JPH0810486A - Drum type full-automatic washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a drum type full-automatic washing machine capable of reducing vibration and noise at the time of dehydration by eliminating the dehydration by means of the high speed rotation of a drum and cleanly dehydrating an article to be washed and capable of shortening a required washing time. CONSTITUTION:The drum 2 having a large number of water passing holes 7 arranged in a water tank 3 to be supported on a horizontal shaft 12 in a freely rotatable manner is equipped with the suction member 8 covering the outer peripheral wall of the drum to communicate with the water passing holes 7 of the drum 2, a suction device 9 sucking the moisture of the article to be washed stuck to the inner peripheral wall of the drum 2 through the suction member 8 to dehydrate the article to be washed, a heating means 80 heating the article to be washed and the control means 50 alternately changing over the suction device 9 and the heating means 80.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention stores laundry in a drum which is driven to rotate about a horizontal axis, performs washing and rinsing, and spins the drum without rotating it at a high speed (may also perform drying). The present invention relates to a drum type fully automatic washing machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the conventional laundry dewatering device of this type, it is generally known that water is drained after washing and rinsing, and then the laundry and water are separated by centrifugal dewatering. In addition to this, a drying method using a vacuum pump and a heater is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.
No. 7-206491 or Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-1258.
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 00.

In the former method, after washing, the laundry is dehydrated by a centrifugal separation method as usual, and subsequently, the lid and the drain pipe in the water tank are all sealed, and then the air in the water tank is discharged to the outside of the water tank by a vacuum pump. To do. As a result, when the atmospheric pressure in the water tub drops, water is evaporated from the laundry and the water is discharged from the water tub together with the air. Further, when the laundry is heated by the heater, the saturated vapor pressure in the vicinity of the laundry increases, so that evaporation of water in the laundry becomes active.

In the latter, the laundry is folded and folded in water, placed on a stand in a case, dehydrated, and sucked by a suction device while sending warm air to vaporize and suck water. dry.

[0005]

However, since the centrifugal dehydration is first performed in the former case, the low speed rotation of 55 rpm or less in the washing or rinsing process becomes the high speed rotation of 600 to 1000 rpm in the dehydration process. In the acceleration stage from low speed to high speed, the laundry is not evenly distributed on the inner wall of the drama and eccentric rotation occurs, causing the water tank to vibrate greatly. The vibration of the water tank is transmitted to the main body of the washing machine through the spring body and the buffer body, which causes a vibration failure and fatigue damage of the main body of the washing machine. Furthermore, vibration is transmitted to the floor where the washing machine is installed,
This causes the floor to vibrate greatly and gives the user discomfort,
There is a big problem in terms of noise.

When the latter is applied to a fully automatic washing machine,
It takes time and effort to fold the laundry and it cannot be said to be fully automatic. Therefore, it is impossible to be suitable for a fully automatic washing machine.

Moreover, since the passage resistance of air increases depending on the type and thickness of the laundry, water is difficult to drain, and the dehydration performance deteriorates. Therefore, the dehydration effect is increased by heating. In the case of using a commercial power source, if a heater is used together while maintaining the ventilation amount with the maximum suction force, the electric power exceeds the heater input amount, which is a problem in practicality.

In view of the above, the present invention eliminates the dehydration due to the high speed rotation of the drum to reduce the vibration and noise generated during the dehydration, and further allows the laundry to be dehydrated cleanly and the required washing time to be shortened. It is intended to provide a fully automatic washing machine.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a fully automatic drum type washing machine of the present invention is provided with respect to a drum having a plurality of water passage holes rotatably supported around a horizontal axis in a water tank. A suction body that covers the outer peripheral wall of the drum and communicates with the water passage hole of the drum, and a suction device that sucks the water content of the laundry stuck to the inner peripheral wall of the drum through the suction body to dehydrate the laundry.
A heating means for heating the water content of the laundry, a suction device and a control means for the heating means are provided. The control means has a function of alternately switching between the suction device and the heating means, or a function of supplying power to the heating means while partially supplying power to the suction device when switching between the suction device and the heating means. It also has means for detecting the temperature of the laundry or the temperature of the sucked air.

[0010]

In the fully automatic drum type washing machine of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, the drum is rotated several times at a low speed to loosen the entanglement of the laundry in the drum and spread it evenly on the bottom of the drum to drive the suction device. When a pressure difference occurs between the laundry and the drum that separate the water passage, and the vacuum level rises, the film of water that has penetrated into the laundry loses the pressure and is sucked into the suction body together with the air. In addition, the water content of the laundry can be heated by the heating means to reduce the viscosity of the water and accelerate the dehydration.

