JPH11347289A - Fully automatic washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To switch the clutch of a moving body surely and quickly. SOLUTION: This fully automatic washing machine is provided with a dehydrating shaft 21 transferring the rotating power to a dehydrating tub 7, a washing tub 19 transferring the rotating power to a pulsator 17, a drive section 27 rotating a rotor 37 when a stator 35 is excited, a moving body 29 fitted to be slidably rotated together with the dehydrating shaft 21 and having ring- shaped first meshing teeth 47 and second meshing teeth 49, and a clutch mechanism 30 switching the washing/rinsing state mode in which a solenoid 41 is turned on to slide the moving body 29 and the first meshing teeth 47 are meshed with fixed side meshing teeth 51 and the dehydrating state mode in which the solenoid 41 is turned off and the second meshing teeth 49 are meshed with rotor side meshing teeth 53.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a fully automatic washing machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in a fully automatic washing machine, in addition to transmitting the rotational power of a drive motor to a transmission shaft of a pulsator or a transmission shaft of a dewatering tub via a conduction belt, a transmission belt is used. It is known that a rotary unit is directly driven to a pulsator for washing and rinsing or a dewatering tub for dewatering by a driving unit in which a rotor is rotated by energizing a stator, without using a fin.

[0003]

When rotating power is transmitted to a pulsator or a dewatering tub by a drive unit including a stator and a rotor, it is necessary to switch between a pulsator transmission path and a dehydration tub transmission path. However, there is a problem in that the switching control takes time.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a fully automatic washing machine capable of performing switching control reliably and in a short time.

[0005]

To achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a rotatable dewatering tank and a rotation provided in the dewatering tank and independent of the dewatering tank are provided. A possible pulsator, a dehydrating shaft rotatably supported by the bearing case and transmitting rotational power to the dehydrating tub, a washing shaft for transmitting rotational power to the pulsator, and a drive unit for rotating the rotor by energizing the stator. A meshing clutch mechanism that switches to a state corresponding to the washing process, the meshing clutch mechanism includes a fixed side meshing tooth provided on a fixed side, a rotor side meshing tooth provided on a rotor side, and a non-rotating A movable body which is mounted slidably in the axial direction and has first meshing teeth and second meshing teeth formed in a ring shape, respectively, and a solenoid serving as a power source for slidingly moving the movable body. The first meshing teeth of the movable body are meshed with the fixed meshing teeth to fix the dehydrating shaft, and the second meshing teeth of the movable body are meshed with the meshing teeth on the rotor to rotate the rotating power of the rotor. And control to switch to the state of transmission to.

[0006] In this manner, at the time of the switching control, each meshing tooth and the meshing tooth become a meshing tooth clutch which meshes at the same time, so that a reliable meshing state can be quickly obtained.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the dimension from the tip of the fixed-side meshing tooth to the tip of the rotor-side meshing tooth is adjusted from the tip of the first meshing tooth of the movable body to the second meshing tooth. Smaller than the dimension up to the tooth tip.

Thus, the first meshing teeth and the second meshing teeth of the movable body are always meshed with the fixed meshing teeth or the rotor meshing teeth when one of the first meshing teeth and the second meshing teeth is meshed during the clutch switching control. By rotating, a rotational difference is generated between the meshing teeth on the rotor side or the meshing teeth on the movable body side and the meshing teeth on the movable body side. Is obtained.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when shifting from the washing step or the rinsing step to the dewatering step, the second meshing teeth of the movable body are meshed with the rotor-side meshing teeth before drainage is completed. .

As a result, when the clutch is switched, the laundry floats on the water, so that the laundry does not stick to the bottom and the pulsator and the dewatering tub do not rotate together. A rotational difference is generated between the gear and the rotor-side meshing teeth, and a reliable meshing state is obtained.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when shifting from the dewatering step to the rinsing step, the first meshing teeth of the movable body are meshed with the fixed side meshing teeth after a predetermined time from the start of water supply.

