JPH0362119B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a detergent supply device for a washing machine, etc., which is installed in a device such as a washing machine and supplies detergent to a detergent receptacle thereof. .

(Prior Art) Conventionally, as a detergent supply device for this type of washing machine, etc., there is one shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 54-43827. This device is generally installed in a washing machine, and the detergent stored in a hopper is discharged by a valve and supplied into a washing tub.

However, in the case of the above-mentioned valve, the valve is operated by the user's hand, and therefore, there is a problem in that it is cumbersome to handle.

Therefore, it has been considered to replace the above-mentioned valve with a screw and drive this screw with a motor so that the detergent in the hopper can be supplied without bothering the user.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the case of the above-mentioned motor, there is a problem in that the motor is exposed to water, which is typical of equipment that handles water such as washing machines, and as a result, the insulation of the motor deteriorates. , there was a risk of malfunction or electric shock.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to prevent malfunctions and electric shock accidents caused by water splashing on the motor in a device in which a detergent dispensing member is driven by a motor. The present invention relates to an excellent detergent supply device for washing machines, etc. that can more reliably prevent the problem.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) A detergent supply device for a washing machine or the like of the present invention includes a hopper for storing and storing detergent, and a hopper for discharging the detergent from the hopper toward the detergent receiving portion. A detergent dispensing member and a motor for driving the detergent dispensing member, the motor is covered with a first waterproof cover except for the drive shaft, and the drive shaft is provided with a drive member. It is characterized in that a bag-shaped second waterproof cover is attached thereto, and corresponding openings of both waterproof covers are provided adjacent to each other.

(Function) According to the above means, the motor, including the drive shaft, is waterproofed by both the first and second waterproof covers.

(Example) An example in which the present invention is applied to a detergent supply device for a washing machine will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, in Figure 2, 1 is the outer box of the washing machine,
Reference numeral 2 indicates an upper cover attached to the upper surface of the upper cover; 3 indicates a bi-fold type lid provided on the upper cover 2 so that it can be opened and closed; and 4 indicates an upper cover 2 located in front of the cover 3.
This is an operation panel installed on the front edge of the machine. On the other hand, reference numeral 5 designates a rear panel located behind the lid 3 and provided at the rear edge of the upper cover 2, and is provided with a power switch 6 and a hopper 7.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the hopper 7 includes an inner wall 9 made of, for example, transparent plastic and having a horizontally cylindrical detergent delivery portion 8 at its lowest part, and an outer wall 10 made of transparent plastic surrounding the outer periphery of the inner wall 9.
This constitutes the entire peripheral wall 11, and the outer wall 10 has an upper part 10a and an outer part 10b which are separately manufactured and joined together, and the uppermost part of which is fitted inside the upper outer peripheral rib 12 of the inner wall 9. The inner wall 9 is connected to the outer periphery of the inner wall 9 with a predetermined distance 13 therebetween. Note that 14 is a lid of the hopper 7.

Further, 15 is a lower part 1 of the outer wall 10 on one side (left side in FIG. 1) of both sides of the lowermost part of the outer wall 10.
0b, and 16 is a claw formed integrally with a push button 17 removably installed on the lower part 10b of the outer wall 10 on the other side (right side in the figure), while 18 is a claw formed integrally with the As shown in FIG. 3, this is a recess formed in the rear panel 5 by surrounding the upper edge with a rib 19, in which a hole 20 is formed on one side (the left side in FIG. 1) of both sides, and a hole 20 is formed on the other side. (Right side in the same figure)
The hopper 7 is removably attached to the rear panel 5 by forming a hole 21 in the rear panel 5, with the pawl 15 engaged in the hole 20 and the pawl 16 in the hole 21.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a detergent dispensing member inserted in advance into the detergent dispensing portion 8 located in the recess 18 when the above-mentioned hopper 7 is attached, and in particular, in the case of this embodiment, it is composed of a coil, and its base end (the left end in FIG. 1) is attached to a power transmission shaft 23 inserted into the base end of the detergent dispensing section 8 and rotatably supported, whereby the detergent dispensing member 22 is integrated with the hopper 7. and unitize them.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a motor attached to the left end of the upper cover 2 in FIG.
The entire body except for the back surface is covered with a first waterproof cover 28 which integrally has a water receiving part 27, and the waterproof cover 28 (water receiving part 27) is fixed with screws 29 shown in FIG.
It is attached to the upper cover 2 by tightening it. A bag-shaped second waterproof cover 31 that integrally has a gear (hereinafter referred to as a drive gear) 30 that is a driving member is attached to the drive shaft 26 in advance. The water receiving portion 27 is located at. Further, the second waterproof cover 31 has an opening 31a opened on the side of the first waterproof cover 28, and a corresponding opening 28a through which the drive shaft 26 of the first waterproof cover 28 is inserted. It is adjacent to. 31b
is a flange existing around the opening 31a of the second waterproof cover 31, which is overlapped around the opening 28a of the first waterproof cover 28. On the other hand, 32 is a driven gear attached to the protruding end of the transmission shaft 23 from the detergent delivery section 8, and is meshed with the drive gear 30.

