JPH11276789A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing machine capable of washing dirt stuck to a collar and sleeves of a shirt, which is difficult to be washed in a conventional washing machine off, without a preprocessing such as troublesome washing by hands. SOLUTION: In midway of a feed water route feeding water into a washing tank, a container 60 in which sodium type strong acid cation exchange resin 31 is filled is provided. Further, a variable speed control means varying revolving speed of a rotary vane within the washing tank is provided. Chemical force of detergent is enhanced by softening water for washing by an ion removing means, revolving speed of the rotary vane by the variable speed control means is increased and high cleaning force is obtained by their synergism.

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 means for removing a hard component from water used for washing and means for driving an actuator for applying mechanical force to laundry at a variable speed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to remove dirt in a washing machine, it is necessary to exert not only the effect of the surfactant contained in the detergent but also the effect of mechanical force. The dirt wrapped in the surfactant is peeled off from the clothing by this mechanical force, and the dirt is removed from the clothing. This mechanical force is imparted to the clothing in the form of a frictional force when the clothing rubs against each other by reversing the rotation of the rotor installed on the bottom surface of the washing tub and stirring the clothing in the washing water. That is, the dirt attached to the laundry is removed by a synergistic effect of the chemical power of the detergent and the mechanical power of the washing machine.
The mechanical force is the product of the drive speed of the actuator and time,
In a washing machine having a rotor, it is almost proportional to the product of the rotation speed of the rotor and time. Usually, the rotor of a washing machine is driven by a single-phase induction motor connected to a commercial power supply. In this case, the rotation speed of the rotor is determined by the commercial power frequency, the number of poles of the motor, and the speed reduction mechanism inserted between the rotor shaft and the rotor.
Therefore, this rotation speed is constant in a normal washing machine,
The adjustment of the mechanical force takes place over time. In order to adjust the mechanical force at a rotational speed, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
As described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-205, a PWM inverter circuit is mounted on a washing machine, and the power supply frequency for driving the electric motor is varied. In the washing machine described in the above publication, the rotational speed of the rotor is controlled by the amount of laundry in order to make the same mechanical force applied to the laundry regardless of the amount of laundry.

[0003]

In the washing machine described in the above-mentioned publication, which has a rotating blade variable speed means, no consideration is given to changing the mechanical force applied to the laundry depending on the amount of dirt on the laundry. That is, no consideration is given to adjusting the rotation speed according to the degree of dirt. In other words, when washing the heavily soiled laundry and when washing the less soiled laundry, the same mechanical force is applied to the laundry if the amount of the laundry is the same. Therefore, it is possible to wash the laundry with less stain on laundry with less stain,
The effect of sufficiently removing dirt from a heavily soiled laundry with the least possible damage to the cloth cannot be expected.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine which can obtain a high washing effect in a short time as much as possible without any troublesome pretreatment such as hand washing and can reduce the damage of the laundry. is there. A second object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine having a compact ion removing means capable of removing cations contained in washing water at a flow rate of 10 L or more per minute while achieving the above object. is there.

[0005]

In order to achieve the first object, a washing machine according to the present invention comprises: a washing tub for storing laundry; water supply means for supplying water to the washing tub; Draining means for draining water, an actuator for applying mechanical force to the laundry in the washing tub, a driving means for the actuator, and a washing machine comprising control means for controlling the driving means, In the middle of the water supply path of the water supply means, there is provided an ion exchange means for reducing calcium ions and / or magnesium ions contained in the supplied water, and as the control means, a variable speed control means for changing a drive speed of the actuator It is provided with. At this time, the actuator may be constituted by a rotor provided at the bottom of the washing tub, and the rotation speed of the rotor may be variably controlled by the variable speed control means. It is also preferable to provide a means for selecting the rotation speed independently of the amount of laundry, and to change the drive speed of the actuator or the rotation speed of the rotary blade by the variable speed control means based on the selection result by the means. According to the above means, the drive speed of the actuator can be changed according to the degree of dirt, so that the time for applying the mechanical force to the laundry can be shortened. In addition, the washing effect can be improved by using the washing water in which the calcium ions and the magnesium ions are reduced, and the mechanical force is reduced, that is, the washing effect is maintained even when the driving speed of the actuator is reduced, thereby shortening the washing time. Increase can be reduced. ◆ The second above
In order to achieve the object of (1), a container containing a material having ion exchange capacity in the middle of the water supply path of the washing machine, and a first space and a second space above and below the material of the container, respectively. A first room in which a third space is provided above the first space, and a regenerating agent is stored above the third space; and a first room is provided between the first room and the third space. A first passage connecting the first space and the third space; and a third passage connecting the first space and the third space.
A check valve for preventing water from flowing into the space through the first passage, a first water supply means for supplying water to the container, and a second water supply means for supplying water to the first room, First
A water inlet for supplying water from the water supply means into the container is provided in the second space; an outlet for water from the container to the outer tub / washing tub is provided in the first space; A drain port for discharging residual water in the container and a second passage connected to the drain port are provided at the bottom of the second space, and the outlet of the second passage is located below the bottom of the second space. Provided. ◆ Water is supplied through the material having ion exchange capacity. Since the check valve is closed during water supply, water does not flow into the third space. Divalent cations such as calcium ions and magnesium ions as hardness components are removed from the washing water by the material having an ion exchange ability, and the water is supplied into the washing tub. As a result, the amount of the surfactant in the detergent added for washing is reduced in the washing water, and the washing power is not reduced. In order to further achieve the above object, a washing machine according to the present invention comprises a three-phase induction motor, variable speed control means for driving the motor at a variable speed, and a high-wash washing button for instructing washing of heavily soiled laundry. Was provided. ◆ When the high-wash washing button is pressed, the three-phase induction motor that rotates the rotating blades is set at a higher speed than normal by the variable speed control means, and the mechanical power applied to the laundry is reduced. Enhance. As a result, due to the synergistic effect of the increase in the chemical force of the detergent by the ion removing means and the increase in the mechanical force due to the high rotation speed, a high detergency is exhibited within the same washing time as in a normal case. In addition, it is possible to remove collar and sleeve stains that have been difficult with a conventional washing machine without prior washing. ◆ During the final rinsing, water is injected from the second water supply means into the first room. Part of the injected water passes through the filter while dissolving the regenerant and accumulates in the third space. At this time, water is still being supplied,
Since the check valve is closed, the solution in which the regenerant is dissolved does not flow down to the first space. When the water supply in the final rinsing step is stopped, the water in the container is discharged from the water outlet through the second passage by the head of the water surface in the container and the second passage outlet. Then, the check valve opens, and the solution in the third space flows down from the first passage to the first space, passes through the material having ion exchange capacity, the second space, and the second passage to the outer tank. The discharged material having the ion exchange ability is automatically regenerated. Since the second passage outlet is located below the bottom of the second space, most of the solution flowing down into the container is discharged. As a result, the ion removing means maintains the ion removing ability even in the next washing.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a fully automatic washing machine according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. The exterior is composed of an outer frame 1 made of a steel plate and a top cover 17 attached to an upper portion thereof. Outer tank 4 which is a water receiving tank
Are suspended in the outer frame 1 from the upper four corners of the outer frame 1 by a suspension rod 2 and an anti-vibration device 3 comprising a coil spring and a sliding ring, and are used for washing water in the washing step and rinsing water in the rinsing step. (Hereinafter referred to as washing water). Outer tub 4
Inside, a stainless steel washing and dewatering tub 5 (hereinafter referred to as a washing tub) is rotatably provided. A number of dehydration holes 5a are provided on the side surface of the washing tub 5, a rotating blade 6 which is an actuator for applying mechanical force to the laundry is rotatably provided at a central bottom portion, and a balancer 5b is provided at an upper edge portion. A support plate 10 is attached to the bottom surface of the outer tub 4, and a driving device is fixed to the support plate 10.