Therefore, the laundry stuck to the inner peripheral wall of the dewatering tub is moved by the water supply, and when the clutch is switched,
Since the rotational power from the pulsator is transmitted to the dehydration tub via the laundry and the water, the first meshing teeth are rotated with respect to the fixed-side meshing, so that a reliable meshing state is obtained.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control circuit for providing a permanent magnet to a movable body of a meshing clutch mechanism in a magnetic circuit of a solenoid, while varying a DC current supply pole to the solenoid. Having.

Thus, the movable body is held by the attraction force of the permanent magnet, and the power supply to the solenoid can be turned off when the attraction is completed, so that the temperature rise of the electromagnetic coil can be suppressed. Also, by making the poles variable, the direction of current flow is reversed, and the solenoid at that time becomes a repulsive force against the permanent magnet, so the self-weight plus the repulsive force makes the meshing clutch move quickly, Withdrawal can be done quickly.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the power supplied to the solenoid is reduced after the start of the washing step or the rinsing step.

As a result, after the engagement of the solenoid is completed, the distance between the engagement clutch and the solenoid is short, so that a large attraction force is not required, so that the supply power is reduced by that amount, and the engagement clutch is held. The temperature rise of the electromagnetic coil during the operation can be suppressed.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the meshing clutch, a portion fitted to the dehydrating shaft is formed of metal, and the metal portion is insert-molded in a meshing portion formed of synthetic resin. .

As a result, the weight and the strength and rigidity of the dog clutch can be improved.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes an outer box of the fully automatic washing machine 3. A water tank 5 is provided inside the outer box 1, and a dewatering tank 7 is provided inside the water tank 5, and the water tank 5 is suspended from the outer box 1 by a suspension (not shown). A water pipe 11 to which a drain hose 9 is connected is provided at the bottom of the water tank 5, and the water pipe 11 is provided with a drain valve 13 that can be opened and closed. A ring-shaped liquid balancer 15 is provided on the upper part of the dewatering tank 7, and a pulsator 17 is provided on the lower part which is a bottom part.
5 is filled with a balancer liquid.

The pulsator 17 has a washing shaft 19 and a dewatering tank 7.
Are fixed to the dehydrating shaft 21, respectively, and the washing shaft 19 and the dehydrating shaft 21 are vertically long double shafts arranged inside and outside, and an enlarged view of FIG.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which the movable body 29 of the meshing clutch mechanism 30 is lowered and dehydrated on the left side of the drawing, and a state in which the movable body 29 is raised and washed and rinsed on the right side of the drawing.

The outer dehydrating shaft 21 is rotatably supported by upper and lower bearings 25, 25 provided in a bearing case 23. The inner washing shaft 19 has upper and lower bushes 28 inside the dehydrating shaft 21. It is rotatably supported via

The bearing case 23 is provided on the bottom of the water tank 5 together with the cover case 31 surrounding the entire driving section 27.
It is fixedly supported by mounting bolts 33.

The drive section 27 is composed of an outer rotor type motor, and includes a stator 35 and a rotor 37 to which rotational power is applied by supplying electricity to the stator 35. The stator 35 is fixedly supported on the bearing case 23 by fixing bolts 38, and a movable body 29 of a meshing clutch mechanism is disposed inside the stator 35.

The rotor 37 has a metal plate 39 embedded therein, a rotor horizontal portion 34 made of synthetic resin, and a vertical portion 36 rising from the rotor horizontal portion 34 in a ring shape and facing the stator 35. A magnet 40 is provided inside the vertical portion 36. The central portion of the rotor horizontal portion 34 is a metal portion 42 that is spline-fitted to the lower end of the washing shaft 19.

On the other hand, the movable body 29 disposed inside the stator 35 is made of synthetic resin, and the center thereof is a metal part 43 spline-fitted to the lower end of the dehydrating shaft 21. The solenoid 41 is slid upward by turning on the solenoid 41, and is slid downward by its own weight by turning off the solenoid 41.

