JPH0449992A - Drum type washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce wear on delicate fabrics in washing by a mechanism wherein a worm makes a drum's opening shift to a tub's opening with its rotation and varies the number of revolution of the drum with its normal rotation and reverse rotation during rotation of the drum. CONSTITUTION:A driving mechanism 11 to drive a drum 5 to rotate is composed of a detector 15a to detect relative position between an opening of the drum 5 and an opening of a tub, an input shaft 33 connected to a motor shaft, an input bevel gear, an output bevel gear to be meshed with this connected bevel gear, an output shaft connected to this output bevel gear, a differential gear box which holds this groups of bevel gears of input, connected, and output, and has a worm wheel 39 on the periphery, a worm which engages with the worm wheel, and a worm motor 41 which drives this worm according to an input signal from a detector, mounted on the input shaft, with a drum controlling and speed reducing device to control and reduce the speed of the drum. Thus, the worm 40 makes the drum's opening shift to the tub's opening with its rotation, and varies the number of revolution of the drum with its normal rotation and reverse rotation during the rotation of the drum.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to a drum-type washing machine, and more specifically,
This invention relates to a drum-type washing machine that performs a washing process, a rinsing process, a spin-drying process, and a drying process while the laundry (clothes to be washed and dried) is stored in the drum.

(b) Conventional technology In recent years, from the perspective of rationalizing life, there has been a demand for a method for washing and drying clothes in a single device, even in ordinary households.
As one solution to this problem, drum-type washing machines are becoming popular.

As a conventional drum-type washing machine, one shown in FIG. 4 is known. In other words, the outer box 5 which is the main body of the washing machine
1, a water tank 53 which is suspended by a hole 52 inside an outer box 51 and stores water for washing, and a cylindrical drum 54 which is rotatably disposed inside the water tank 53 and accommodates laundry. something is known.

A baffle 55 for stirring laundry is provided on the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the drum 54. When the drum 54 rotates during each process of washing, rinsing, and drying, the baffle 55 lifts the laundry inside the drum 54 and causes it to fall under its own weight (
(tampling) improves the agitation of laundry.

The laundry is placed in the lid A56 attached to the top opening of the outer box 51.
, the lid B57 attached to the top opening of the water tank 53 and the MC 58 attached to the opening in the peripheral wall of the drum 54 are opened, and the water is poured into the drum 54 from each opening. motor 5
9 transmits the rotational force to the drum 54 via a motor pulley 60, a belt 61, and a drum pulley 62.

The water tank 53 has the function of storing the washing water supplied from the vibro 3 during the washing/rinsing process and the water discharged from the laundry during the washing/rinsing/spin-drying process, and also discharges this water via the vibro 4. ing. The water tank 53 has a large number of small holes in its peripheral wall for introducing washing water and discharging washed water.

Dewatering is performed by rotating the drum 54 at high speed and utilizing centrifugal force to press the laundry against the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the drum 54.

(c) Problems to be Solved by the Invention In the washing machine as described above, the relative positions of the lid A56 of the outer box 5I and the lid B57 of the water tank 53 are fixed when loading and unloading laundry. However, the lid B5 of the water tank 53
7 and the lid C58 of the drum 54.
It is not fixed because it rotates. For this reason, it is necessary to rotate the drum 54 by hand to align the lid B57 and the lid C58 after washing, which is inconvenient.

Further, the rotational speed of the drum 54 during washing is constant. Therefore, in order to perform efficient washing by changing the mechanical force applied to the laundry, the period of rotation and stop of the drum 54 is changed, and the washing time is changed. However, when this method is used, delicate laundry items such as wool and silk suffer from severe damage such as shrinkage.

This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to make it possible to maintain a constant relative position between the lid of the water tank and the lid of the drum, and to reduce the degree of fabric damage in delicate laundry. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a drum-type washing machine that can be made smaller.

(d) Means for Solving the Problems and Their Effects This invention comprises a water tank fixed in a washing machine main body and having an opening for loading and unloading laundry; A drum having an opening for water and a drive mechanism for rotationally driving the drum, the drive mechanism being connected to a detection device for detecting the relative position between the opening of the drum and the opening of the aquarium, and a motor shaft. an input shaft connected to this input shaft, an input bevel gear connected to this input shaft, a connected bevel gear that meshes with this input bevel gear, an output bevel gear that meshes with this connected bevel gear, and an output shaft connected to this output bevel gear. ,
A differential gearbox that holds these input, connection, and output bevel gear groups and has a worm wheel on its outer periphery, and a worm that meshes with the worm wheel;
The worm is equipped with a worm motor that drives the worm using an input signal from the detection device, and a drum braking/deceleration device that is attached to the input shaft and that brakes or decelerates the drum. This is a drum-type washing machine in which the drum can be moved to the opening of the water tank, and the drum rotation speed can be changed by rotating forward or backward while the drum is rotating.