The drive unit comprises a three-phase induction motor 7, a transmission 9 in which a gear reduction mechanism, a clutch mechanism and a brake mechanism are combined. The rotation of the three-phase induction motor 7 is transmitted to the transmission 9 by a pulley 8a and a belt 8b. Is transmitted. The output shaft of the transmission 9 penetrates the bottom wall of the outer tub 4 in a water-tight manner, protrudes into the outer tub 4, and is connected to the rotary wing 6 and the washing tub 5. The driving device stops the washing tub 5 during the washing step and the rinsing step, and rotates the rotary wing 6 in the clockwise direction (positive) and the counterclockwise direction (reverse). During the dehydration step, the washing tub 5 is rotated in one direction.

A water level sensor tube 12 for transmitting the water pressure in the outer tank to a water level sensor 11 is provided below the outer tank 4 side surface. A drain valve 1 for draining washing water is provided on the bottom of the outer tub 4.
The washing water is drained out of the washing machine by a drain hose 16 connected to a drain valve.

A top cover 17 is provided above the outer frame 1. The top cover 17 includes an inlet 17a for charging laundry, an ion removing means, a water tap 26, a rear storage box 17b for storing a water supply solenoid valve, and a front operation box 17c for storing electric components such as a microcomputer. Be composed. Input 17
a is provided with a lid 18.

An operation panel 19a shown in FIG. 3 is mounted on an upper surface of the front operation box 17c, and a control unit 19b containing a microcomputer or the like is provided below the operation panel 19a. In the front operation box 17c, there is provided a water level sensor 11 for detecting whether or not water has accumulated to a specified water level by detecting the water pressure in the outer tub 4. On the operation panel 19a, a power switch 20, various displays 21, various operation buttons 22, a buzzer 23, and the like are arranged. A user operates the washing machine with the operation buttons 22, and the operation state is displayed on the display 21. , Can be confirmed by the buzzer 23. A water softening display 24 composed of a light emitting diode for displaying ion removal processing (water softening); a salt input display 25 composed of a light emitting diode for displaying the notification of regeneration of the ion removing means; a standard washing button 80 for instructing a normal washing process; A high-wash washing button 81 is provided for instructing a washing process of a very dirty laundry.

FIG. 4 is a plan view (cross section taken along the line BB in FIG. 1) of the rear portion of the rear storage box 17b related to the supply of the washing water, which is a main component of the present embodiment, when the upper lid is removed. The front side is omitted.) A water tap 26 for connecting a hose from a tap or the like to the rear storage box 17b, followed by a water supply solenoid valve 27, a salt water injection solenoid valve 63, an ion removing means 28 composed of a cylindrical container 60, a bath water A bath water suction pump 45 that absorbs water, an inclined flow path 46 that allows washing water to flow down in the washing tub 5, and the like are housed. On the upstream side of the inclined flow passage 46, a room A47 and a room B48 opening to the flow passage 46
Is provided. The outlet of the water supply electromagnetic valve 27 is connected to the water inlet 29a of the ion exchange means 28, and the outlet of the salt injection electromagnetic valve 63 is connected to the salt water inlet 60h of the ion exchange means 28. The discharge port 29b of the ion exchange means 28 is connected to the room A47.

FIG. 5 shows the details of the ion removing means 28 which is a main component of the present embodiment. (A) shows the ion removing means 28
And (b) is a longitudinal sectional view thereof. The ion removing means 28 includes a cylindrical container 60 and a lid 61. The cylindrical container 60 is divided into five rooms. From above, the salt input room 60a, the salt input room 60a and the salt particle outflow prevention filter 6
A salt water room 60k separated by 0 g, an upper room 60b provided with a discharge port 29b, a resin room 29e whose upper and lower surfaces between the water inlet 29a and the discharge port 29b are separated by a mesh filter 29d, and a water inlet 29a are provided. Lower room 60c
It is. Between the water inlet 29a and the outlet 29b (upper room 6
The resin room 29e (between 0b and the lower room 60c) is filled with a sodium-type strongly acidic cation exchange resin 31 (hereinafter referred to as an ion exchange resin). The ion-exchange resin 31 may be a bead-like resin which is widely used in general, or a fibrous resin. The mesh filter 29d prevents foreign matter from entering the resin room 29e and prevents the ion exchange resin 31 from flowing out of the resin room 29e. The provision of the upper chamber 60b and the lower chamber 60c at the upper and lower portions of the ion exchange resin 31 prevents water from passing through only a part of the ion exchange resin 31 layer, and makes the entire ion exchange resin layer uniform. This is for flowing water and efficiently adsorbing metal ions. The water enters the lower chamber 60c through the water inlet 29a, fills the lower chamber 60c, then rises uniformly in the ion exchange resin 31 layer, exits to the upper chamber 60b, fills the upper chamber 60b, and flows out of the outlet 29b. Further, the upper chamber 60b is necessary for temporarily storing the salt water so that the salt solution for regeneration flows uniformly throughout the entire 31 layers of the ion exchange resin.

The salt 62 is charged in the salt charging chamber 60a by the user in advance. The amount of salt put in is
Approximately 150 g. This corresponds to seven times of 20 g of salt required per one time of the regeneration treatment of the ion exchange resin 31 described later, and the user needs to put the salt 62 once a week. A salt particle outflow prevention filter 60g having a diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the salt input room 60k is disposed between the salt input room 60a and the salt water room 60k, and prevents salt particles from flowing out into the salt water room 60k. Thereby, the salt particle outflow filter 60
g can be increased, and the salt water flows down through the entire surface of the filter into the salt water chamber 60k, so that the flow rate of the salt water can be secured. A salt injection pipe 60i from a salt injection port 60h is opened in the salt injection chamber 60a. The salt water room 60k and the upper room 60b are separated by a partition wall 60d, and the partition wall 60d is provided with a hole 60e through which the salt water passes. This hole 6
0e, a check valve 60f is provided on the upper room 60b side, and when the water is supplied to the washing tub 5, the check valve 60f is
e to prevent water from flowing from the upper chamber 60b to the salt water chamber 60k. A salt water outlet 29c is provided on the bottom of the lower chamber 60c so as to penetrate the bottom of the rear storage box 17b, and a salt water discharge pipe 64 connected to the salt water outlet 29c is connected to the outer tank 4 as shown in FIG. It is connected to discharge the salt water into the outer tank. A concave groove 61a is provided on the inner circumference of the lid 61, and an air hole 61b is opened on the upper surface. A protrusion 61j is formed on the outer circumference of the upper portion of the cylindrical container 60.
The lid 61 is provided with a concave groove 61 in the convex portion 60j of the cylindrical container 60.
a is fixed so as to fit. The lid 61 is the rear storage box 17
b, so that the lid 61 can be easily opened and closed. The lid 61 is made of a transparent material such as an acrylic resin so that the remaining amount of the salt consumed in the process of regenerating the ion exchange resin for each washing described later can be easily checked.

The hose from the tap is connected to the tap 26. Tap water is supplied to the cylindrical container 6 by opening and closing the water supply solenoid valve 27.
It is guided to the water inlet 29a of 0, fills the lower chamber 60c, and then passes through the room 29e filled with the ion exchange resin 31 while ascending. Tap water is softened here, that is, calcium and magnesium ions are removed, fills the upper chamber 60b, and flows out from the outlet 29b. Then, the water flows down from the room A47 to the inclined flow passage 46 and is supplied to the outer tub 4 (the washing tub 5). Water from the bath is drawn out by a hose connected to the bath water supply port 45a. The bath water is supplied with tap water from a water tap 26 by opening a water supply electromagnetic valve 27 and ion removing means 2.
8. Through the room A47, a part of the water is primed from the priming port 45b to the bath water suction pump 45. Thereafter, by rotating the pump motor, the bath water is self-primed from the bath water supply port 45a, and the inclined flow path 46 is discharged from the discharge port 45c through the room B48.
And water is supplied to the washing tub 5 from here.