A first meshing tooth 47 with a rounded tip is arranged on the upper outer peripheral edge of the movable body 29 at a predetermined interval in a ring shape.
However, second meshing teeth 49 having rounded tips are arranged at predetermined intervals on the lower outer peripheral edge. The first meshing teeth 47 can mesh with the fixed-side meshing teeth 51 provided on the bearing case 23 by sliding the movable body 29 upward. The fixed-side meshing teeth 51 have a rounded structure with ring tips arranged at predetermined intervals so as to face the first meshing teeth 47, and partially develop the state before meshing and after the meshing is completed. 3 and 4.

The second movable member 29 is provided with a second
The meshing teeth 49 are able to mesh with the rotor-side meshing teeth 53 having rounded tips arranged in a ring at predetermined intervals by sliding the movable body 29 downward. The rotor-side meshing teeth 53 are provided on the upper surface of the rotor horizontal portion 34 of the rotor 27 mounted on the lower end of the washing shaft 19.

Each meshing tooth 47, 49, 51, 5
The tooth tip 3 may have a wedge shape as shown in FIGS.

The solenoid 41 includes an electromagnetic coil 61 composed of an iron core 57 and a coil 59 fixedly supported on the bearing case 23 side, and a movable iron core 63 provided on the movable body 29 side.
When a current flows through the electromagnetic coil 61, the movable core 63 is turned on by the direction of the magnetic field indicated by the arrow in FIG.
Is sucked by the fixed iron core 57 from the state of the chain line to the position of the solid line. Thereby, the movable body 29 slides upward.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 65 denotes a cushion member when the movable body 29 is lowered.

The operation of the thus-configured fully automatic washing machine 3 will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 8 and the time chart of FIG. The time chart of FIG. 9 shows a part of the washing initial step, and the rest is omitted.

At the start (step 101), the solenoid 41 is turned on, the first meshing teeth 47 of the movable body 29 and the fixed side meshing teeth 51 are meshed, and the dehydrating shaft 21 is rotated.
Is fixed, and rotational power is transmitted to the washing shaft 19.
(FIG. 1, right).

At this time, the electromagnetic coil 61 of the solenoid 41
, An initial current Is flows (step 102). Thereafter, when the drive unit 27 is turned on, the pulsator 17 repeats forward and reverse several times via the washing shaft 19, and detects the amount of cloth based on the load at the time of rotation (step 103). Movable body 29
After the completion of the suction of the movable iron core 63, the current is switched to the holding current Ik that requires less power to be supplied to the solenoid 41 (step 104). On the other hand, water corresponding to the cloth amount is supplied (step 105), and after the water supply is completed, the pulsator 17 is washed by turning the pulsator 17 forward and backward (step 106). After the washing is completed, the water is drained (step 107). In addition, washing can be started in the middle of water supply.

Next, the solenoid 41 is turned off (step 108), and the rotor 37 is rotated at low speed and low torque (step 109). As a result, the movable body 29 is lowered by its own weight, and the second meshing teeth 49 are replaced with the rotor-side meshing teeth 5.
Meshes with 3. At this time, the state is on the left side in FIG. 1, and the rotational power of the rotor 37 is transmitted to the dehydrating shaft 21 via the movable body 29. At the same time, the rotational power of the rotor 37 is also transmitted to the washing shaft 19, and the pulsator 17 and the dewatering tub 7 rotate at high speed.
Perform dehydration. (Step 111).

After the completion of dehydration, water is supplied (step 112),
The solenoid 41 is turned on again. At the same time, the rotor 37
Is rotated at low speed and low torque (steps 113 and 11).
4). As a result, the tip of the first meshing tooth 47 is shifted from the tip of the fixed meshing tooth 51, and the first meshing tooth 47 meshes with the fixed meshing tooth 51. At this time, the state is on the right side of FIG. 1, and the spinning shaft 21 is fixed, while the rotational power from the rotor 37 is transmitted to the washing shaft 19. In this state, the pulsator 17 performs normal / reverse rinsing for a predetermined time (step 115).