In addition, since the heating means is newly added, if the suction is performed as in the conventional case, the power consumption exceeds the electric power that can be supplied by a general household power source (for example, 100V15A), so that the heating means cannot be used. By alternately supplying power to the suction means and the suction means, it is possible to bring out the heating effect while allowing the power source to be used, and the power supply to the heating means is slightly turned to the suction means even during the heating time zone of the heating means. , Can bring out the heating effect.

[0012] Further, since water is easily removed from the laundry in the initial stage of dehydration, it is possible to efficiently perform dehydration by first performing suction rather than heating, performing heat dehydration after suction, and then alternately repeating suction and heating.

Further, in order to prevent the laundry from being abnormally heated and damaged, the control device functions so that the laundry is always heated while detecting the temperature of the laundry or the suctioned air. Can be maximized.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a drum type fully automatic washing machine of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. One embodiment of the drum type fully automatic washing machine of the present invention is, as shown in FIG. 1, a drum 2 which stores a laundry S in a washing machine body 1 and rotates, and a drum 2 which is rotatable around the drum 2. The water tank 3 for supporting, the drive device 4 for rotating the drum 2 in the forward and reverse directions, the water supply device 5 for supplying water into the water tank 3, the drainage device 6 for draining the water in the water tank 3, and the peripheral wall of the drum 2 are covered. There is provided a suction body 8 which communicates with the water passage hole 7 of the drum 2, and a suction device 9 which sucks the water of the laundry S attached to the inner peripheral wall of the drum 2 through the suction body 8 and dehydrates it.

The drum 2 has a large number of water passage holes 7 formed in the peripheral wall thereof, and an opening 10 through which the laundry S is put in and taken out is formed in the front surface. Further, a rotation receiving portion 11 which is in sliding contact with the water tank 3 is provided in the center of the rear surface of the drum 2, and a horizontal shaft 12 is fixed to the rotation receiving portion 11. The horizontal shaft 12 penetrates the central axis of the water tank 3 and projects outward, and the drum pulley 13 is fixed to the tip end side thereof. A drum driving motor 14 capable of rotating in the forward and reverse directions is attached to the lower surface of the water tank 3, and the driving device 4 is composed of the driving pulley 15, the drum pulley 13 and the drum driving motor 14 of the motor shaft. . The water tank 3 includes a drum 2 and a driving device 4.
Is housed in the main body 1 of the washing machine, and the upper surface of the water tank 3 is also spring 20 to absorb the vibration.
The damper 21 is provided between the lower surface of the water tub 3 and the bottom surface of the washing machine body 1 so as to hold the water tub 3 and damp the vibration.

Further, a weight 2 is provided on the upper surface and the front surface of the water tank 3.
2 is attached, which reduces vibration during drum rotation. Further, a plurality of installation legs 23 are provided on the bottom surface of the washing machine body 1 to block the conduction of vibration to the floor and the like.

On the front surface of the water tub 3, a laundry entry port 24 that faces the opening 10 of the drum 2 is projectingly provided, and the washing machine main body 1
A sealing lid 25 that opens and closes the input port 24 is attached to be openable and closable. Further, a drainage port is formed on the lower surface of the water tank 3 and a drainage device 6 is arranged. The drainage device 6 includes a drainage pipe 26 connected to a drainage outlet and a drainage valve 27 interposed in the drainage pipe 26, and a drainage hose 28 led to the outside of the washing machine body 1 is connected to the drainage pipe 26. Has been done.

A water supply port is formed on the upper surface of the water tank 3, and a water supply device 5 is arranged therein. The water supply device 5 includes a water supply pipe 29 connected to a water supply port, and a water supply valve 30 interposed in the water supply pipe 29. The water supply pipe 29 is connected to a water supply or the like. A container 31 containing a detergent, a softening agent, and the like is interposed in the middle of the container, and the detergent is introduced together with water supply.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the suction member 8 is connected to two flat plates 32 extending in the axial direction so as to surround a part of the lower surface of the drum 2 and one ends of both flat plates 32. The connection pipe 33 is formed by penetrating the water tank 3 and protruding to the outside, and the connection pipe 33 is expandable and contractible. A sealing material 34 is attached to the other end of the flat plate 32 so as to be in close contact with the drum 2, so that the outer peripheral wall of the drum 2 can be hermetically covered.

