JPH0520311Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Purpose of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a detergent supply device for a washing machine, etc., for supplying detergent, particularly powdered detergent, to a detergent receiving portion of the washing machine, etc.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, detergent supply devices for washing machines and the like used for supplying this type of powdered detergent have been used, for example, in the
As shown in Japanese Patent No. 43827, there is a system in which a powdered detergent stored in a hopper is dispensed in fixed quantities, stored once, and then dispensed. However, with this product, before the powder detergent is supplied, there is a problem that it tends to harden due to water and humidity, which is characteristic of equipment that handles water such as washing machines. Therefore, there was a problem in that the detergent often clogged and the detergent could not be supplied smoothly and reliably.

On the other hand, as shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 42-18769, for example, there is a system in which powdered detergent stored in a hopper is delivered by rotating a screw-like delivery member. According to this device, as described above, the powdered detergent that hardens easily can be fed by rubbing it finely with the screw-like delivery member, and thus it can be fed more smoothly, reliably, and more conveniently than the above-mentioned method. However, even with this device, a considerable amount of detergent still adheres to the surface of the screw-like delivery member.
It is not yet possible to provide a sufficiently smooth and reliable supply. Furthermore, it is okay to supply solidified powder detergent as long as it is a small mass, but with the screw-shaped delivery member, even the powder detergent that is slightly massy tends to clog, making it impossible to supply it sufficiently. It was hot. Further, the screw-shaped delivery member is difficult to clean, and there is a problem in that detergent tends to remain attached to the corners, which further induces subsequent deposition of detergent.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) As mentioned above, in any of the conventional products,
Powdered detergent cannot be supplied smoothly and reliably, and the screw-shaped delivery member cannot be cleaned easily or sufficiently.

The present invention was developed in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to supply powdered detergent sufficiently smoothly and reliably, even with some clumps, and to clean the delivery member. To provide a detergent supply device for a washing machine, etc., which can be easily and satisfactorily carried out, and in particular can continue to drive a coiled detergent delivery member extremely smoothly without locking the drive device. There is something to do.

[Structure of the invention] (Means for solving the problem) The detergent supply device for a washing machine, etc. of the present invention is configured to feed detergent to the lower end of the detergent storage part that accommodates and stores powdered detergent in a direction facing the detergent receiving part. A coil-shaped detergent delivery member attached to a spindle is housed in the detergent delivery portion together with the mounting portion of the spindle, and a drive device moves the detergent delivery member through the spindle. Further, a mounting portion of the spindle to which the detergent delivery member is attached has a spiral shape along the detergent delivery member and a surface in the delivery direction of the powder detergent. It is characterized by the formation of a facing groove.

(Function) According to the above means, the coil-shaped detergent delivery member is rotationally driven by the drive device, thereby supplying the powdered detergent in the detergent reservoir to the detergent receiver through the detergent delivery part. Powdered detergent that tends to reach the area around the attachment part of the detergent delivery member to the support shaft can be discharged through the groove formed in the support shaft, particularly the surface facing the detergent delivery direction. Unusual compaction on the inner bottom surface of the container can also be avoided.

(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, the main body 1 of the washing machine, whose entire structure is shown in FIG. In addition, an operation panel 5 is provided at the front edge in front of the lid 4, and a platform 6 is provided at the rear edge. The platform part 6 is provided with an operating knob 7 for setting the water level at the right end in the figure, and an operating knob 8 for setting the amount of detergent on the left side thereof. and the platform 6
In this case, a hot pass set opening 9 is formed from the left adjacent part to the left adjacent part of the operating knob 8, and a V-shaped cross section is formed below the hot pass set opening 9 as shown in FIG. Both ends form a hopper receiving portion 10 that is open as shown in FIG. The hopper receiver 10 accommodates a hopper 11, which is a detergent reservoir, whose lower part is formed into a V-shaped cross section to match the hopper receiver 10 and whose both sides are obliquely formed through the hopper receiver 10. , at the same time hoppa 1
The claw portion 12 formed on the left side in FIG. 4 of FIG. The hopper 11 is elastically engaged to prevent the hopper 11 from falling off.