After rinsing is completed, drainage is performed (step 116), and it is determined in step 117 whether rinsing has been performed twice. If NO, the process returns to step 108 to repeat the spin-drying and rinsing operations. In the case of YES, the solenoid 41 is turned off (step 118), and the movable body 29 descends by its own weight. At this time, the first meshing teeth 47
Moves away from the fixed side meshing teeth 51, and the second meshing teeth 49 mesh with the rotor side meshing teeth 53. At the same time, the rotor 37 is rotated at a low speed and a low torque (step 119). Thereby, the tip of the second meshing tooth 49,
The tooth teeth of the second meshing teeth 47 are displaced from the meshing teeth 53 of the rotor side, and the second meshing teeth 47 mesh with the meshing teeth 53 of the rotor side. At this time,
1, the rotational power of the rotor 37 is transmitted to the dewatering tank 21. At the same time, the rotor 37 is also attached to the washing shaft 19.
As a result, the pulsator 17 and the dewatering tub 7 rotate at a high speed to perform dehydration, and after a certain time, end the dehydration (steps 120 and 121).

In the series of steps, during the washing and rinsing steps, as shown in the right side of FIG.
The first meshing teeth 47 mesh with the fixed side meshing teeth 51, and the dewatering shaft 19 is fixed. At the same time, since the second meshing teeth 49 are disengaged from the rotor-side meshing teeth 53, only the washing transmission path transmitted to the washing shaft 19 is secured as shown by the solid arrow a in FIG. , Only the pulsator 17 rotates.

When the pulsator 17 rotates, the second meshing teeth 49 and the rotor-side meshing teeth 53 are disengaged from each other, so that rotational power to the dewatering shaft 21 is not transmitted.

Next, in the dehydration step, O
By the FF, as shown in the left half of FIG. 1, the movable body 29 descends by its own weight, and the first meshing tooth 47 is disengaged from the fixed-side meshing tooth 51, so that the fixing of the dehydrating shaft 21 is released, and the second meshing tooth 49. Is engaged with the rotor-side meshing teeth 53, and the rotational power from the rotor 37 is transmitted to the dehydrating shaft 21 via the movable body 29, and the other is the dotted line shown in FIG. The dewatering tank 7 and the pulsator 17 are secured as shown by the arrow b, and rotate.

When the movable body 29 is moved up and down to switch between a washing state (right side in FIG. 1) and a dehydrating state (left side in FIG. 1),
A first meshing tooth 47 and a fixed meshing tooth 51;
The meshing teeth 49 and the rotor-side meshing teeth 53 form a meshing tooth clutch in which the teeth mesh with each other, so that the meshing is completed quickly. At this time, since the tooth tip is round as shown in FIG. 4, even if the tooth tip collides, it is easy to be naturally settled at the meshing position. Further, at the time of meshing, the rotor 37 is slightly (2
By rotating the tooth tip, the position of the tooth tip is shifted from the state in which the tooth tip collides, and a meshing state in which the tooth tip meshes reliably is obtained.

On the other hand, when shifting from the washing step or the rinsing step to the dewatering step, the second meshing teeth 49 of the movable body 29 are meshed with the rotor-side meshing teeth 53 before drainage is completed.

Thus, for example, when shifting from the washing to the dehydration process, when the meshing clutch 29 is lowered by its own weight, the tip of the second meshing tooth 49 and the tip of the rotor-side meshing tooth 53 collide with each other, making it difficult to mesh. Even under the conditions described above, the laundry is floating in the water, so that the pulsator 17 and the dewatering tub 7 do not rotate integrally, and by slightly rotating the rotor, the rotor-side meshing teeth 53 and the movable body 29 are rotated.
A rotational difference is generated between the second meshing tooth 49 and the tooth tip, and the position of the tooth tip shifts, and the switching operation is quickly completed.