That is, in the drum-type washing machine of the present invention, a drive mechanism that rotationally drives the drum includes a detection device that detects the relative position between the opening of the drum and the opening of the water tank, an input shaft connected to a motor shaft, and an input shaft connected to the motor shaft. An input bevel gear connected to a shaft, a connected bevel gear that meshes with this input bevel gear, an output bevel gear that meshes with this two-tie bevel gear, an output shaft connected to this output bevel gear, these inputs, connections, and output bevel gears. A differential gearbox that holds a group of gears and has a worm wheel on its outer periphery, a worm that meshes with the worm wheel, a worm motor that drives the worm with an input signal from a detection device, and a worm motor that is attached to the input shaft and that brakes or decelerates the drum. The system is equipped with a drum braking/deceleration device that performs the following steps.

With this configuration, the drum moves the opening of the drum to the opening of the water tank by its rotation, and changes the number of rotations of the drum by rotating forward or reverse while the drum is rotating. It is.

Here, as a detection device for detecting the relative position between the opening of the drum and the opening of the water tank, for example, a combination of a magnet and a reed switch is used. Also,
For example, a drum braking/deceleration device is a combination of a brake drum fixed to an input shaft, a brake shoe placed close to the brake drum, and a solenoid for bringing the brake shoe into close contact with the brake drum. is used.

(e) Example The present invention will be described in detail below based on one example shown in the drawings. Note that this invention is not limited to this.

The drum type washing machine W shown in Fig. 1 is the washing machine main body (outer box).
1, a water tank 2 fixed within the main body l by a spring 3 and a damper 4 and storing water for washing, and a cylindrical drum 5 supported rotatably around a horizontal axis inside the water tank 2 and containing laundry. It is equipped with A plurality of baffles 9 for stirring the laundry are provided on the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the drum 5. When the drum 5 rotates during each process of washing, rinsing, and drying, these baffles 9 tamp the laundry in the drum 5 to improve agitation of the laundry.

An opening for loading and unloading laundry is provided on the upper surface of the main body 1, and an MA6 is attached to this opening. Similarly, an opening is provided on the top surface of the water tank 2, and the lid B7 is inserted into this opening.
is installed. A similar opening is provided in the peripheral wall of the drum 5, and a lid C8 is attached to this opening.

A motor IO is fixed to the lower surface of the water tank 2. A shaft 10a of the motor IO is connected to a drum drive mechanism 11. The motor lO transfers its rotational force from the drive mechanism 11 to the motor pulley 12, the belt 13, and the drum pulley 1.
4 to the drum 5. The drum pulley 14 and the water tank 2 are each provided with a magnet 15a and a reed switch 15b as a detection device for detecting the relative position between the opening of the drum 5 and the opening of the water tank 2.

The reed switch 15b is connected to a control circuit 16 that controls the rotation of the drum 5.

Details of the drive mechanism 11 are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

That is, the drive mechanism 11 includes an input shaft (shaft) 33 connected to a motor shaft IOλ, a brake drum 31 fixed to the input shaft 33, and a brake shoe arranged around the outer periphery of the brake drum 31 and fixed to a flake lever 30b. 30a and the brake shoe 30a to the brake drum 31.
It is equipped with a solenoid 32 for bringing it into close contact with. The solenoid 32 includes a solenoid body 32 and a plunger 3.
2b1 and a compression spring 32c.

Here, the brake drum 31, the flake repper 30b1
The brake shoes 30 & and the solenoid 32 constitute a drum braking/deceleration device.

The drive machine Ill further includes an input bevel gear 34 connected to the right end of the shaft 33, connected bevel gears 37 and 38 that mesh with the input bevel gear 34, an output bevel gear 36 that meshes with the connected bevel gears 37 and 38, and an output bevel gear 36 that meshes with the connected bevel gears 37 and 38. It includes an output shaft 45 whose left end is directly connected to the gear 36 and whose right end is connected to the motor pulley 12. The rotation of the input bevel gear 34 is controlled by the output bevel gear 36 via the connected bevel gears 37 and 38.
It is transmitted with the direction of rotation reversed.

The bevel gears 34, 36, 37, and 38 have bearings 35, 43, 43, and 42 fixed to the differential gearbox 46, respectively.
is rotatably attached to.

The differential gearbox 46 is rotatably attached to a bearing 47 fixed to the water tank 2. Differential gearbox 46
A worm wheel 39 is formed on the outer periphery of the right end side. This worm wheel 39 meshes with a worm 40 connected to a worm motor 41 fixed to the water tank 2.

When the washing machine finishes operating, the plunger 32 of the solenoid 32
When b is sucked, the brake shoe 30a comes into close contact with the brake drum 31, and the motor shaft 10a and input bevel gear 3
4 is fixed. Next, the detection devices 152 and 15b detect whether the positions of the lid C8 and 1lB7 match. If they do not match, the worm motor 41 is rotated, and the worm wheel 39 is rotated via the worm 40 until the two match.