On the other hand, a lid 15 is pivotally mounted on the top opening of the hopper 11 so that it can be opened and closed by a shaft 16 at the rear end (see FIGS. 3 and 5). A stirring member 20 having a plurality of protrusions 17 protruding from the outside, a large number of protrusions 18 protruding outward from the periphery, and a plurality of holes 19 is attached to the shaft 21.
is rotatably supported across the front and back of the hopper 11, and furthermore, a detergent delivery portion 22 is provided at the lower end of the hopper 11, extending from the inside of the hopper 11 to a cylindrical portion projecting exclusively outward to the right in FIG. The outlet 23 at the tip of the outlet 23 is connected to the detergent receiving portion 25 at the approximately central portion of the upper surface of the receiving plate 24 disposed inside the platform portion 6.
is coming. The upper surface of the receiving plate 24 also serves as a water supply channel, and as shown in FIG. 5, it is provided so as to gradually descend toward a supply port 26 at the tip facing a washing tub (not shown) inside the outer box 2. A water supply valve 27 is disposed on the uppermost rear end portion.

Further, the detergent delivery section 22 has a coil-shaped detergent delivery member 28 rotatably housed over its entire length as shown in FIG. one is engaged with the detergent delivery member 28. At this time, a cylindrical portion 29 is formed at the end of the detergent delivery portion 22 opposite to the outlet 23, and one end of the detergent delivery member 28 is wound around the cylindrical portion 29. The attached spindle 3
0 is inserted into the detergent delivery member 28 of the support shaft 30.
The mounting portion 31 with the attached detergent is disposed inside the detergent delivery portion 22 together with its detergent delivery member 28. In detail, the mounting portion 31 of the support shaft 30 has a first
As shown in the figure, a surface 3 has a spiral shape along the detergent delivery member 22 and faces the outlet 23 side, which is the delivery direction of the powdered detergent.
2a is formed. In addition, a connector 33 is attached to the end of the support shaft 30 opposite to the detergent delivery member 28, and a connector 33 is attached to the inner surface of the left side of the platform 6 in FIG. is attached with a motor 34 which is a driving device,
Transmission pins 36 arranged at right angles to each other at the tip of the rotating shaft 35 are removably engaged with the connector 33.