The installation of the ion removing means 28 constituted by the cylindrical container 60 in the rear storage box 17b in which the water tap 26 is installed can shorten the length of the water supply pipe, reduce the flow path loss, and reduce the flow rate, This is because the water supply time can be reduced. In the water supply, tap water passes through the room 29e filled with the ion exchange resin 31, so that the pressure loss of the resin filling is large.
In order to cover even a small amount of this loss, the pipe length from the water tap to the cylindrical container 60 is desirably 100 mm or less. The washing water supply flow rate of the conventional washing machine is 10 to 15 liters / min, depending on the tap water pressure, and the above-described consideration is necessary to obtain a flow rate close to this in this embodiment.

FIG. 6A is a block diagram of a washing machine control section mainly composed of the microcomputer 50. The microcomputer 50 is also connected to the operation button input circuit 51 and the water level sensor 11, and receives a user's button operation and an information signal of the washing water level in the washing tub. The output from the microcomputer 50 is connected to a drive circuit 52 and supplies commercial power to the bath water pump 45, the water supply solenoid valve 27, the drain valve 13 and the like, and controls the opening / closing or rotation thereof. Further, in order to inform the user of the operation of the washing machine, it is also connected to notification means such as a buzzer 23 and a display 21. The power supply circuit 53 rectifies and smoothes a commercial power supply to create a DC power supply required for the microcomputer 50. Reference numeral 54 denotes a light emitting diode which lights up to indicate the soft water treatment. Light emitting diode 5
Reference numeral 4 is mounted on the front operation box 17c, and is turned on when water is passed through the ion exchange resin, to notify the user with the water softening display 24 that the water softening process is being performed. Reference numeral 55 denotes a light-emitting diode that lights up to indicate salt injection. Light emitting diode 5
Reference numeral 5 is attached to the front operation box 17c, and is lit when salt input to the ion removing means is required, and the salt input is indicated by a salt input display 25.
To inform the user.

The converter circuit 71 rectifies and smoothes the commercial power supply to create a DC power supply, and the inverter circuit 72 creates a three-phase AC power supply from the DC power supply and supplies the three-phase induction motor 7 with three-phase AC power.
Supply phase exchange. The inverter circuit 72 includes an IGBT module 73 and a PWM signal circuit 74.
A PWM signal is applied to the gate terminal of the three-phase induction motor 7 to supply a three-phase AC current to each UVW winding of the three-phase induction motor 7 by chopping the DC power supply. The PWM signal circuit 74 is connected to the microcomputer 50, and determines the frequency and voltage of the three-phase alternating current supplied to the three-phase induction motor and the phase relationship of each UVW phase according to an instruction from the microcomputer.
Create an M signal. FIG. 6B shows details around the inverter circuit 72. If the UVW phase has a phase relationship of 120 degrees in this order, the three-phase induction motor 7 rotates clockwise. For example, in the phase relationship in which the UV phase is reversed as described above, the motor rotates counterclockwise.

Next, the operation of the ion removing means 28 according to this embodiment will be described.

First, the relationship between the cations such as calcium and magnesium contained in the washing water and the cleaning effect will be described.

Washing water used for washing in the washing machine is supplied directly from a water source represented by tap water to the washing machine with a hose or the like, and supplied to a washing tub in the washing machine by a user's operation.
Used for washing clothes.

However, for example, tap water contains anions such as hypochlorite ions for sterilizing various bacteria and cations such as calcium ions, magnesium ions and iron ions contained in the water source. These ions have various adverse effects on laundry, such as a decrease in detergency and coloring of clothes.

The major influence on the cleaning power of the detergent is as follows.
It is a divalent cation such as calcium ion and magnesium ion as hardness components. Since these react with the surfactant in the detergent to form a water-insoluble metal soap, the amount of the surfactant contributing to cleaning is reduced, and the cleaning power is reduced. Further, the produced metallic soap is insoluble in water, and if the rinse is insufficient, it remains on the clothes and appears as white spots, causing yellowing and off-flavor. Further, when the adhesive is deposited on the outer wall of the washing tub, mold and the like may propagate there.

These adverse effects are particularly remarkable in the case of soap, and it has been difficult to use soap in areas having high hardness. On the other hand, most synthetic detergents used in homes contain zeolite as one of the builders in order to reduce the influence of hardness. Zeolite is water-insoluble white fine particles containing silica and alumina as main components, and has an effect of adsorbing polyvalent cations such as calcium and magnesium in water to soften water.

When calcium and magnesium ions are contained in water, when a zeolite-containing detergent is added to the water, these ions are removed. At the same time, these ions also react with the surfactant of the detergent. Generation cannot be completely prevented. For this reason, the effect of mixing zeolite is diminished. Originally, it is preferable to dissolve the detergent in water after removing these ions from the washing water and use it for washing. Furthermore, if a large amount of water-insoluble zeolite is mixed into a detergent as a builder, there is also a problem that zeolite particles adhere to clothes after washing and the finish is deteriorated.

A washing machine described in JP-A-4-20395 is known as a washing machine for washing after supplying ions to a washing tub filled with a detergent after removing ions from the supplied washing water. ing. This washing machine is provided with a washing tub for washing clothes and a water supply means for supplying water to the washing tub, and an ion removing means is provided in a water supply path of the water supply means. Also, as this ion removing means,
It is disclosed that an ion exchange resin or activated carbon is used. Further, in this washing machine, attention is paid to the limit of the adsorption capacity of activated carbon for removing anions, and a water supply path in parallel with the ion removing means is prepared and selectively used to extend the life.

However, in the ion removing means described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 4-20395, the flow rate required for supplying the washing water,
No consideration is given to the amount, particle size, or ion removal efficiency of the ion exchange resin. That is, a large amount of ion exchange resin is required to secure the flow rate, and it is difficult to house the ion removing means inside the washing machine or to configure the ion removing means in a compact manner. On the other hand, if the amount of the ion exchange resin is reduced to make the ion exchange means compact, it is difficult to obtain a flow rate of 10 to 15 L per minute, which is normally required. Further, in order to store the ion exchange means inside the washing machine, if the ion exchange means is to be arranged below the washing machine, it is necessary to provide a long water supply passage before and after the ion exchange means, and pressure loss in this water supply passage is reduced. And it becomes more difficult to secure the flow rate. In addition, the ion-exchange resin loses its removal effect after adsorbing a certain amount of ions.Therefore, it is necessary to treat a certain amount of washing water and then regenerate it. No consideration is given to recycling the limited amount of ion exchange resin possible. Also, no consideration is given to means for increasing the mechanical force applied to the clothes in the washing tub.

In this embodiment, when the user puts the laundry in the washing tub 5, presses the power switch 19, and operates the standard washing button 80 or the high washing washing button 81, the microcomputer 50 uses the cloth amount sensor. The amount of laundry is measured, and the amount of water and the amount of detergent according to the measurement result are displayed on the display 21 to notify the user. The user puts an appropriate amount of detergent into the washing tub 5 with reference to the display. Thereafter, the microcomputer 50 opens the water supply electromagnetic valve 27. Tap water passes through a water supply solenoid valve 27 from a water tap 26 and flows into a lower chamber 60c of the cylindrical container 60 from a water inlet 29a. The inflowing tap water fills the lower chamber 60c, then rises in the room 29e by the pressure, and passes through the space between the sodium-type strongly acidic cation exchange resins 31 filled with the room 29e sandwiched between the mesh filters 29d. , Upper room 60b
Leaked to Then, the upper chamber 60b is filled and the discharge port 2
It flows out from 9b and passes through room A47 and ramp 46 and accumulates in outer tub 4 (washing tub 5). Further, a part of the tap water flowing into the lower room 60c flows into the outer tank 4 through the salt water drain pipe 64 connected to the salt water outlet 29c without passing through the ion exchange resin 31. 2m inside diameter of salt water outlet 29c
m, the salt water discharge pipe 64 at a feedwater flow rate of 15 / min.
Will be about 0.5 L / min. This amount is about 3% of the water supply amount and has little effect. If the inner diameter of the salt water discharge port 29c is further reduced, the influence can be reduced,
The above-mentioned about 2 mm is optimal because the capillary water makes it difficult to discharge the salt water for regeneration. If there is no problem in cost and space, it is of course better to provide a valve in the middle of the salt water discharge pipe 64 and close this valve during water supply.