Reference numeral 33 denotes a concave portion covering almost the entire rear edge of the upper cover 2, in which a washing tub (not shown), which is a washing portion disposed inside the outer box 1, is located near the tip of the water receiving portion 27. A drain port 34 facing the inside is formed.
Further, in the recess 33, a detergent receiving part 36 is formed at a portion located below the detergent outlet 35 at the tip of the detergent delivery part 8 of the hopper 7, separated from other parts by partition walls 37, 38. are doing. As shown in FIG. 5, this detergent receiving part 36 has a front-downward slope, and has a supply port 39 facing the inside of the washing tub at its tip, and a rear end. A water supply device 40 is arranged in series with a water supply valve 41. 4
Reference numeral 2 designates an opening formed at the bottom of the recess 18 of the rear panel 5, located above the detergent receiving portion 36, for passing the detergent through and also for cleaning.

Reference numeral 43 denotes a convex portion protruding from the bottom of the recess 18 of the rear panel 5, while 44 denotes a lid (the lid of the hopper 7 described above) whose upper end is pivoted to the lower part 10b of the outer wall of the hopper 7 by a shaft portion 45. 14), and as shown in FIG. 6, a projection 46 is formed near the upper end of the small lid 44, and a spring is inserted between this projection 46 and the push button 17. 47
is interposed therebetween, thereby urging the push button 17 outward and urging the small lid 44 inward (toward the detergent outlet 35). Further, a diagonal tongue piece 48 is formed at the rear part near the lower end of the small lid 44, and this is engaged with the convex portion 43 to push the small lid 44 outward against the biasing force of the spring 47. (to the side opposite to the detergent outlet 35 direction) to open the detergent outlet 35.

Here, FIG. 7 shows a state in which the hopper 7 (a unit of the hopper 7 and the detergent dispenser member 22) is being removed, and at this time, the push button 17 is pushed inward against the biasing force of the spring 47. By pushing in, the claw 16 is removed from the hole 21, and then the claw 1 is
5 is removed from the hole 20. With the removal of the hopper 7 (unit), the small lid 44 is removed.
releases the tongue piece 48 from the convex portion 43, and therefore the small lid 4
4 is released from the force of outward rotation by the convex portion 43, is rotated inward by the biasing force of the spring 47, and is pressed against the detergent outlet 35, thereby closing the outlet 35. When the hopper 7 (unit) is reattached from this state, the small lid 44 engages the tongue 48 with the protrusion 43 and slides outward against the biasing force of the spring 47 as described above. It is rotated to open the detergent outlet 35.

Furthermore, reference numeral 49 denotes a stirring body rotatably disposed inside the hopper 7 with a shaft 50 passed between the front and back of the hopper 7, which has a plurality of holes 51 and a plurality of protrusions 52 projecting in the front-rear direction. It has a large number of protrusions 53 that protrude outward from the periphery, and one of the protrusions 53 is engaged with the detergent dispenser member 22.

Now, in the case of the device configured as described above, when using it, for example, remove the hopper 7 (unit), open the lid 14, pour detergent, for example, powdered detergent 54 into the hopper 7, and then close the lid. Close 14. Then, the hopper 7 (unit) is installed as shown in FIG. 1, so that the powdered detergent 54 is stored in the installed hopper 7. still,
At this time, the work of storing the powdered detergent 54 in the hopper 7 may be performed with the hopper 7 attached without needing to be removed. With the powdered detergent 54 stored and stored in the hopper 7 in this way,
Next, the user operates the necessary switches on the operation panel 4 to wash the clothes. Then, a control device (not shown) including, for example, a microcomputer installed in the lower part of the operation panel 4 starts operating.
First, the motor 25 and the water supply valve 41 are energized and operate together, and the motor 25 transmits its rotational force from the drive shaft 26 to the second waterproof cover 31 and the drive gear 30, and then from the drive gear 30 to the driven gear. 32, the transmission shaft 23 and the detergent dispenser member 2.
2, the detergent dispensing member 22 is rotated, particularly in a so-called spiral direction. Therefore, the powdered detergent 54 in the hopper 7 is advanced toward the detergent outlet 35 within the detergent delivery section 8 by the rotation of the detergent dispensing member 22, and then
5 as shown by arrow A in FIGS. 1 and 5, and falls onto the detergent receiver 36. On the other hand, water supply valve 4
1 is placed on the detergent receiving portion 36 through the water supply device 40.
Water flows as shown by arrow B in the figure, and the powdered detergent 54 that has fallen onto the detergent receiver 36 is washed away by the water, and both are supplied from the supply port 39 into the washing tub (not shown). Ru.

Note that when the detergent dispenser 22 is rotationally driven as described above, the stirring member 49 that has one of the protrusions 53 engaged with the detergent dispenser 22 sequentially engages the protrusion 53 with the detergent dispenser 22. The powder detergent 54 in the hopper 7 is thereby agitated, and the powder detergent 54 can be introduced into the detergent delivery section 8 more smoothly.

