JPH04272791A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To execute washing in a state that washing force of a detergent is enhanced without scarcely damaging the cloth. CONSTITUTION:At the time of executing washing, an air pump 13 is operated. Air fed out of the air pump 13 passes through a supply pipe 30, and reaches a nozzle 12. Air exhausted from an exhaust port 14 of the nozzle 12 becomes foam. The foam passes through a large hole 38 of a fitting flange 18 and an opening 36 of a cylindrical part 33, and collects in a hollow 34 in the center of a pulsator 4. It passes through a foam through-hole 15 of a cap 35 of the hollow 34. intrudes into a dehydrating tank 2, and adheres uniformly to an object to be washed by a rotation of the pulsator 4. Even if the pulsator 4 is not rotated, a surface active agent of a detergent adheres to the object to be washed together with foam and dirt comes off.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a washing machine equipped with a foam washing function.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional fully automatic washing machine has a washing machine body 1 equipped with a dehydration tank 2 and a water tank 3, as shown in FIG.
A pulsator 4 is installed at the bottom of the dehydration tank 2.
The pulsator 4 and the pulsator 4 are separately driven to rotate by a drive switching mechanism 6 consisting of a clutch and a speed reducer using a motor 5 as a power source.

That is, during washing or rinsing, the dehydration tank 2 is fixed, and only the pulsator 4 rotates to produce a spiral water flow, thereby performing washing or rinsing. When dehydrating,
The dehydration tank 2 rotates at high speed to perform dehydration.

In the figure, 7 is a support mechanism for the water tank 3, 8 is a top plate, 9 is a drain path, and 10 is a drain valve.

[0005]

[Problem to be solved by the invention] However, the pulsator 4
When the spindle rotates to create a spiral water flow for washing or rinsing, or when the dehydration tank is rotated at high speed during spin-drying, the fabric being washed becomes entangled with each other, resulting in fabric tangles. Moreover, by repeating this process, damage to the fabric such as shrinkage, tearing, and wrinkles occurs. Clothes made of silk and wool are particularly subject to harsh conditions. Another problem is that if the rotation speed is reduced due to damage to the cloth, sufficient cleaning power cannot be obtained.

An object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine that causes less damage to fabrics and can wash fabrics without impairing detergency.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The problem solving means according to claim 1 of the present invention is as shown in FIG. A nozzle 12 for this purpose is inserted, and an air pump 13 for supplying air to the nozzle 12 is connected.

The problem solving means according to claim 2 is, as shown in FIG. was formed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the nozzle 12 has a discharge port diameter B smaller than the nozzle inner diameter A, as shown in FIG.

The problem solving means according to claim 4 is as shown in FIG.
A nozzle port 41 is formed on the upstream side of the nozzle port 4.
1 is connected to an air pump 13.

[0011]

[Operation] In the problem solving means according to claims 1 and 2, air sent out from the air pump 13 is discharged from the nozzle 12 located at the lower part of the water tank 3 and collects at the center of the pulsator 4.

[0012] Then, the air bubbles rise from the air bubble passage hole 15, hit and adhere to the items to be washed in the water.

[0013] This promotes the adhesion of the surfactant of the detergent to the laundry items, making it easier to remove stains.

In the third aspect, the flow velocity of the air discharged from the discharge port 14 is higher than the flow velocity within the nozzle 12, and the air can be vigorously discharged into the water tank 3.

[0015] In claim 4, when the air sent from the air pump 13 is ejected from the nozzle port 41, the air bubbles rise while hitting the inner wall of the drainage path 9, thereby removing dirt and water scale adhering to the inner wall.

[0016] The air bubbles rise and adhere to the laundry, increasing the cleaning effect of the detergent. On the other hand, filth, etc. sinks,
It is discharged by opening the drain valve 10.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a fully automatic washing machine will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a fully automatic washing machine showing a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged sectional view of the lower part of the water tank, and FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged view of the pulsator. FIG. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same components as in the conventional case.

The structure of the fully automatic washing machine of this embodiment is the same as that of the conventional one shown in FIG. A nozzle 12 for generating air bubbles is inserted, and an air pump 13 for supplying air to the nozzle 12 is connected.

[0020]The discharge port 14 of the nozzle 12 is
The pulsator 4 is arranged at the lower part of the pulsator 4 housed in the water tank 3, and a bubble passage hole 15 is formed in the center of the pulsator 4.