While passing through the ion exchange resin 31, tap water removes calcium ions and magnesium ions contained therein by an ion exchange action. During the washing water supply, the light emitting diode 54 is turned on, and the display or notification of ion removal is performed using the water softening display 24 or the buzzer 23. During the water supply, the upper room 60b of the ion exchange means 28
Is filled with tap water, and due to this pressure, the ball of the check valve 60f rises and closes the hole 60e. For this reason, tap water does not enter the salt water room 60k during water supply. Except at the time of water supply, the upper chamber 60b is at atmospheric pressure, so the ball of the check valve 60f falls by its own weight, and the hole 60e is in an open state.

A case in which the high-wash washing button 81 is pressed to wash a heavily soiled laundry will be described below. The microcomputer 50, which has learned that the specified amount of washing water has been supplied into the outer tub 4 by the water level sensor 11, closes the water supply electromagnetic valve 27 and stops water supply. Then, in order to rotate the rotor 6 in the forward and reverse directions, the PWM signal circuit 74 outputs information for intermittently supplying a three-phase power supply having a predetermined frequency, voltage, and phase relationship to the three-phase induction motor 7. As a result, the rotor 6 starts to rotate forward and backward, and the washing starts. At this time, if the high-wash washing button 81 is pressed to start washing, the frequency of the three-phase power supply is set to be higher than the frequency set when the standard washing button 80 is pushed to perform washing.

As is well known, the rotation speed of the induction motor is proportional to the input frequency. That is, the rotation speed of the rotor 6 driven by the induction motor is proportional to this frequency. For example, the frequency when the standard washing button 80 is pressed is set to 50H.
z, and the rotor rotation speed is 110 rpm,
If 68 Hz is set when the high-wash washing button 81 is pressed, the rotation speed of the rotor becomes 150 rpm. However, in general, it is desirable to increase the voltage if the frequency is increased, so that the voltage and the frequency ratio are kept constant and substantially the same torque speed characteristics are obtained.

Since the washing water supplied into the washing tub 5 does not contain cations such as calcium and magnesium, it reacts with the surfactant in the detergent supplied to form insoluble metal soap or for washing. It does not reduce the amount of surfactant that contributes and does not reduce the detergency. After the water supply is completed, the water remaining in the ion exchange means 28 is slowly discharged to the outer tank 4 from the salt water discharge pipe 64 connected to the salt water discharge port 29c.

As a result, during washing, the chemical force of the surfactant is increased in the washing water in the washing tub. The rotation speed of the rotor is from 150 rpm for standard washing to 150 rpm.
rpm is set to the increased state. The washing is performed by stirring the laundry in the washing water in which the detergent is dissolved. A high detergency, which will be described later, can be obtained by the synergistic effect of the increase in the chemical force and the increase in the mechanical force accompanying the increase in the rotation speed.

Sodium type strongly acidic cation exchange resin 31
Is a synthetic resin in which an ion exchange group such as a sulfonic acid group is bonded to a crosslinked three-dimensional polymer substrate by a chemical bond as is well known. When tap water containing divalent cations such as calcium and magnesium flows between the cation exchange resins, the sulfonic acid groups, which are the ion exchange groups of the cation exchange resin, and the cations in the tap water undergo ion exchange. Cations in tap water are removed. Chemical formulas 1 and 2 show the ion exchange reaction formulas of the sodium-type strongly acidic ion exchange resin.

[0035]

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[0036]

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Here, R is a polymer substrate of an ion exchange resin. Sodium-type ion-exchange resin uses -SO3 anion as fixed ion and Na cation as counter ion, and removes multivalent cations such as calcium and magnesium contained in water by utilizing ion selectivity. I do. In the case of a strongly acidic cation exchange resin at a low concentration and at room temperature, the ion selectivity is higher for ions having a higher valence, and is higher for ions having a higher valence at the same valence. For ions contained in natural water, the order is as follows.

[0038]

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Calcium and magnesium ions in the water passing through the ion exchange resin are adsorbed on the resin and removed by the reaction from the left side to the right side of Chemical Formulas 1 and 2. Conversely, calcium,
When high-concentration salt water is passed through the resin to which magnesium ions are adsorbed, calcium and magnesium ions are desorbed by the reaction from the right side to the left side of Chemical Formulas 1 and 2, and the resin returns to its original state and is regenerated.

A commercially available small water softener used in a laboratory or the like has an ion exchange resin amount of 1 to 2 L and a processing flow rate of 10 L / h.
A capacity of about L (0.16 L per minute) is generally used.
As described above, in a home washing machine, water is supplied directly to the washing tub from the faucet at a flow rate of 10 L or more per minute in order to shorten the water supply time. For this reason, the water supply time becomes too long with the processing flow rate of the commercially available small-sized water softener as described above, so that it is inevitable to use the batch-processed water using a time other than the washing after temporarily storing it in a water storage tank. In addition, the volume of ionic resin of 1 to 2 L is too large to be mounted (built-in) in a home washing machine. That is, it is necessary to solve the above-mentioned problems of the processing flow rate of the ion exchange resin and the amount of the resin in the home washing machine.

According to water supply statistics carried out in the past, of the number of cases investigated, the number of cases having a total hardness of 40 ppm or less was half, and the number of cases exceeding 100 ppm was as high as 15%. The arithmetic mean is 54.5 ppm.

FIG. 7 shows the hardness distribution of purified water in Japan (based on the statistics of water supply in 1994 issued by the Japan Water Works Association) and the relationship between the cleaning rate and the hardness when a compact type synthetic commercial detergent containing zeolite is used. Shown as parameters.
The hardness distribution takes into account the amount of purified water per day at each water purification plant. For example, about 20% of the total purified water amount is 40 to 50%.
It can be seen that it is between ppm. Assuming that the amount of water purification at each water purification plant is proportional to the number of households, about 20% of all households
This means that 50 ppm tap water is used. The national average hardness is 52.9 ppm, and 98% of the total hardness is 1
It is not more than 00 ppm. As for the cleaning rate, it is possible to increase the cleaning rate by about 50% by halving the average hardness of 52.9 ppm at a detergent concentration of 0.067 wt% (% by weight), which is the detergent amount specified by the detergent maker. At a hardness of 100 ppm, by halving this, a cleaning rate equivalent to doubling the detergent amount (concentration: 0.133 wt%) can be obtained. That is, the cleaning rate when the detergent amount (concentration) is twice the standard can be obtained with the standard detergent amount by decreasing the hardness. By removing calcium ions and magnesium ions, which are hardness components, the washing power of the washing machine can be greatly improved. If it is sufficient to use the same cleaning rate as when tap water is used as it is, the amount of detergent used can be reduced by water softening. Furthermore, hardness is 40pp
m or more, there is no need to use more detergent than necessary, and the impact on the environment is reduced.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the hardness is 40 ppm or less, the cleaning rate is almost constant, and when the hardness is more than 40 ppm, the cleaning rate decreases. When the hardness is 40 ppm or less, the zeolite contained in the synthetic detergent adsorbs almost all of the hardness components and the surfactant acts sufficiently, so that the washing rate becomes almost constant. The agent reacts with the hardness component to produce a metallic soap, and the amount of the surfactant decreases by that amount, so that the cleaning rate decreases. Therefore, when a synthetic detergent containing zeolite is used for washing, it is desirable to remove calcium ions and magnesium ions of the hardness components from the washing water to about 40 ppm.
On the other hand, in the case of soap, unlike FIG. 7, the cleaning rate decreases as the hardness increases, so it is preferable to remove the hardness component as much as possible.

