JPH04371193A - Drum type washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce vibration transmitted to a floor at the time of steady spin- drying operation in a drum type washing machine in which washing and centrifugal dehydration of laundry are conducted by a drum driven to rotate around a horizontal shaft. CONSTITUTION:A drum 1 provided with water passing holes 1a in an outside periphery thereof, a water tank 2 incorporating the drum 1 and storing washing water, a horizontal shaft 4 whose one end is fixed to a rotation center of the drum 1 and which is driven by a motor 6, spring bodies 8 for suspending the tank 2 from a main body 9 and a buffer body 21 for suppressing vibration of the tank 2 are provided. The buffer body 21 is constructed so that damping capacity thereof can be changed and set at a large value within a predetermined time after spin-drying operation start and within a predetermined time after spin-drying operation stop while being set at a minimum value after a lapse of predetermined time after the spin-drying operation start.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drum-type washing machine that washes laundry and performs centrifugal dehydration using a drum that is driven to rotate around a horizontal axis.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been a demand for drum-type washing machines to reduce vibrations during centrifugal dewatering.

Conventionally, this type of drum-type washing machine generally had a configuration as shown in FIG. The configuration will be explained below.

As shown in the figure, the drum 1 is provided with a large number of water passage holes 1a on its outer periphery. A water tank 2 includes a drum 1 and stores washing water. One end of a horizontal shaft 3 is fixed to the center of rotation of the drum 1. The bearing body 4 accommodates a ball bearing and a seal packing for rotatably supporting the horizontal shaft 3, and is fixed to the water tank 2. A drum pulley 5 is fixed to a horizontal shaft 3, and a belt 7 connects the drum pulley 5 to a motor 6, so that the motor 6 drives the drum 1. A spring body 8 suspends the water tank 2 from a main body 9, and a laundry input lid 10 is provided on the front surface of the main body 9 so as to be openable and closable. The pump device 11 communicates with the water tank 2 via a drain hose 12 and is connected to an external drain port via a discharge hose 13. The electromagnetic water supply valve 14 communicates with the water tank 2. Heater 1
5 heats the washing water in the water tank 2. A control device 16 controls the operations of the motor 6, heater 15, and the like. The aquarium packing 17 connects the aquarium 2 and the main body 9 in a watertight manner. The buffer body 18 damps vibrations of the water tank 2. A weight 19 is provided in the water tank 2, and the vibration 18 during dehydration reduces the vibration of the water tank 2. The legs 20 are attached to the lower part of the main body 9 so that rattling with the floor can be adjusted.

To explain the operation of the above structure, during the washing process, the drum 1 is driven to rotate at a low speed by the motor 6, and the laundry in the drum 1 is lifted and dropped, and the washing is performed by this mechanical force. The rinsing process is performed in the same way as the washing process. During the dewatering process, the drum 1 is rotated at high speed to dehydrate the laundry. At this time, if the laundry in the drum 1 is uneven, that is, unbalanced, the drum 1
Although the water tank 2 vibrates greatly, the amount of imbalance varies depending on the amount and type of laundry. In order to reduce this vibration, by increasing the weight of the vibrating body with the weight 19, the vibration amplitude is reduced compared to when the weight 19 is not provided.

[0006]

In such a conventional drum-type washing machine, if the laundry in the drum 1 becomes unbalanced, the water tank 2 vibrates greatly during spin-drying. The vibrations of the water tank 2 are transmitted to the main body 9 and the legs 20 via the spring body 8, the buffer body 18, etc., and are further transmitted to the floor surface on which the washing machine is installed. This causes the floor surface to vibrate greatly, and in a wooden house, the entire house begins to vibrate, causing discomfort to the user and causing a big problem in terms of noise. In addition, now that the washing capacity has increased to 5 kg, the weight of the vibrating body must be increased to 50 kg.
Inevitably, the weight of the entire washing machine is about 100 kg, and in typical wooden houses in Japan, unless special floor reinforcement work is done, the floor vibrations and noise are large, which greatly limits its use. was.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by increasing the buffering capacity of the buffer during a predetermined time of dehydration rotation and a predetermined time of stopping dehydration, and minimizing the buffering capacity after a predetermined time of starting dehydration to maintain steady rotation of dehydration. The primary purpose is to reduce the vibrations that are sometimes transmitted to the floor.