Now, in the case of the device constructed as described above, when using it, first, the lid 15 of the hopper 11 is
Open it as shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure, put the powder detergent 37 into the hopper 11 in this state, and then open the lid 15.
is closed, and the powdered detergent 37 is left in the hopper 11 with the powdered detergent 37 stored therein. When the necessary switches on the operation panel 5 are operated to perform washing, the motor 34 is energized before the washing operation is started, and the energized motor 34 starts, so that the rotational force is transferred from the rotating shaft 35 to the transmission pin. The water is transmitted to the support shaft 30 via the engagement structure between 36 and the connector 33, and further transmitted from the support shaft 30 to the detergent delivery member 28. In this way, the detergent delivery member 28 is driven to rotate, particularly in a so-called spiral direction, and the detergent delivery member 28, which has been rotationally driven in this manner, moves while contacting the powdered detergent 37 in the hopper 11, thereby discharging the powder. Detergent 37
While rolling the detergent into small pieces in the central cavity formed by the coiled shape, the detergent is advanced through the detergent delivery section 22 toward the outlet 23, and is then discharged from the outlet 23. The powdered detergent 37 thus dispensed falls as shown by arrow A in both FIG. 4 and FIG. It is flushed by water supplied through the water supply valve 27 as shown by arrow B in FIG. 5, and is supplied together with the water from the supply port 26 into the washing tub (not shown). In particular, in the case of this embodiment, the above-mentioned water starts flowing before the powdered detergent 37 falls onto the detergent receiver 25, and continues to flow even after the powdered detergent 37 has finished discharging. In addition to preventing the powder detergent 37 from directly adhering to the laundry and preventing yellowing and staining of the laundry, in particular, the powder detergent 37 is
The detergent is flushed out from the detergent receiving part 25 without leaving any residue, so that it does not become stuck. Moreover, the motor 3
Regarding the rotation of No. 2 and the delivery of the powdered detergent 37 by the detergent delivery member 28, the time length and delivery amount can be controlled by operating the control knob 8.
It can be adjusted according to the type of In addition, in this case, the adjustment of the delivery amount by the operation knob 8 refers to a supplement to a predetermined basic delivery amount, and the basic delivery amount is determined according to the water level set by the operation of the operation knob 7. ing. Further, when the detergent delivery member 28 is rotated as described above, the agitation member 20 that has one of the protrusions 18 engaged with the detergent delivery member 28 sequentially engages the protrusion 18 with the detergent delivery member 28. As a result, the powder detergent 37 in the hopper 11 is
The detergent powder 37 is stirred to loosen any lumps of the powdered detergent 37 and to ensure smooth introduction into the detergent delivery member 22.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the powdered detergent 37 accommodated and stored in the hopper 11 can be delivered by the rotation of the coiled detergent delivery member 28, and by contact with the rotating detergent delivery member 28. Needless to say, the powdered detergent 37 can be finely delivered, and especially since the detergent delivery member 28 has a coil shape with a cavity in the center,
Compared to the conventional screw-shaped delivery member in which a flat plate is spirally wound around a shaft, the powder detergent 37
Since the contact area with the powder detergent 37 is extremely small, the amount of powder detergent 37 that adheres to its surface is very small, or even nonexistent, and the supply of powder detergent 37 is sufficiently smooth without clogging the powder detergent 37. And it can be done reliably. In addition, since the detergent delivery member 28 has a coil shape, the detergent can freely move inside the cavity formed in the center of the detergent delivery member 28, so even if there is a small amount of clumps, the spiral movement of the detergent delivery member 28 will remove the detergent. It is possible to send it out using a conveyor. On the other hand, in a conventional screw-shaped delivery member in which a private space surrounded by a wall is moved, it is difficult for the hardened detergent to move and the delivery member is likely to become clogged. In this case, especially if the winding diameter is set larger than the winding pitch of the coil, any lump that is large enough to pass between the winding pitches will be able to move inside the coil-shaped cavity, which will ensure that the detergent is prevented from clogging. can. In addition, since the detergent delivery member 28 has a small contact area with the powdered detergent 37 as described above, the delivery force of the powdered detergent 37 based on the contact is smaller than that of the conventional screw-shaped delivery member, but this is due to the fact that the detergent delivery member 28 This can be easily and sufficiently compensated for by increasing the number of revolutions, and since the sending force is small, it is basically possible to supply small amounts in a scattering manner, avoiding supplying large amounts at once. It can be fed more conveniently and its dissolution can be faster and more uniform. Furthermore, in this case, since the above-mentioned dispersion-like supply form is adopted, even fine adjustment of the delivery amount can be made as desired. Cleaning of the detergent delivery member 28 is easier because the powdered detergent 37 does not adhere to and remain in every corner compared to the conventional screw-shaped delivery member.
Since water can be passed through the inside of 8, it can be cleaned thoroughly. Therefore, problems such as new powder detergent 37 being deposited due to the remaining powder detergent 37 will not occur.

By the way, in the case of this embodiment, the detergent delivery member 28
is attached to the support shaft 30 and disposed together with its attachment portion 31 in the detergent delivery portion 22. In such a structure, the detergent delivery member 28 is coil-shaped and has a small diameter. Therefore, it is not possible to prevent the powdered detergent 37 in the detergent reservoir 22 from reaching the area around the attachment part 31 to which the detergent delivery member 28 is attached, and therefore, the powdered detergent 37 that has reached that area cannot be prevented.
is compacted on the inner bottom surface of the detergent dispensing portion 22 by the detergent dispensing member 28, and this mass grows as the powdered detergent 37 is further compacted on top of it, and eventually comes to prevent the detergent dispensing member 28 from spirally advancing. Since the detergent delivery member 28 cannot rotate,
This may cause the motor 32, which is the drive device, to lock up, leading to problems such as failure and burnout.