In this way, according to this embodiment, the powder detergent 54
can be supplied by the driving force of the motor 25 without bothering the user. Furthermore, in this configuration, the motor 25 is connected to the first waterproof cover 2.
8 covers all but the drive shaft 26, and a bag-shaped second waterproof cover 31 having a drive gear 30 is attached to the drive shaft 26, and the corresponding openings 28a, 31
a are arranged adjacent to each other, even if water seeps into the rear panel 5 from above and gets into the drive gear 30 and motor 25, there is no possibility that water will directly enter the motor 25. Ingress and infiltration along the drive gear 30 and drive shaft 26 can be prevented by both the first and second waterproof covers 28, 31, thereby maintaining good insulation of the motor 25 and preventing malfunctions and electric shocks. It is possible to eliminate the risk of accidents and the like.

In particular, in the above embodiment, the second waterproof cover 31 has a flange 31b around the opening 31a, which is overlapped around the opening 28a of the first waterproof cover 28. because there is,
It is possible to more reliably prevent water from entering the motor 25 along the drive gear 30 and the drive shaft 26. In addition, the water that drips onto the second waterproof cover 31 can be received by the water receiver 27, and the received water is led out from the water receiver 27 to the washing tub (washing section) through the drain port 34. This way, you won't get the floor wet. Further, in the above embodiment, the hopper 7 is connected to the detergent dispensing member 22.
With such a structure, water can easily enter through the opening in the rear panel 5 that appears when the unit is removed. The waterproof effect of the two waterproof covers 28 and 31 becomes even more effective.

However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and therefore the hopper 7 and the detergent dispenser 22 may not necessarily be removable, and the second waterproof cover 3
1 may not include the flange 31b, and furthermore, the first waterproof cover 28 may not include the water receiving portion 27. Further, even if the water receiving portion 28 is provided, the water receiving portion 28 may be provided separately from the first waterproof cover 28 instead of being integrated with the first waterproof cover 28. In addition, the drive gear (drive member) 30 that the second waterproof cover 31 has also
The second waterproof cover 31 is separate from the second waterproof cover 31 and is not integrated with the second waterproof cover 31.
It may also be provided by being attached to the outer periphery or extension of the.

The detergent receiving part is not limited to the detergent receiving part 36 formed on the rear panel 5 described above, but may also be a washing tub. In other words, the detergent can be directly fed into the washing tub and use the water supply. It may be supplied without any restrictions. Further, the detergent dispensing member is not limited to the above-described coil, but may be a conventional valve or screw, for example. In addition, the invention as a whole is not limited to washing machines, but can be similarly applied to all devices that use detergent to function, such as dishwashers. Only those items that require it may be provided, and the detergent may be, for example, a liquid detergent other than the powder detergent 54.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, the detergent supply device for a washing machine or the like of the present invention is installed in a device such as a washing machine and supplies detergent to the detergent receiving portion thereof. It is equipped with a hopper that accommodates and stores the detergent, a detergent dispensing member provided to dispense the detergent from the hopper toward the detergent receiving portion, and a motor that drives the detergent dispensing member, and the motor is connected to a drive shaft. a bag-shaped second waterproof cover having a driving member is attached to the drive shaft, and corresponding openings of these waterproof covers are provided adjacent to each other. This not only makes it easier to handle, but it also has the advantage of preventing water from entering the motor, thereby more reliably preventing malfunctions and electric shocks. It has a great effect.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional front view of the main parts, Fig. 2 is an external perspective view of the upper part of the washing machine where the same parts exist, and Fig. 3 is the upper part of the washing machine. External perspective view with the hopper removed, No. 4
The figure is a vertical side view of the main part with the hopper removed, Figure 5 is a vertical side view of the same part at a different cross-sectional position, Figure 6 is a perspective view of the small lid alone, and Figure 7 is the main part with the hopper removed. It is a longitudinal sectional front view in an intermediate state. In the drawing, 1 is the outer box of the washing machine, 5 is the rear panel, 7 is the hopper, 22 is the detergent dispenser, 25 is the motor, and 2
6 is a drive shaft, 27 is a water receiver, 28 is a first waterproof cover, 28a is an opening, 30 is a drive gear (drive member), 31 is a second waterproof cover, 31a is an opening, 32 is a driven gear , 34 is a drain port, 36 is a detergent receiver, and 54 is a powdered detergent (detergent).

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A device that is installed in a washing machine or other device to supply detergent to its detergent receiving portion, and includes a hopper that accommodates and stores the detergent, and a flow from the hopper toward the detergent receiving portion. A detergent dispensing member provided for dispensing detergent and a motor for driving the detergent dispensing member, the motor is covered with a first waterproof cover except for the drive shaft, and the drive shaft is provided with a drive member. 1. A detergent supply device for a washing machine or the like, characterized in that a bag-shaped second waterproof cover is attached, and corresponding openings of both waterproof covers are provided adjacent to each other. 2. A patent claim characterized in that there is a water receiver provided in the first waterproof cover below the second waterproof cover, and the water received by the water receiver can be led out to the washing part. A detergent supply device for a washing machine or the like according to scope 1.