The ion exchange performance of the ion exchange resin is determined by the ion exchange capacity, the ion exchange rate and the like. When the ion exchange resin is used in the washing machine, as described above, the processing flow rate is required to be 10 to 15 L / min, and the resin amount is required to be as small as possible so that the washing machine can be mounted. For this purpose, the ion exchange rate may be increased as much as possible to secure the processing flow rate, and the ion exchange capacity may be increased to reduce the resin amount. The ion exchange capacity and the ion exchange rate vary depending on the degree of crosslinking of the ion exchange resin, the resin structure (gel type, porosity), the resin diameter, and the like. However, the higher the degree of cross-linking, the higher the ion exchange capacity, but the lower the ion exchange rate, and if the porous structure is used, the higher the ion exchange rate than the gel type, but the lower the ion exchange capacity. Thus, it is difficult to simultaneously improve both performances by the degree of crosslinking and the structure of the ion exchange resin.

FIG. 8 shows the change in the leaked ion concentration with respect to the amount of water passed through the amount of ion-exchange resin and the amount of resin, for a sodium-type strongly acidic ion-exchange resin having a degree of crosslinking of 8%, which is most commonly used for water softening. This is the result of an experiment using the diameter as a parameter. Raw water total hardness is 100 ppm, flow rate is 15
L / min. The hardness component leaks in any case of the tested resin amount and resin diameter, and the concentration differs depending on the resin amount and resin diameter. The leakage ion concentration in the initial stage of water passage is smaller as the amount of resin is larger for the same resin diameter, and is smaller for smaller resin diameters when the amount of resin is the same. FIG. 9 shows the result of rearranging the leaked ion concentration in the initial stage of water passage in FIG. 8 with respect to the total surface area (calculated value) of the ion exchange resin. From the figure, it can be seen that the leaked ion concentration is almost inversely proportional to the total surface area of the ion exchange resin, and that the ion exchange rate is proportional to the total surface area of the ion exchange resin. Since the total surface area of the ion exchange resin is proportional to the amount of the ion exchange resin and inversely proportional to the diameter of the ion exchange resin, the amount of the resin can be reduced by reducing the diameter of the resin. The change in the leaked ion concentration is almost constant in the initial stage of water flow, but increases suddenly from a certain point as the flow rate increases, and eventually loses the ion exchange capacity and becomes the same as the raw water. The ion exchange capacity is an area surrounded by a leak ion concentration line and a raw water ion concentration line (for example, a resin amount of 100 mL and a resin diameter of 0.1 to 0.1 mm).
In the case of 2 mm, it is represented by the area surrounded by ABCA in the figure), but it is proportional to only the amount of resin regardless of the resin diameter.

The ion exchange capacity of the ion exchange resin in FIG. 8 is 2.0 meq / mL-R (2.0 equivalents per 1 mL of the ion exchange resin), and CaCO 3 / mL of the resin is used.
100 mg of the hardness component can be removed in conversion. Now, it is assumed that tap water having a total hardness of 100 ppm is flowed at a flow rate of 15 L / min to soften a water volume of 88 L corresponding to one high water level of a fully automatic washing machine having a rated capacity of 9 kg. Assuming that water softening may be performed up to 40 ppm which does not affect the detergency of the synthetic detergent containing zeolite, the hardness component to be removed is 5.28 g (CaC
O3 conversion), and considering only the ion exchange capacity, the required minimum resin amount may be as small as 52.8 mL. But,
Considering the ion exchange rate, it is not possible to soften water to 40 ppm with this amount of resin. Actually, as shown in FIG.
100 mL when the resin diameter is 0.1 to 0.2 mm, 150 mL when the resin diameter is 0.3 to 0.5 mm, and 0.3 to 1.
If there is no 260 mL resin amount in 1 mm, it cannot be reduced to 40 ppm or less. However, by setting the resin diameter to 0.1 to 0.2 mm or 0.3 to 0.5 mm, the processing flow rate can be reduced to 15 / min.
Even with L, the resin amount can be reduced to 100 to 150 mL, and it can be mounted on a home washing machine.

FIG. 10 shows tap water (total hardness 100 ppm) at a flow rate of 15 L / min using an ion exchange means using an ion exchange resin having a resin diameter of 0.1 to 0.2 mm and a resin amount of 100 mL.
Is the relationship between the leaked ion concentration and the flow rate when flowing water.
In the figure, the mark ● indicates the first time of water flow, that is, the case where the ion exchange resin is new. Up to a flow rate of 50 L, the leaked ion concentration is constant at about 12 ppm. From this, the leaked ion concentration starts to increase, but the leaked ion concentration 4
0 ppm or less is maintained. And the water flow is 150
At L, the ion exchange capacity is lost, and the leaked ion concentration becomes the same as the raw water hardness. Therefore, the above-mentioned regeneration treatment with salt water is required. This reproduction process will be described later. When water is supplied to a high water level (water volume is 88 L) by a fully automatic washing machine having a rated capacity of 9 kg, the hardness of the washing water is about 18 as indicated by a circle in the figure.
ppm, and there is no decrease in cleaning performance due to hardness.

FIG. 11 shows the rotation speed, time and ion of the rotating blades based on the cleaning of the artificially contaminated cloth by the conventional single-phase induction motor driven by a commercial power supply (50 Hz) (the washing performance evaluation method of the washing machine specified in JIS). The detergency as a result of an experiment using water softening for washing as a parameter using the removing means is shown by a bar graph. Compared to the standard (rotor blade rotation speed 110 rpm, time 9 minutes, washing water hardness 100 ppm, detergency 1), other conditions were the same as in a, and only the rotation speed of the rotor blade was 1.36 times (150 rpm). (Shown by b), the detergency becomes 1.25. Similarly, only time is doubled (18
Min) (denoted by c), the detergency is 1.29.
Similarly, when the water whose hardness is reduced by 60% by the ion removing means is used as the washing water (indicated by d), the detergency becomes 1.26. Similarly, when the detergent amount, that is, the detergent concentration is 1.2 times (denoted by e), the cleaning rate becomes 1.09.

From this result, it is understood that the effect of the ion removing means on the cleaning is almost the same as the effect obtained by doubling the mechanical force from the reference. It can also be seen that increasing the mechanical force by increasing the speed of the rotor by 1.36 times and increasing the mechanical force by doubling the time have the same effect on cleaning.

On the other hand, the subjective evaluation by the housewife monitor showed that the housewife monitor could not give the impression that the stains on the collars, sleeves, and the like had fallen unless the cleaning power in the above experiment was less than 1.6. I have. In other words, the housewife gave up because it was impossible to remove collar and sleeve stains such as Y-shirts with a conventional washing machine. This indicates that it is necessary to set the detergency in the experiment to 1.6 in order to solve the problem.

In order to obtain this cleaning power, if only the mechanical force is used, it is necessary to triple the time from the results shown in FIG. 11 if the reference and the rotation speed are the same. If the time is the same as the reference, the rotation speed must be about twice as high.

However, increasing the mechanical force leads to an increase in the damage to the cloth of the laundry and a deterioration in the finish of the laundry. Furthermore, in order to increase the tangling of the cloth, much labor is required to take out the laundry from the washing tub after the washing is completed. Furthermore, there is also an increase in noise due to an increase in rotation speed and an increase in power consumption due to an increase in time. In other words, relying only on mechanical power is too unrealistic.

In this embodiment, the detergency is increased by water softening by the ion removing means, and the practical rotation speed of the rotor is increased by a factor of 1.3, and as shown by f in FIG. .57 can be obtained.