A dehydration tank 2 is rotatably housed in the water tank 3, and a hollow dehydration shaft 17 is supported at the center of the bottom of the water tank 3 via a bearing 16, and is fixed to the bottom of the dehydration tank 2. The dehydration tank 2 is attached to the dehydration shaft 17 by a flange 18. Further, a pulsator shaft 19 is inserted into the dehydration shaft 17, and the pulsator 4 is screwed to the upper part of the pulsator shaft 19.

A drain port 20 is formed on the bottom of the water tank 3,
A drain pipe 21 is connected to the drain port 20, a drain hose 22 is connected to the drain pipe 21, and a drain valve 10 is interposed in the drain pipe 21. A flow path from the drain port 20 to the drain hose 22 is defined as a drain path 9.

As shown in FIG. 2, the air inlet hole 11 is formed on the side surface of the water tank 3 at a position lower than the bottom surface of the dehydration tank 2.
A cylindrical flange 25 is provided protruding from the outer surface of the water tank 3. A joint 26 that communicates the inside and outside of the water tank 3 is fitted into the air supply hole 11 via an O-ring.

The joint 26 is connected to the air inlet hole 11.
A mounting piece 28 for fitting into the flange 25 of the air feed hole 11 is attached to the outer periphery of the pipe portion 27 having a smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the pipe portion 27 .
The mounting piece 28 is inserted into the air supply hole 11 from the outside of the water tank 3, and is sealed and fitted with an adhesive and an O-ring.

The nozzle 12 is made of a substantially straight pipe with the same inner diameter, and one end of the nozzle 12 is fitted onto the inner surface of the water tank 3 of the joint 26, and the discharge port 14 of the other end is fitted onto the inner surface of the water tank 3 of the dewatering tank 2. It is located at the bottom. The nozzle 12 is fixedly supported on the bottom surface of the water tank 3 by screws 29.

The air pump 13 is housed inside the top plate 8, and a supply pipe 30 is connected to its discharge side. , is fitted onto the outer surface of the water tank of the joint 26. Further, a drive circuit 31 is connected to the air pump 13, and controls the air pump 13 to operate in accordance with the rotation of the pulsator 4 to send air and generate bubbles.

As shown in FIG. 3, the pulsator 4 includes a wing section 32 having an annular rib 32a, and a cylindrical section 33 disposed at the center of the wing section 32 and attached to the pulsator shaft 19 and screwed. A cap 35 is placed over a recess 34 above the cylindrical portion 33, and the center portion is the highest.

A plurality of the bubble passage holes 15 are formed in the cap 35, and an opening 36 communicating with the recess 34 is formed between the wing portion 32 and the cylinder portion 33. Further, the wing portion 32 is provided with a plurality of small holes 37 for air bubbles to pass through, and the mounting flange 18 is provided with a plurality of large holes 37 for air bubbles to pass through.
8 are provided.

In the above configuration, when washing is started, water is supplied to the water tank 3, and a certain amount of water is added in accordance with the amount of laundry to be washed. After that, for a certain period of time (about 30 seconds) the pulsator 4
Rotate the machine to submerge the laundry floating on the water surface. However, the strength of the water flow is not strong enough to cause damage to the fabric.

Then, the drive circuit 31 drives the air pump 1.
3 is energized and activated, the air sent out from the air pump 13 is discharged from the nozzle 12 at the bottom of the water tank 3, and is passed through the large hole 38 of the mounting flange 18 and the opening 36 of the cylindrical portion 33.
, and then gathers in the recess 34 in the center of the pulsator 4. The bubbles rise from the plurality of bubble passage holes 15 provided there, and then hit and adhere to the items to be washed in the water. At this time, the air bubbles only hit the same part of the laundry object, so by rotating the pulsator 4 in small increments at regular intervals, the laundry object itself is rotated so that the air bubbles adhere evenly. do.

[0031] This promotes the adhesion of the surfactant of the detergent to the laundry items, making it easier to remove stains.

[0032] Therefore, by performing foam washing on laundry items such as silk products and wool products that are easily damaged when washed with the mechanical force of the pulsator 4, the mechanical force can be significantly reduced and the fabric will not be damaged. Can be washed.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a nozzle showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the nozzle 12 is formed in a tapered shape so that the discharge opening diameter B of the nozzle 12 is smaller than the nozzle inner diameter A, as shown in the drawing.