The suction device 9 includes a suction pipe 35 connected to the connection pipe 33 of the suction body 8 and a suction pump 37.
And a suction valve 38 interposed in the suction pipe 35. The drain port of the drainage tank 36 is connected to the drainage pipe 26 via a tank valve 39. Drainage tank 36
A water level float 40 is provided in the inside to prevent the retained water from overflowing, and the tank valve 39 is opened by the floating of the water level float 40.

Further, a circulation path 41 consisting of a circulation pipe is connected to the exhaust side of the suction pump 37, and the circulation path 41 is the water tank 3.
An intake valve 42 is provided in the circulation path 41, which is connected to an intake port formed in the upper part. Thus, the air sucked from the drum 2 by the suction pump 37 is circulated through the circulation path from the suction body 8, the suction pump 35, and the drainage tank 36 to the water tank 3 via the circulation path 41.

A drainage sensor 43 for detecting the amount of water passing through the suction pipe 35 is provided downstream of the suction valve 38 of the suction pipe 35. The drainage sensor 43 is an electromagnetic flowmeter, an ultrasonic flowmeter, or an oval type. , Rotary vane type,
A positive displacement type flow meter such as a piston type is used.

Further, an air hole 44 for taking in air from the outside is formed between the suction pipe 35, the suction valve 38 and the drainage sensor 43, and a lid 45 is provided adjacent to the air hole 44 for opening and closing, The lid 45 is attached to the − side of an L-shaped swinging piece 47 which is rotatably supported by the washing machine body 1 around a shaft 46. The lid 45 moves to the air hole 44 with respect to the suction pipe 35 in accordance with the flow of air sucked from the air hole 44 by the negative pressure in the suction pipe 35, and serves as a pressure sensor.

The motor 14, the suction pump 37, the drain valve 27, the water supply valve 30, the suction valve 38, the intake valve 42, and the tank valve 39 are driven and controlled by a control device 50 including a microcomputer. The control device 50 is disposed on the upper portion of the washing machine main body 1, and performs washing and rinsing according to input from operation keys of an operation panel provided on the outer surface of the washing machine main body 1 and output signals of various sensors such as the drainage sensor 3. , Perform each process of dehydration.

The control unit 50 has a laundry discrimination function for determining the weight and cloth quality of the laundry S from the initial weight of the laundry S and the weight after water supply, and the water supply amount and the laundry based on the determination result. It has functions that a normal fully automatic washing machine has, such as an operation setting function for setting each operation condition of rinsing and dehydration.

In the above construction, the washing and rinsing steps are the same as those of the conventional fully automatic washing machine, so the description thereof will be omitted and the dehydration step will be described. When the rinsing process is completed, the drain valve 27 is opened and the water is drained from the water tank 3. The laundry S stored in the drum 2 sticks to the inner peripheral wall in a state of being spread to the lower portion of the drum 2 by drainage. Then, the dehydration process is started under the dehydration operation condition set by the determination result of the laundry S.

First, the motor 14 is driven to rotate the drum 2 at a low speed for several revolutions so that the laundry S in the drum 2 can be loosened and spread evenly. After stopping the motor 14, the drain valve 27
Also, the tank valve 39 is closed to keep the water tank 3 in a sealed state, the intake valve 42 and the suction valve 38 are opened, and the suction pump 3
Drive 7 Due to the suction of the suction pump 37, a negative pressure force is applied to the suction body 8 through the drainage tank 36 and the suction pipe 35.

Here, the flat plate 32 of the suction body 8 is not normally in contact with the drum 2 and is separated while maintaining a certain distance.
External air is taken in from the air holes 44 by the negative pressure of the suction pipe 35, and a negative pressure force is applied to the lid 45. The lid 45 is attracted to the suction pipe 35, and the air hole 44 is closed. As a result, the swing piece 47 rotates clockwise, the link bar 48 is pushed up, and the flat plate 32 is brought into close contact with the outer peripheral wall of the drum 2.

The degree of vacuum is increased in the suction body 8 and a pressure difference is generated between the laundry S and the inside of the drum 2 which are separated by the water passage hole 7.
When the degree of vacuum rises, the film of water permeated into the laundry S loses the pressure and is sucked into the suction body 8 together with the air. The air containing the moisture reaches the drainage tank 36 from the suction body 8 through the suction pipe 35.