A second object of the present invention is to simplify the joining structure between the outer cylinder of the shock absorber and its holding portion, and to ensure switching of the shock absorbing capacity.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the first object, the present invention includes a drum having a water passage hole on its outer periphery, a water tank containing the drum and storing washing water, and one end of which is connected to the drum. a horizontal axis fixed at the center of rotation and driven by a motor; a spring body that suspends the water tank from the main body; and a buffer body that suppresses vibrations of the water tank; The inner diameter of the outer cylinder is switchable, and the inner diameter of the outer cylinder is made small during a predetermined time to start dehydration rotation and a predetermined time to stop dewatering. The buffer capacity of the buffer body is increased, and after a predetermined time after the start of dehydration, the inner diameter of the outer cylinder is increased to minimize the buffer capacity of the buffer body.

Further, in order to achieve the second object, the outer cylinder of the above-mentioned buffer body is provided with one or more substantially linear slits in the sliding direction of the sliding part, and the outer cylinder is provided with one or more substantially linear slits in the sliding direction of the sliding part. flanges are provided at the upper and lower ends of the holder, and holding portions are provided with recesses in which the flanges fit.

[0011]

[Function] With the above-described structure, the drum-type washing machine of the present invention increases the buffering capacity of the buffer body during the predetermined time at which spin-drying starts, and prevents the vibration amplitude of the water tank from becoming extremely large when passing through the resonance point at the start of spin-drying. In addition, after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the start of dehydration, the buffering capacity of the buffer is minimized, thereby preventing vibrations of the water tank after passing the resonance point from being transmitted to the main body and the floor via the buffer.

Furthermore, it is possible to realize a shock absorber in which the connecting structure between the outer cylinder of the shock absorber and its holding portion is simplified, and the shock absorbing capacity can be switched smoothly and reliably.

[0013]

Embodiments An embodiment of the first problem-solving means of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. Note that components having the same configuration as those of the conventional example are given the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in the figure, the buffer body 21 is for damping the vibrations of the water tank 2, and is provided so that the water tank 2 and the main body 9 are connected to each other, so that its damping capacity can be switched.

This buffer body 21 will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The outer cylinder 22 is formed by rolling a single spring plate into a substantially annular shape, and has an outer end 22a and an inner end 22.
b are overlapped, and a mounting portion 24 that is attached to the buffer member first mounting plate 2a of the aquarium tank 2 via a buffer rubber 23a is integrally tightened at the upper end, and an open port 25 is provided at the lower end. There is. There is an opening 2 inside the outer cylinder 22.
A piston 26 is provided inside through 5. A sliding member 27 is wound around the vicinity of the upper end of the piston 26, and the lower end is connected to the shock absorber second mounting plate 9 of the main body 9 via a shock absorbing rubber 23b.
attached to a. A band 28 is wound around the outer periphery of the outer cylinder 22, with the outer end 22a being a fixed starting point 28a, and the ending point 28b of the band 28 is movably located substantially outside the starting point 28a. Starting point 28a and ending point 28
b are connected by a connecting plate 29, and a plunger 30a, which is a movable part of the magnet unit 30, is attached on an extension of the connecting plate 29.

This operation will now be explained. When the coil 30b of the magnet unit 30 is energized, the plunger 30a is pulled in the direction of arrow a, and at the same time the connecting plate 29
Also rotates in the direction of arrow a around the starting point 28a. At this time, the end point 28b also rotates, so the band 28 is pulled in the direction of the arrow b, but since the starting point 28a is fixed, the diameter of the band 28 becomes smaller as shown by the arrow c. Accordingly, the diameter of the inner outer cylinder 22 also becomes smaller. Since the buffering capacity of the buffer body 21 is the buffering capacity due to the frictional resistance between the outer cylinder 22 and the sliding member 27, the smaller the inner diameter of the outer cylinder 22, the larger the buffering capacity due to the frictional resistance.

On the other hand, when the coil 30b is de-energized, the force that pulls the band 28 disappears, so the outer cylinder 22 returns to its original larger diameter state, and the inner diameter of the outer cylinder 22 becomes larger than the outer diameter of the sliding member 27. Since the buffering capacity also increases, the buffering capacity becomes a minimum close to 0 at this time.