The effect of softening the washing water is that the foaming of the detergent is improved. This is particularly noticeable with powdered soap. By further increasing the rotation speed, the washing water is well agitated, and the dissolution of air in water is promoted, so that foaming is further improved. For this reason, the laundry is wrapped in foam and floats, and even if the amount of washing water is small, the chance of contact friction between the laundry increases. In other words, less washing water increases the mechanical power applied to the laundry.

In standard washing, 5 kg of laundry and 56
L, if a detergent amount of 37 g with a detergent concentration of 0.067 wt% is used, in high-wash washing, the same laundry amount of 5 kg is replaced by 45 L of water, and the detergent concentration is 1.2 times as large as that of the same detergent amount of 37 g. 0.08 wt%. By doing so, the detergency 1.62% as shown by g in FIG.
High detergency can be obtained.

As described above, in the present embodiment, a high-wash washing course is provided for heavyly soiled laundry, and 60 to 70% (approximately 5 kg) of the rated capacity of laundry is provided by the ion removing means. High washing power is achieved by softening the washing water and increasing the rotating speed of the rotor.

When the washing process is completed, the microcomputer 50 opens the drain valve 13 and drains the washing water in the outer tub 4. After draining, the process shifts to the dehydration process. In the dehydrating step, the microcomputer 50 is connected to the solenoid 9 of the transmission 9.
a is controlled to rotate the washing tub 5 at high speed by the three-phase induction motor 7. During this time, the drain valve 13 is open.

After the completion of the dehydrating step, the drain valve 13 is closed, and then the operation proceeds to the rinsing step. The rinsing step is usually performed once or twice, depending on the method. In the so-called rinsing, in which water is temporarily stored in the outer tub 4 and then the rotating blades 6 are rotated to dilute the detergent remaining in the clothes, so-called flushing requires approximately the same amount of water as the previous washing water supply. Therefore, the amount of water passing through the ion removing means 28 is 88 L in the previous washing water supply and 8 L in this rinsing.
8L × 2 times, a total of 264L. As shown in FIG. 10, since the ion exchange capacity is lost at a water flow rate of 150 L,
During the first rinse water supply, the hardness becomes the same as the raw water. However, since the rinsing step has no effect on the hardness, water having high hardness may be supplied. Since the water supply during the rinsing step is exactly the same as during the washing step except for the final rinsing step, here, the final rinsing step in which water is accumulated in the outer tub 4 and the regeneration of the ion exchange resin 31 during the final rinsing step The processing will be described. First, open the water supply solenoid valve 27,
Tap water is supplied to the outer tub 4 through the ion removing means 28 in the same manner as in the above-mentioned washing water supply. When the tap water fills the upper chamber 60b of the ion removing means and the check valve 60f closes the hole 60e (this is determined by elapse of a predetermined time after opening the water supply electromagnetic valve 27), The microcomputer 50 opens the salt injection electromagnetic valve 63.
Tap water passes through the salt injection solenoid valve 63, and the salt injection port 60h,
From the salt injection pipe 60i, it flows into the salt input room 60a. The opening of the salt injection pipe 60i preferably has a shape in which tap water is injected into the salt 62 in a shower shape. A small amount of 60 to 70 mL is sufficient for this water injection amount. This amount can be obtained by washing at least one tank (88 L) of washing water with a hardness of 40 p.
pm or less. Water injection volume is
The flow path is narrowed by reducing the inner diameter of the salt injection pipe 60i or by inserting a throttle (not shown) in the middle of the salt injection path,
The flow rate is reduced, and the opening time of the salt injection electromagnetic valve 63 is controlled and adjusted. After a lapse of a predetermined amount of time, for example, 60 mL (to the broken line B in FIG. 5), the microcomputer 50 controls the salt water injection solenoid valve 63 to stop water injection. At this time, the water supply electromagnetic valve 27 is still open, and water supply is continuing. The tap water injected into the salt charging chamber 60a is provided with the air holes 61b on the upper surface of the lid 61.
Flows into the salt water room 60k, but since the check valve 60f closes the hole 60e, the flow stops when the salt water room 60k is full.

When the water level sensor 11 detects that a predetermined amount of water has been supplied to the outer tub 4, the microcomputer 50
Closes the water supply solenoid valve 27 to stop the water supply,
Rotate forward and backward to stir the laundry and start rinsing. Since no mechanical force is required in the rinsing step, the rotation speed of the rotor may be the same as in the standard washing. When the water supply is stopped, the tap water in the cylindrical container 60 is moved from the salt water discharge port 29c to the salt water discharge pipe 64 by the head due to the difference in height between the level of the tap water (broken line A in FIG. It gradually flows out of the street. At the same time, air enters the upper chamber 60b from the discharge port 29b, and the upper chamber 60b becomes atmospheric pressure.
The ball of the check valve 60f falls by its own weight, and the hole 60e opens.
Then, the salt water in the salt water room 60e gradually flows down into the upper room 60b from the hole 60e, and the salt water in which the salt 62 is dissolved is supplied from the salt water input room 60a to the salt water room 60k. This continues until there is no more tap water injected into the salt input room 60a. At this time, about 20 to 22 g of salt is dissolved in the salt water flowing into the salt water chamber 60k, and the concentration is about 26 wt.
%. This concentration is approximately equal to the saturated concentration of the salt (the solubility of the salt is 35.7 g per 100 mL of water at 0 ° C.).
Thereafter, the salt water flows down the 31 layers of the ion-exchange resin, passes through the lower chamber 60c, and from the salt water discharge port 29c to the salt water discharge pipe 6.
4 and is discharged into the outer tank 4 containing water for rinsing,
Diluted with rinse water. When the salt water flows through the ion exchange resin 31, a reaction from the right side to the left side of the chemical formulas 1 and 2 occurs, and calcium ions and magnesium ions ion-exchanged by passage of tap water at the time of water supply and sodium ions in the salt water are formed. Will be replaced. As a result, the ion-exchange resin 31 is regenerated, the ion-exchange ability is restored, and the ion-exchange resin 31 can be used for water supply in the next washing step. Calcium ion,
Magnesium ions are discharged into the rinse water together with the salt water.

At every regeneration, about 20 g of the salt 62 in the salt charging chamber 60a is consumed and gradually reduced. The user confirms the amount of salt remaining in the salt-injection space or 60a through the transparent lid 61, and opens the lid 61 as soon as it is exhausted, and replenishes it.

The salt water is stirred for the rinsing step (3 to 4 hours).
All flow down into the outer tub 4 within minutes. At this time, salt water room 6
It is better to reduce the amount of salt water discharged from the salt water discharge pipe 64 than the amount of salt water supplied from 0k. This is to allow the salt water to collect in the upper room 60b. By doing so, the salt water passes uniformly without passing through only a part of the ion exchange resin 31 layer, and efficient regeneration can be performed. For this reason, (1) a salt particle outflow prevention filter 60 which is an obstacle to the passage of salt water
g so as to allow a sufficient amount of salt water to pass therethrough. In an embodiment, the brine passes within about one minute.

(2) Adjust the diameter of the hole 60e to the salt water discharge port 20c.
Or larger than the inside diameter of the salt water discharge pipe 64. In the embodiment, the diameter of the hole 60e is 3 mm, and the inner diameter of the salt water discharge port 20c is 2 mm.