In this regard, in the above configuration, a groove 32 is formed in the mounting portion 31 of the support shaft 30 in a spiral shape along the detergent delivery member 28 and facing the direction in which the powdered detergent 37 is delivered with a surface 32a.
Since it forms the detergent delivery member 2
8, the powdered detergent 37 that has reached the surrounding area of the attachment part 31 is sent forward and discharged by the large extrusion force of the surface 32a. This prevents compaction and allows the detergent delivery member 28 to continue to rotate extremely smoothly, which prevents the motor 32 from locking up and prevents malfunctions such as breakdowns and burnouts. It can be prevented.

In addition, the supply of powdered detergent 37 in conjunction with the above-mentioned water supply, the time width control of water supply at that time, and the powdered detergent 3
Regarding the adjustment of the delivery amount depending on the type of the pump 7 and the presence/absence of the stirring member 20, it is also possible to appropriately select and implement only those that require them. Further, the detergent receiving part is not limited to the detergent receiving part 25 on the receiving plate 24, but may be inside the washing tub, that is,
The powdered detergent 37 may be directly supplied into the washing tub. Further, the drive device for rotationally driving the detergent delivery member 28 is not limited to the motor 32;
For example, it may be a water wheel or the like that operates in a water supply channel. The invention as a whole is not limited to washing machines, but can be similarly applied to all appliances that function using powdered detergent, such as dishwashers.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, but may be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope of the invention.

[Effect of the invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the detergent supply device for a washing machine or the like of the present invention, the powdered detergent stored and stored in the detergent storage section is transferred by the rotation of the coil-shaped detergent delivery member. Because it is designed to send out powdered detergent, which tends to harden due to water and humidity, which is characteristic of washing machines and other water-handling equipment, it can be supplied smoothly and reliably as it is, even if there is some hardening. The detergent delivery member is attached to the spindle and is disposed together with the attachment part in the detergent delivery part, so that cleaning etc. can be carried out easily and thoroughly. Although powdered detergent tends to reach the attachment portion, a groove is formed in the attachment portion of the spindle in a spiral shape along the detergent delivery member 28 and facing the direction in which the powdered detergent is delivered. As a result, the powdered detergent that has reached the above-mentioned attachment part can be discharged, and it can also be avoided to be compacted abnormally on the inner bottom surface of the detergent dispensing part, and the detergent dispensing member can be removed from the drive device. The device can continue to drive extremely smoothly without locking up, and can be used without the risk of failure or burnout, which is a further advantage.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional front view of the central part of the main parts, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the overall external appearance of the washing machine, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross-section of the main parts. 4 is a longitudinal sectional front view of the same portion, and FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the same portion at a different cross-sectional position from FIG. 3. In the figure, 11 is a hopper (detergent storage part), 22 is a detergent delivery part, 25 is a detergent receiving part, 28 is a detergent delivery member, 29 is a cylinder part, 30 is a spindle, 32 is a groove, 32a
34 is a motor (drive device), and 37 is a powder detergent.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] The device is for supplying powdered detergent to a detergent receiving portion of a washing machine, etc., and includes a detergent storage portion that accommodates and stores the powdered detergent, and a detergent storage portion provided at the lower end of the detergent storage portion facing the detergent receiving portion. a detergent delivery part attached to a spindle and rotatably housed in the detergent delivery part together with the attachment part; and a drive device provided to rotate through the detergent dispensing member, and a drive device provided to rotate the detergent dispensing member of the spindle in a spiral shape along the detergent dispensing member and facing in the dispensing direction of the powder detergent. A detergent supply device for a washing machine, etc., characterized by forming a groove facing toward the washing machine.