At this time, the water and the air are separated by the difference in weight, the water is stored in the drainage tank 36, and the air is sucked into the suction pump 37. The air taken into the suction pump 37 becomes warm air by passing through the heat-generating suction pump 37 and being cooled by air, rises in the circulator 41 and is blown into the water tank 3 through the intake valve 42.

The hot air passing through the laundry S promotes a decrease in the viscosity and evaporation of water, thereby promoting the dehydration of the laundry S. In this way, suction is performed for a predetermined time. In addition,
The water tank 3 is provided with an intake port 82 for replenishing the outside air, and by opening the intake valve 81, the outside air is replenished in the drum and the inside of the drum 2 is kept at atmospheric pressure. Keep it closed.

In the case of microwaves, the heating means 80 guides the microwaves generated by the microwave oscillating device 84 into the drum 2 by the waveguide 85 as shown in FIG. The object S (water content) is heated. On the other hand, the heating means 80 is a heater (for example, PTC).
In the case of a heater), the intake valve 42 is opened as shown in FIG. 3, the circulating warm air is blown into the drum 2 via the heater, and the laundry S (moisture) is heated by the warm air. It has become.

When the heating means 80 is a microwave, the suction device 9 is first driven for a predetermined time, and then the suction device 9 is stopped and at the same time the microwave is supplied with electric power. Then, when a predetermined time has elapsed, the suction device 9 is driven again and the heating means 80 is stopped. In this way, power is alternately supplied to the suction device and the heating means. A pattern model of this suction / heating alternating power supply is shown in FIG. 5 (in the case of microwave heating).

By doing so, the temperature of the water rises, and the viscosity decreases (as shown in FIG. 6) as the temperature of the water rises, so that dehydration is accelerated. Moreover, power consumption does not increase. The driving time of the suction device and the heating time of the heating means are 50
The dehydration rate in seconds was 56% in 10 minutes. By the way, it was 52% only by suction. The dehydration rate is represented by dehydration rate (%) = (weight of laundry after drying / weight of laundry after dehydration) * 100.

Further, in the case of microwave heating, the drum 2 is made of a stainless steel material provided with holes (water passage holes 7) of 1/2 or less of the wavelength of the microwave (frequency 2,450 Hz), and a metal water tank. 3 and the sealing lid 25 are in close contact with each other. The sealing lid 25 is a glass molded body and a see-through metal mesh or punching metal or the like (hole diameter is 1/2 of the microwave wavelength). Below), it has a structure that prevents radio wave leakage as a whole.

As another embodiment of the drum type fully automatic washing machine of the present invention, when the heating means 80 is a heater,
As shown in FIG. 3, first, after the suction device 9 is driven for a predetermined time, it is heated by the heater and at the same time the power supply to the suction device 9 is reduced to half or less to suck the laundry S by using the heat of the heater as warm air. To heat. Then, after a lapse of a predetermined time, the suction device 9 is driven again at full power, and the heating means 80 is stopped. In this way, power is alternately supplied to the suction device and the heating means.

A pattern model of this suction / heating alternating power supply is shown in FIG. 4 (in the case of heater heating). By doing so, the dehydration effect can be enhanced without increasing the power consumption. Of course, this method can also be adopted when the heating means 80 is a microwave.

In the devices in which electric power is alternately supplied to the suction device and the heating means as in these embodiments, the temperature of the sucked air is detected by the temperature sensor 83 such as a thermistor. When the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature, for example, 50 ° C., the controller 50 controls so that only the heating means is stopped regardless of the above-mentioned nourishment right. On the other hand, when the temperature reaches the predetermined temperature and the dehydration is for a predetermined time (for example, 15 minutes) or more, both the heating unit 80 and the suction device 9 are stopped and the dehydration process is completed.

When the dehydration is completed, the suction pump 3
7 is stopped, and the intake valve 42, the suction valve 38, and the intake valve 81 are closed. Subsequently, the motor 14 is driven, but forward / reverse reversal drive is performed, and the drum 60 is normally / reversely rotated to loosen the entangled laundry S so that the laundry S can be easily taken out. Finally, the motor 14 is stopped, the sealing lid 25 is opened, and the laundry S is taken out from the drum 60.

The sucked air becomes hot and humid,
Although it is guided into the drainage tank 36, the inside of the drainage tank 36 has a temperature lower than the ambient temperature due to the water separated from the laundry S, so the hot and humid air is condensed in the drainage tank 36 to remove moisture, and is dried. It becomes the air.

