is the largest, a rib 39 is provided here, and the washing and dehydrating tub 2
This prevents the inner cloth C from getting stuck in this recess 37.

As described above, according to the present invention, when part or all of the automatic liquid dispensing mechanism is integrally formed in the balancer, the recess formed on the outer bottom surface of the balancer has an adverse effect on the fabric running performance, the degree of damage to the fabric, etc. It is possible to prevent this from occurring.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a washing machine with a dehydrating function showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main parts of the balancer with the liquid agent input container removed.
Figure 3 is a perspective view with some of the main parts cut out;
Figure 4 A shows the location of the liquid during water supply, washing, and draining; Figure 4 B shows the location of the liquid during the first dehydration; Figure C shows the location of the liquid during water supply and rinsing. Figure D shows the location of the liquid during the second dehydration, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the O-O line in Figures 2 and 3, and Figure 6 shows the ribs in the structure of Figure 5. FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing an example of the structure shown in FIG. 5 with the recesses and ribs removed. 2...Washing/dehydration tank, 14...Balancer, 15...
Container, 37... recess, 39... rib.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A balancer for vibration suppression in which the open ends of an annular groove body made of synthetic resin are liquid-tightly welded together and a liquid is sealed inside, and the balancer is provided at the upper open end and is rotatable inward of the water receiving tank. The balancer has a recess formed in a part of the outer bottom of the balancer so as to protrude inward from the balancer, and a partition wall provided inside the balancer to allow the washing and dehydration tank to be used for washing and dehydrating the laundry. 1. An automatic liquid injection device for a dehydrating/washing machine, wherein the recess is provided with a rib having a height equivalent to the depth of the recess.