Then, the input bevel gear 34 is fixed (therefore, the connected bevel gears 37 and 38 rotate while revolving on the input bevel gear 34, causing the output bevel gear 36 to rotate.
The drum 5 is rotated from the output shaft 45 via the motor pulley 12, belt 13, and drum pulley 14. Detection device 1
5a, 15b, 6<When the worm motor 41 is activated
to stop.

By using the worm 40 and the worm wheel 39, it is possible to increase the reduction ratio of the rotation of the drum 5. Therefore, the load on the worm motor 41 can be reduced and the drum 5 can be rotated at an extremely low speed (approximately Irpm). Since the drum 5 can be stopped instantaneously at a fixed position, the positions of the lid B7 and the lid C8 can be matched with high precision.

Further, if the number of rotations of the input bevel gear 34 is xI, the number of rotations of the output bevel gear 36 is Xt, and the number of rotations of the differential gear box 46 (worm wheel 39) is X3, then Xs = (X
+ + Xt)/2.

Here, since the input bevel gear 34 is fixed, X, =
0, and xt=zxs.

On the other hand, when the worm 40 is rotated and the differential gearbox 46 is rotated in the same direction as the motor shaft 10a during operation of the washing machine, the output shaft 45 is decelerated.

Conversely, when the output shaft 45 is rotated in the opposite direction to the motor shaft 10a, the speed of the output shaft 45 is increased. This means that X,=2x,−X,
It is clear from the equation.

As described above, by transmitting the rotation of the worm motor 41 to the worm wheel 39 via the worm 40 while the washing machine is operating, the speed of the output shaft 45 can be changed.

Therefore, it is possible to change the rotation speed of the drum 5, and there is no need to use an expensive variable speed motor (brushless motor, servo motor, etc.), and costs can be reduced. Furthermore, since the rotational speed of the drum 5 can be changed, it is possible to wash items ranging from delicate wool and silk to durable cotton at a drum rotational speed that is appropriate for each type of laundry, allowing for diversification of washing methods.

Although this embodiment shows an example in which the input wheel is braked when the drum is stopped at a fixed position, a speed reduction device may be provided between the motor and the input shaft. In that case, if you try to rotate the speed reducer from the output side and increase the speed reduction ratio to a certain extent, the load will be very high and the same effect as applying the brakes will be obtained.

(f) Effects of the Invention Since the drum-type washing machine of the present invention is configured as described above, the position of the drum lid can be automatically detected at the end of operation by rotating the worm motor. Since the worm motor is driven with a large reduction ratio and a low load, and the drum is rotated at an extremely low speed, it is possible to move the drum lid to the position of the aquarium lid with high precision.

Furthermore, by rotating the worm motor during operation, it is possible to control the rotation of the drum, making it possible to diversify washing methods.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 3 show one embodiment of the invention. That is, Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the overall structure of a drum-type washing machine, and Fig. 2
The figure is an explanatory diagram of the structure of the drive mechanism part of a drum-type washing machine.
The figure is an explanatory diagram of the structure of a drum braking/deceleration section of a drum-type washing machine. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the overall configuration of a conventional drum type washing machine. 1...Washing machine body (outer box), 2...Water tank, 5...Drum, 10...Motor, 10a...Motor Shaft, I]... Drive mechanism, 15a... Magnet (detection device), 15b.
...Reed switch (detection device), 30a...
... Brake shoe (drum braking/reduction device), 30b... Brake lever (drum braking/reduction device), 31... Brake drum (drum braking/reduction device), 32... ...Solenoid (drum braking/reduction device), 33...Input shaft, 34...Input bevel gear, 36...Output bevel gear, 37, 38... ...Connected bevel gear, Fig. 1 39... Worm wheel, 40... Worm, 41... Worm motor, 45... Output shaft, 46...Differential gearbox. Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A water tank fixed within the washing machine main body and having an opening for loading and unloading laundry, and rotatably supported within the water tank,
It is equipped with a drum having an opening for loading and unloading laundry, and a drive mechanism that rotates the drum. an input shaft connected to the input shaft, an input bevel gear connected to this input shaft, a connected bevel gear that meshes with this input bevel gear, an output bevel gear that meshes with this connected bevel gear, and an input bevel gear connected to this output bevel gear. A differential gearbox that holds an output shaft, input, connection, and output bevel gears and has a worm wheel on its outer periphery, a worm that meshes with the worm wheel, and a worm that is driven by an input signal from a detection device. A worm motor is attached to the input shaft,
It is equipped with a drum braking/decelerating device that brakes or decelerates the drum, and furthermore, the worm moves the opening of the drum to the opening of the water tank by its rotation, and also rotates forward and backward while the drum is rotating. A drum-type washing machine that can change the number of rotations of the drum.