The control device 31 includes a motor 6 and a pump device 11.
, the electromagnetic water supply valve 14, the heater 15, and the magnet unit 30, respectively.

In the above structure, the operation will be explained with reference to FIG. 5. When washing starts, a predetermined amount of water is supplied to the water tank 2, and the heater 15 is energized until the water reaches a predetermined temperature. At this time, the drum 1 is driven to rotate at a low speed by the motor 6, and the laundry in the drum 1 is lifted up and dropped, applying mechanical force to wash the laundry. After washing is completed, the washing water is drained and the washing process is completed. In the dewatering process, the drum 1 is driven to rotate at high speed by a motor 6 to centrifugally dewater the laundry. The buffering capacity of the buffer body 21 is maximized within a predetermined time period from the start of dehydration rotation. That is, the control device 31 controls the magnet unit 30.
By energizing, it is possible to prevent the vibration amplitude of the water tank 2 from increasing when passing through the resonance point at the start of dehydration. After a predetermined time from the start of dehydration, the control device 31 stops energizing the magnet unit 30 so that the buffering capacity of the buffer 21 is reduced, and the buffering capacity is minimized so that the vibrations of the water tank 2 after passing the resonance point are reduced to the buffer 21. Vibrations transmitted to the main body 9 and the floor via the main body 9 can be significantly reduced. Next, when dehydration is stopped, the control device 31 energizes the magnet unit 30 within a predetermined time after the motor 6 is de-energized, thereby preventing the vibration amplitude of the water tank 2 from increasing when passing through the resonance point when dehydration is stopped. .

As described above, the drum-type washing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention allows the buffering capacity of the buffer body 21 to be switched, and by simply controlling it with the control device 31, the buffering capacity is set to 1. By increasing the buffering capacity of the body 21 and minimizing the buffering capacity after a predetermined time from the start of dehydration, it is possible to reduce the vibrations transmitted to the floor surface when the dehydration rotation is steady.
These can be realized with a simple configuration.

Next, FIGS. 6, 7(a) and 7(b) show sectional views of main parts of a drum type washing machine in another embodiment. The difference from the above embodiment is that the structure of the buffer body 21 is different, and the same parts as in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals and the explanation will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, an L-shaped upper flange 32 is provided at the upper end of the outer cylinder 22 constituting a part of the buffer body 21, and a lower flange 33 is provided at the lower end. Outer cylinder 22
The upper end is attached to the buffer member first mounting plate 2a of the aquarium 2 via a buffer rubber 23a, and has an upper flange 3.
2 is provided with a mounting portion 24 having an upper recess 34 into which an upper flange 32 can slide. Outer cylinder 2
2 has an opening 35 at the lower end, and a lower flange 33
The lower recess 3 allows the lower flange 33 to slide in the corresponding position.
A guide plate 37 is provided.

Furthermore, since the outer cylinder 22 is formed by rolling a single spring plate into a substantially annular shape, it has a substantially linear slit 38, and the outer end 22a and the inner end 22b overlap. are doing. A guide plate 37 is provided inside the outer cylinder 22.
A piston 26 is disposed inside through the opening 35 of the piston 26 . A sliding member 27 is wound around the vicinity of the upper end of the piston 26, and the lower end is attached to the buffer second attachment plate 9a of the main body 9 via a buffer rubber 23b. A band 28 is attached to the outer circumference of the outer cylinder 22 with the outer end 22a being a fixed starting point 28a.
is wound around the band 28, and the end point 28b of the band 28 is movably located substantially outside the starting point 28a. Starting point 28a
and the end point 28b are connected by a connecting plate 29, and a plunger 30a, which is a movable part of the magnet unit 30, is attached on an extension of the connecting plate 29.

With the above configuration, when the magnet unit 30 is energized, the plunger 30a is pulled in the direction of the arrow a, and at the same time the connecting plate 29 is rotated in the direction of the arrow a about the starting point 28a, and the ending point 28b is also pulled. As it rotates, the band 28 is pulled in the direction of the arrow b, but since it is fixed at the starting point 28a, the diameter of the band 28 becomes smaller as shown by the arrow c. At this time, since the upper flange 32 and lower flange 33 of the outer cylinder 22 are configured to be slidable, the diameter of the outer cylinder 22 can be reduced smoothly. Since the buffering capacity of the buffer body 21 is the buffering capacity due to the frictional resistance between the outer cylinder 22 and the sliding member 27, the smaller the inner diameter of the outer cylinder 22, the larger the buffering capacity due to the frictional resistance.