In this embodiment, the flange 25 of the air supply hole 11 is provided protruding from the inner surface of the water tank 3, and the mounting piece 28 of the joint 26 is attached to the O-ring 40 on the flange 25.
It is inserted from the inside of the water tank 3 through and fitted. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

As mentioned above, the shape of the nozzle 12 corresponds to the discharge port 1.
4 has a small diameter, so that if the pressure of the air sent from the air pump 13 is constant, the flow velocity of the air discharged from the discharge port 14 is higher than the flow velocity within the nozzle 12. Air can be discharged into the water tank 3 more forcefully than the straight nozzle 12. Therefore, the bubbles can be made finer, the amount of detergent adhering to the laundry items can be increased, and the surfactant of the detergent can be activated.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the lower part of a water tank showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, a nozzle port 41 is formed on the upstream side of the drain valve 10 in the drain path 9 disposed on the lower surface of the water tank 3, and an air pump 13 is connected to the nozzle port 41.

The nozzle port 41 is opened upward at an L-shaped bent portion of the drain pipe 21 of the drain path 9, and a supply hose 42 is connected to the nozzle port 41, and the supply hose 42 is connected to the nozzle port 41, A hose 42 is connected to the air pump 13.

The configuration other than the air discharge section is the same as that of the first embodiment.

The drainage path 9 is unhygienic because dirt such as oil, fat, mud, sand, lint, etc. from the laundry and water scale adheres to the inner wall, and furthermore, if it adheres to the vicinity of the drain valve 10, drainage may be poor. It causes

[0042] Therefore, by providing a nozzle port 41 in the drainage path 9 and blowing out the air sent from the air pump 13 to generate bubbles, the bubbles rise while hitting the inner wall of the drainage path 9, and the inner wall Removes dirt and limescale that has adhered to the surface.

The bubbles rise and pass from the water tank 3 to the pulsator 4.
The bubbles pass through the air bubble passage holes 15 and adhere to the laundry items, increasing the cleaning effect of the detergent. On the other hand, filth and the like settle down and are discharged by opening the drain valve 10.

[0044] Therefore, the dirt in the drainage path 9 is cleaned, making it sanitary, and moreover, it is possible to eliminate problems such as poor drainage.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it goes without saying that many modifications and changes can be made to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Although this embodiment shows an example in which the present invention is applied to a fully automatic washing machine, it can also be applied to a two-tub type washing machine.

[0047]

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, according to claim 1 of the present invention, an air inlet hole is formed in the lower part of the water tank,
A nozzle for generating air bubbles is inserted into the air supply hole, and an air pump is connected to the nozzle for supplying air, so silk products, wool products, etc., which are easily damaged when washed with the mechanical force of a pulsator, are By performing foam washing on items to be washed, mechanical power can be significantly reduced and washing can be performed without damaging the fabric.

According to claim 2, the discharge port of the nozzle is disposed at the lower part of the pulsator installed in the water tank, and the bubble passage hole is formed in the center of the pulsator, so that the air discharged from the nozzle is Bubbles rise from the bubble passage hole, hit and adhere to the items being washed in the water.

[0049] This promotes the adhesion of the surfactant of the detergent to the laundry items, making it easier to remove stains.

According to claim 3, since the shape of the nozzle is made small in diameter at the discharge port, the flow velocity of the air discharged from the discharge port becomes higher than the flow velocity inside the nozzle, and the air is vigorously discharged into the aquarium. can do. Therefore, the bubbles can be made finer, the amount of detergent adhering to the laundry items can be increased, and the surfactant of the detergent can be activated.

According to claim 4, by providing a nozzle port in the drainage path and blowing out the air sent from the air pump to generate bubbles, dirt in the drainage path is cleaned, making it sanitary. It is possible to eliminate harmful effects such as poor drainage.

Furthermore, since the air bubbles rise and adhere to the laundry, the cleaning effect of the detergent can be enhanced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a fully automatic washing machine showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the lower part of the water tank.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the pulsator.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a nozzle showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the lower part of a water tank showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a conventional washing machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

3 Aquarium 4 Pulsator 9 Drainage route 10 Drain valve 11 Air inlet hole 12 Nozzle 13 Air pump 14 Discharge port 15 Air bubble passage hole 41 Nozzle mouth A Nozzle inner diameter B Discharge port diameter

Claims (4)

[Claims] Claim 1: An air inlet hole is formed at the bottom of the aquarium,
A washing machine characterized in that a nozzle for generating air bubbles is inserted into the air feed hole, and an air pump for supplying air is connected to the nozzle. 2. A washing machine, wherein the discharge port of the nozzle according to claim 1 is disposed at a lower part of a pulsator installed in a water tank, and a bubble passage hole is formed in the center of the pulsator. 3. A washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle has a discharge opening diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the nozzle. 4. A washing machine characterized in that a nozzle opening is formed upstream of a drain valve in a drainage path disposed on the lower surface of the water tank, and an air pump is connected to the nozzle opening.