The flow time of the salt water varies depending on the position of the outlet 64a of the salt water discharge pipe 64. This is because the flow of the salt water is caused by the salt water level in the cylindrical container 60 and the salt water discharge pipe 6.
This is because it is determined by the head with the fourth outlet 64a. Accordingly, the farther the outlet 64a is from the bottom of the lower chamber 60c, the shorter the flowing time of the salt water. In the case where the inner diameter of the salt water discharge port 20c is 2 mm, the outlet 64a is set to be about 150 mm from the bottom of the lower chamber 60c.
Most of the salt water in which the salt of
It flows down from the inside to the outer tank 4. In addition, although a slight amount of salt water remains between ion exchange resins due to surface tension,
There is almost no effect on the next washing. Of course, after the salt water flows down, a step of opening the water supply electromagnetic valve 27 and passing 1-2 L of tap water to wash out the salt water remaining between the ion exchange resins may be added. After the final rinsing step and the ion exchange resin regeneration step are completed, drain the rinsing water, and then perform the dehydration step.
Complete the entire washing process.

In this embodiment, the water flows upward from the lower room 60c toward the upper room 60b during water supply, and the water in which the salt is dissolved flows downward from the upper room 60b toward the lower room 60c during regeneration. (The flow direction of water is reverse at the time of water supply and at the time of regeneration). Flowing the water for regeneration down
This is because the water for regeneration can be flowed by gravity, so that the structure of the ion removing means 28 can be simplified. In addition, when the supply water flows upward, when the water flows from the upper room 60b toward the lower room 60c, the water pressure (0.3 to 8 kgf / cm 2) acts on the upper room 60b, and the check valve 60f Is required to have a structure that can withstand this pressure, leading to a complicated structure and a reduction in reliability. Furthermore, it is generally known that reversing the flow of water between water supply and regeneration is advantageous in terms of regeneration efficiency.

The ion-exchange resin 31 regenerated as described above
FIG. 10 indicates the leakage ion concentration when tap water (total hardness of 100 ppm) was passed in the next water supply. The leaked ion concentration immediately after the start of water passage is the same as the first time (at the time of new product), but increases earlier than the first time, exceeds 40 ppm at a little less than 60 L, and the ion exchange capacity is lost at about 90 L. Although the hardness exceeds 40 ppm during the washing water supply, the hardness of the washing water accumulated in the outer tub 4 is about 38 ppm even at a high water level (water volume 88 L) as shown by the mark in FIG. Therefore, by performing the above-mentioned regenerating treatment, when the synthetic detergent containing zeolite is used, the washing performance is not reduced.
The following washing water can be obtained for one high water tank. In the subsequent rinsing process, the ion exchange capacity has been lost,
The hardness of the supplied water is the same as that of the raw water, but there is no effect on the rinsing performance. That is, since the ion exchange resin amount is set so that the ion exchange capacity is saturated in the washing water supply, it is not possible to adsorb more ions than necessary, so that the ion removing means can be downsized and the amount of salt for regeneration can be reduced. Connect.

The fact that the leaked ion concentration after the second time is higher than that at the first time indicates that not all of the ion-exchange groups have been regenerated in the above-mentioned regeneration treatment. The initial ion exchange capacity obtained from FIG. 10 is about 10 g (CaCO 3 conversion). In order to exchange all of these with sodium ions in the salt water, about 12 g of salt is required if Chemical Formulas 1 and 2 are used. The amount of salt supplied in the above regeneration process is about 20-22 g
Is a sufficient amount. If the amount of water injected into the salt is less than 60 mL, the hardness at the time of 88 L water supply will exceed 40 ppm. Therefore, the amount of water injected into the salt must be at least 60 mL. In the second and subsequent times after the regeneration treatment, the ion exchange capacity is about 5.5 g (CaCO3 conversion), and the regeneration rate is 5
5%. In order to increase the regeneration rate, the amount of injected water and the amount of salt water may be increased. However, as described above, the playback rate 55
% Can process just one tank (88 L), so further increasing the regeneration rate wastes salt. Therefore, the amount of water injected into the salt is 60 mL, and 7
0 mL is sufficient.

According to the present regeneration method, ion-exchanged calcium ions and magnesium enter into the rinse water together with a small amount but high concentration of salt water. For this reason, the hardness of the rinsing water is higher than that supplied. However, there is no problem because the hardness component does not affect the rinsing performance. About 6.5 g of the salt dissolved in 60 mL of water in 20 g is used for regenerating the ion exchange resin, and 13.5 g is discharged into the rinse water. However, since it is diluted with a large amount of rinsing water, there is no possibility that rust is generated on stainless steel or the like constituting the washing tub 5. Incidentally, the amount of water used in a fully automatic washing machine having a capacity of 8 kg is about 25 to 88 L. If diluted with this water, the concentration becomes 0.054 to 0.015 wt%, which is lower than 0.9 wt% of physiological saline.

As described above, the present invention optimizes the resin diameter and the resin amount of the ion exchange resin.
Per minute, a small and inexpensive ion removing means having a predetermined amount of ion removing performance only at the time of washing and supplying water can be realized, and can be mounted on a washing machine. In addition, during rinsing water supply, since there is no ion removing ability and no extra ions are adsorbed, the amount of salt for regeneration can be reduced. The regeneration treatment of the ion-exchange resin was automatically performed during the final rinsing step using a salt water in which salt in any household was dissolved. For this reason, the user only has to perform a simple operation of putting about 150 g of salt into the salt-feeding room once a week (once every seven washings), and no extra labor is required. Further, since the salt is very inexpensive, there is almost no regeneration cost.

The hardness of the washing water that has passed through the ion removing means is greatly reduced, the chemical power of the detergent can be increased, and the washing performance can be greatly improved.

Further, for heavy laundry,
By increasing the rotation speed of the rotor with variable speed control means of the motor,
It is possible to increase the cleaning power by 60% by increasing the mechanical power and synergistic action with the improvement of the chemical power. At this time, the improvement of the chemical force by the ion removing means has the effect of suppressing the increase in the washing time and the increase in the power consumption in the washing, and it has been conventionally difficult to suppress the damage to the cloth and the entanglement of the laundry in a realistic range. It is possible to remove collar and sleeve stains such as Y-shirts with only a washing machine without pre-treatment such as hand washing.

The rotational speed of the rotor (driving speed of the actuator) is not only increased to enhance the cleaning effect, but also controlled (adjusted) to a low level when the use at night is taken into consideration. It is also necessary to realize low-level quiet operation (operation mode). In such an operation mode (washing mode), in order to prevent a reduction in the cleaning effect, a reduction in mechanical force applied to the laundry is compensated for by an improvement in the cleaning effect by softening the water. This can reduce the increase in the washing time (mechanical force application time),
A high cleaning effect can be obtained.

In the above description, the tap water was injected into the salt 62 during the water supply in the final rinsing step, but the same effect can be obtained by performing the following. The water supply electromagnetic valve 27 is opened, and water in the final rinsing step is supplied into the outer tank 4. Water level sensor 1
When the microcomputer 50 detects that a predetermined amount of water has been supplied to the outer tub 4 in step 1, the microcomputer 50 closes the water supply electromagnetic valve 27 to stop water supply, rotates the rotary wing 6 forward and reverse to stir and rinse the laundry. Start. When the water supply stops, the cylindrical container 6
The tap water in 0 flows out through the discharge port 29b and the brine discharge pipe 64, and the water level in the upper room 60b decreases. At the same time, the ball of the check valve 60f falls under its own weight, and the hole 6
0e opens. When the water level in the upper chamber 60b falls below the outlet 29b, all the tap water flows out from the salt water discharge pipe 64. The water level in the upper chamber 60b is equal to the discharge port 29b.
When it falls further (broken line A in FIG. 5), the microcomputer 50 opens the salt water injection valve 63 and supplies a specified amount of water to the salt inlet chamber 60a. The water supplied to the salt input chamber 60a dissolves the salt 62 while dissolving the salt 62.
g, flows into the salt water room 60k, and gradually flows down from the hole 60e into the upper room 60b. At this time, the upper room 60
Since the water level in b is lower than the discharge port 29b, the salt water flowing down to the upper chamber 60b does not flow out of the discharge port 29b and is wasted, and all the supplied salt water passes through the ion exchange resin 31. Therefore, the ion exchange resin 31
Has the advantage that it can be efficiently reproduced.