On the other hand, when the power supply to the coil 30b is stopped, the force that pulls the band 28 disappears, so the outer cylinder 22 smoothly returns to its original large diameter state, and the inner diameter of the outer cylinder 22 is adjusted to the outside of the sliding member 27. Since it becomes larger than the diameter, the buffering capacity becomes minimal at this time, close to 0.

Further, since a guide plate 37 having an opening 35 is provided at the lower end of the outer cylinder 22, the lateral movement of the piston 26 can be restricted by the opening 35, and a reliable damping capacity can be maintained. Obtainable.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the outer cylinder 22
may be configured using a plurality of plates, and the same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0028]

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, in the drum type washing machine of the present invention, the inner diameter of the outer cylinder of the sliding body can be changed, and within a predetermined time to start spin-drying and a predetermined time to stop spin-drying, The buffer capacity of the buffer body is increased by decreasing the inner diameter of the outer cylinder, and after a predetermined time after the start of dehydration, the buffer capacity of the buffer body is minimized by increasing the inner diameter of the outer cylinder. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vibration amplitude of the water tank from becoming extremely large when it passes the resonance point at the start of dehydration, and the buffering capacity of the buffer body is minimized after a predetermined time after the start of dehydration, so that the vibration of the water tank after passing the resonance point can be prevented from becoming extremely large. This can prevent the air from being transmitted to the main body and the floor via the buffer.

Furthermore, the upper and lower ends of the outer cylinder of the buffer body are provided with flanges, and each of the retaining parts is provided with a recessed portion in which the flanges fit loosely, so that the outer cylinder of the buffer body and its retainer are It is possible to simplify the joint structure and ensure smooth and reliable switching of buffer capacity. Furthermore, the joint structure between the outer cylinder of the shock absorber and its holding part is simplified, and a shock absorber that allows smooth and reliable switching of the shock absorbing capacity can be realized.
Furthermore, it is possible to control the lateral vibration of the piston.
It is possible to obtain a reliable buffering capacity of 0.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1: A vertical side view of a drum-type washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Longitudinal front view of the drum-type washing machine

[Figure 3] Longitudinal cross-sectional view of the shock absorber of the drum-type washing machine

[Figure 4] Cross-sectional view of the shock absorber of the drum-type washing machine

[Figure 5] (a) Block diagram of main parts of the drum-type washing machine (b) Operation flowchart of the drum-type washing machine

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a shock absorber of a drum-type washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 7] (a) Cross-sectional view of the buffer of the same drum-type washing machine (
b) Cross-sectional view of a buffer body of a drum-type washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention

[Figure 8] Longitudinal side view of a conventional drum-type washing machine

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Drum 1a Water hole 2　Aquarium 3 Horizontal axis 6 Motor 8 Spring body 9 Main body 21 Buffer 22 Outer cylinder 28 Band 30 Magnet unit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A drum having a water passage hole on its outer periphery, a water tank enclosing the drum and storing washing water, a horizontal shaft having one end fixed to the center of rotation of the drum and driven by a motor, and the water tank comprising: A spring body suspended from the main body and a buffer body for suppressing vibrations of the water tank, the buffer body includes an outer cylinder and a sliding part that obtains a buffering capacity by friction between the outer cylinder and the outer cylinder The inner diameter of the buffer body is switchable, and the buffering capacity of the outer cylinder is increased by reducing the inner diameter of the outer cylinder during a predetermined time to start dehydration rotation and a predetermined time to stop dehydration, and after a predetermined time to start dehydration, the buffer capacity of the outer cylinder is increased. A drum-type washing machine in which the buffering capacity of the buffer body is minimized by increasing the inner diameter of the cylinder. 2. The outer cylinder of the shock absorber is provided with one or more substantially linear slits in the sliding direction of the sliding part, and flanges are provided at the upper and lower ends of the outer cylinder, and the flanges are provided at the upper and lower ends of the outer cylinder. 2. The drum-type washing machine according to claim 1, each comprising a holding portion having a recessed portion that engages with the holding portion.