[0041]

Since the drum type fully automatic washing machine of the present invention is constructed as described above, by performing suction dehydration, it is not necessary to rotate the drum at high speed during dehydration, and the water tub can vibrate greatly. It is possible to minimize the mechanical noise as well as to eliminate the discomfort to the user. Therefore, anti-vibration measures are not required, it is not necessary to make the washing machine main body robust, and a significant cost reduction can be achieved by using a reinforcing material and a vibration damping mechanism.

Further, in addition to the above effects, the invention according to claim 1 is provided with a suction device for sucking and removing water from the laundry through a suction body, and a heating means for heating the laundry.
By alternately supplying power to the heating means (microwave, heater, etc.) of the laundry being dehydrated and the suction device, it is possible to efficiently dehydrate while keeping the power consumption below a predetermined value.

In addition to the above effects, the invention according to claim 2 makes it easier for water to escape from the laundry at the initial stage of dehydration. Therefore, suction is more efficient than heating at the beginning. And
It is possible to efficiently dehydrate by heating and dehydrating after suctioning and then alternately repeating suction and heating.

In addition to the above effects, according to the invention of claim 3, when a heater as a heating means is provided in the intake air, the suction means is not completely cut off during heating by the heater, but the suction means is not completely cut off. By narrowing the power supply to the means and sucking, the alternate power supply is possible even in the case of a heater.

Further, in addition to the above effects, when the heating means is a microwave, the suction means can be completely stopped during microwave heating. Of course, as in the case of the heater, the power supply to the suction means can be narrowed down for suction.

Further, in addition to the above effects, the invention according to claim 5 stops only the heating means regardless of the above conditions when the temperature of the sucked air reaches a predetermined temperature while detecting the temperature. By powering down, damage to the laundry due to overheating can be prevented.

In addition to the above effects, the invention described in the claims makes it possible to detect the temperature of the suctioned air and, if the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature and the dehydration time is a predetermined time or more, the heating means and the suction means. The end of the dehydration process can be effectively managed by stopping the apparatus and ending the dehydration process.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an outline of one embodiment of a drum type fully automatic washing machine of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the suction device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing the outline of another embodiment of the drum type fully automatic washing machine of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a case where a drum type fully automatic washing machine according to the present invention is heated by a suction / heating alternating drive heater.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of the case of microwave heating of suction / heating alternating drive of the drum type fully automatic washing machine of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a change in viscosity of water with temperature.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 drum 5 motor 12 baffle 13 hole 14 motor 16 jet pump 17 gas-liquid separation tank 22 heating device 24 suction port 27 lint filter 28 defoaming device 30 injection nozzle 32, 35 water passage 36 oil seal 80 heating means 81 intake valve 83 Temperature sensor 84 Microwave oscillator

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A drive unit for rotating a forward and reverse direction of a washing machine, comprising a water tank elastically supported by the main body of the washing machine, and a drum having a plurality of water holes internally supported in the water tank so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis. In a drum type fully automatic washing machine provided with a water supply device for supplying water into the water tank and a drainage device for draining water in the water tank, the outer peripheral wall of the drum is covered to communicate with the water passage hole of the drum. And a suction device for sucking and removing water from the laundry stuck to the inner peripheral wall of the drum through the suction body, and a heating means for heating the washing machine article. The drum-type fully automatic washing machine, characterized in that it is provided with a power feeding means for alternately feeding power to the suction means and the heating means including the microwave and the heater. 2. When the suction and dehydration by the suction device and the heating by the heating means are alternately performed, the suction and dehydration are first performed, followed by the heat and dehydration, and then the suction and the heating are alternately repeated. Drum type fully automatic washing machine. 3. When the heater as the heating means is provided during the intake of air into the drum, the suction device is not completely stopped while the heater is energized, and the power supply to the suction device is throttled to perform suction. The drum type fully automatic washing machine according to claim 1, wherein 4. When the heating means is a microwave, it is either one of a means for completely stopping the suction device during microwave heating and a means for sucking by reducing power supply to the suction device. The fully automatic drum type washing machine according to claim 1, wherein 5. When the temperature of the air sucked by the suction device is detected and when the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature, either the heating means alone is stopped or the heating means is powered down regardless of the above conditions. The drum-type fully automatic washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the drum-type fully automatic washing machine is provided. 6. The temperature of the air sucked by the suction device is detected, and if the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature and the dehydration is for a predetermined time or more, the heating means and the suction device are stopped to terminate the dehydration process. The fully automatic drum type washing machine according to claim 5.