Although the three-phase induction motor has been exemplified as the rotary wing drive motor, it is apparent that another type of motor such as a DC motor may be used. In this case, as the variable speed control means of the electric motor, a circuit or the like for changing the applied voltage to the electric motor may be provided, and the rotation speed of the electric motor may be controlled by changing the applied voltage. Obviously, the configuration may be such that the rotation speed of the electric motor is detected by a rotation sensor such as a Hall element, and is fed back to an inverter circuit via a microcomputer to realize a high-precision rotation speed.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the scope of the invention.

According to the above-described embodiment, an ion removing means which is made of a material having an ion exchange capacity in a compact form, and which can be used after being regenerated while being attached to a washing machine; A variable speed control means that varies the speed depending on the soiling of the laundry is provided, so that both the chemical power and the mechanical power in the cleaning are enhanced, and the synergistic effect provides a high washing performance without increasing time and power consumption. Machine can be provided. In addition, it is possible to remove stains on collars and sleeves of Y-shirts and the like, which has been difficult with conventional washing machines.

[0076]

According to the present invention, since the driving speed of the actuator can be changed according to the degree of dirt, the washing effect can be enhanced without unnecessarily lengthening the time for applying the mechanical force to the laundry. it can. In addition, by reducing the ions that weaken the washing effect contained in the washing water, it is possible to reduce the decrease in mechanical force by improving the washing effect, so that even if the driving speed of the actuator is reduced, the washing time is increased. Can be reduced. ◆ Since the material having ion exchange capability can be regenerated and used in a short time, the ion exchange means or the ion removal means can be provided in the washing machine in a compact manner.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a fully automatic washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a fully automatic washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an operation panel diagram of the fully automatic washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the inside of the rear storage box according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view and a longitudinal sectional view of an ion removing unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an electrical connection block diagram of the fully automatic washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a relationship between hardness and a cleaning rate.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a relationship between a water flow rate and leakage hardness.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the ion exchange resin surface area and the leakage hardness.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the amount of water flow and the leakage hardness after the initial and regeneration.

FIG. 11 is a view showing a difference in detergency according to washing conditions.

[Explanation of symbols]

4 ... Outer tub, 5 ... Washing and dewatering tub, 7 ... Three-phase induction motor,
17b: Rear storage box, 26: Tap, 27: Solenoid valve, 28: Ion removal means, 29a: Water inlet, 29b ...
Discharge port, 29c ... salt water discharge port, 29d ... mesh filter, 29e ... resin room, 31 ... ion exchange resin, 50 ...
Microcomputer, 60: cylindrical container, 60a: salt charging room, 60b: upper room, 60c: lower room, 60d
... partition wall, 60e ... hole, 60f ... check valve, 60g ... salt particle outflow prevention filter, 60h ... salt water inlet, 60i ... salt water inlet pipe, 60k ... salt water room, 60r ... air hole, 61 ... lid, 6
1b ... air hole, 62 ... salt, 63 ... salt injection solenoid valve, 64 ...
Salt water discharge pipe, 71: converter circuit, 72: inverter circuit, 74: PWM signal circuit, 80: standard washing button, 81: high washing washing button.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Tamotsu Kamori 1-1-1 Higashitaga-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Inside the Electrification Equipment Division, Hitachi, Ltd. 1-1-1, Hitachi, Ltd.Electrical Equipment Division (72) Inventor Isao Hiyama 1-1-1, Higashitagacho, Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture Hitachi, Ltd.Electrical Equipment Division (72) Inventor Akira Miyao Ibaraki 1-1 1-1 Higashitaga-cho, Hitachi City, Japan

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A washing tub for storing laundry, water supply means for supplying water to the washing tub, drainage means for draining water in the washing tub, and applying mechanical force to the laundry in the washing tub. A washing machine provided with an actuator for driving the actuator, a control means for controlling the driving means, and a calcium ion and / or calcium ion contained in water to be supplied in a water supply path of the water supply means. Alternatively, the washing machine includes an ion exchange unit that reduces magnesium ions, and a variable speed control unit that changes a driving speed of the actuator as the control unit. 2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein said actuator is constituted by a rotating blade provided at a bottom of said washing tub, and said variable speed control means variably controls a rotating speed of said rotating blade. Features washing machine. 3. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein
A washing machine comprising means for selecting a rotation speed independently of the amount of laundry, and wherein the variable speed control means changes the driving speed of the actuator based on a result of the selection by the means. 4. An outer frame, an outer tub supported by the outer frame for vibration isolation and serving as a water receiving tub, and a washing tub included in the outer tub and having a rotating blade at the center of the bottom for washing and dewatering. A water supply means for supplying water into the outer tub, a drainage means for draining water from the outer tub, and a step control means for controlling each step of washing, rinsing and dehydration; A container containing a material having ion exchange ability in the middle of the water supply path of the means, a flow path formed in the container so that water supplied by the water supply means touches the material, and a rotation speed of the rotary blade. A washing machine comprising variable speed control means for changing the speed. 5. An outer frame, an outer tub which is supported by the outer frame and is used as a water receiving tub, and a washing tub which is included in the outer tub and has a rotary wing at a center of a bottom for washing and dewatering. A water supply means for supplying water into the outer tub, a drainage means for draining water from the outer tub, and a step control means for controlling each step of washing, rinsing and dehydration; A container containing a material having ion exchange ability in the middle of the water supply path of the means, a flow path formed in the container so that water supplied by the water supply means touches the material, and A first room for regenerating the material,
Below the first room, a second room separated from the first room by a filter, water injection means for injecting water into the first room, and water supplied by touching the material are supplied to the second room. And a passage for allowing the solution, in which the regenerant is dissolved and flowing down from the second chamber, to the raw material, and a rotation speed of the rotary blade to be prevented while flowing into the second room. A washing machine comprising variable speed control means. 6. An outer frame, an outer tub supported by the outer frame for vibration isolation and serving as a water receiving tub, and a washing tub included in the outer tub and having a rotating blade at the center of a bottom for washing and dewatering. A top cover provided on the upper surface of the outer frame so as to have an opening through which laundry can be taken in and out of the washing tub, water supply means for supplying water to the outer tub, and water in the outer tub In a washing tub provided with drainage means for draining water, and a step control means for controlling each step of washing, rinsing and dehydration, a container containing a material having ion exchangeability in the middle of a water supply path of the water supply means, A flow path formed in the container so that water supplied by the water supply means touches the material, a variable speed control means for varying a rotation speed of the rotor, and a first washing step for the top cover. A first operation button for instructing and a second operation button for instructing a second washing step An operation button for controlling the rotation speed of the rotor in the second washing step to the first speed.
A washing machine characterized in that the rotation speed is higher than the rotation speed of the rotor in the washing step. 7. An outer frame, an outer tub supported by the outer frame for vibration isolation and serving as a water receiving tub, and a washing tub included in the outer tub and having a rotating blade at the center of the bottom for washing and dewatering. A top cover provided on the upper surface of the outer frame so as to have an opening through which laundry can be taken in and out of the washing tub, water supply means for supplying water to the outer tub, and water in the outer tub In a washing tub provided with drainage means for draining water, and a step control means for controlling each step of washing, rinsing and dehydration, a container containing a material having ion exchangeability in the middle of a water supply path of the water supply means, A flow path formed in the container so that water supplied by the water supply means touches the material, a variable speed control means for varying a rotation speed of the rotor, and a first washing step for the top cover. A first operation button for instructing and a second operation button for instructing a second washing step An operation button for controlling the rotation speed of the rotor in the second washing step to the first speed.
A washing machine characterized in that the rotation speed of the rotor in the washing step is larger than the washing water amount in the second washing step and the washing water amount in the second washing step is smaller than the washing water amount in the first washing step.