When shifting from the dewatering process to the rinsing process, the first meshing teeth 47 of the movable body 29 are meshed with the fixed side meshing teeth 51 after a lapse of a predetermined time from the start of water supply.

In this case, even if the tip of the first meshing tooth 47 collides with the tooth tip of the fixed side meshing tooth 51, the laundry stuck to the inner wall of the dewatering tub is moved by the water supply. The rotation of the rotor 37 is transmitted from the washing shaft 19 to the pulsator, further transmitted to the dewatering tub 7 through the laundry and water, and the dewatering shaft 21 and the movable body 29 are rotated so that the first meshing of the movable body 29 is performed. The position of the tooth tip of the tooth 47 is displaced to achieve the meshing state, and the switching operation can be reliably performed. This is particularly effective when the amount of laundry is small.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show a movable member 29 according to a second embodiment.

That is, the dimension Lc from the tip of the first meshing tooth 47 of the movable body 29 to the tip of the second meshing tooth 49 is defined as:
From the tip of the fixed-side meshing teeth 51 to the rotor-side meshing teeth 5
3 is set longer than the dimension Ls up to the tooth tip.

Thus, as shown on the left side of FIG. 10, for example, when the movable body 29 descends and the second meshing teeth 49 mesh with the rotor-side meshing teeth 53, the first meshing teeth 47 and the fixed meshing teeth 47 are fixed until immediately before the meshing. A structure in which the meshing state of the meshing teeth 51 is ensured, the movable body 29 and the rotor-side meshing teeth 53 are prevented from rotating together, and by the rotation of the rotor 37, it is possible to escape from the state in which the tooth tips collide with each other. Has become.

Since the other components are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and the detailed description is omitted.

Therefore, according to the second embodiment,
In addition to the effect of the first embodiment, when the movable body 29 moves down, for example, and the second meshing tooth 49 meshes with the rotor-side meshing tooth 53, as shown in FIG. And the fixed side meshing teeth 51 mesh with each other, so that the rotor 37 is slightly rotated with respect to the dehydrating shaft 21 in the rotation stopped state, so that the rotor side meshing teeth 53 and the movable body 2 are rotated.
9, the second meshing tooth 49 has an angular difference, and even if the tooth tips collide with each other, the tooth tips come off immediately and a reliable meshing state can be achieved, and the switching operation is completed quickly.

FIG. 13 shows that a permanent magnet 67 is
Is shown in the third embodiment of the movable body 29 provided with the above. The left side of the screen shows a state where the movable body 29 of the clutch mechanism is lowered, and the right side of the drawing shows a state where the movable body 29 is raised.

That is, the permanent magnet 67 facing the electromagnetic coil 61 is arranged inside the first meshing teeth 47 of the movable body 29. The permanent magnet 67 has an N pole on the upper side and an S pole on the lower side. The S pole and the N pole may be upside down.

As shown in FIG. 14, the electromagnetic coil 61 has a control circuit 6 for changing the polarity of DC current supplied to the electromagnetic coil 61.
9 makes it possible to switch between a solid line state and a dotted line state where the flow direction is different.

By switching between the S and N poles, for example, the electromagnetic coil 61 attracts the permanent magnet 67 on the movable body 29 side when a current flows in a solid line state, and a dotted line state. Current flows through the permanent magnet 67
The poles on the side and the electromagnetic coil 61 side repel each other as S and S poles or N and N poles.

The other components are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore, are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted.

Therefore, according to the third embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the first meshing teeth 4
7 is engaged with the fixed meshing teeth 51, the movable body 2 is attracted by the solenoid 41 and the permanent magnet 67.
9 can be reliably absorbed upward.

For this reason, the power supplied to the solenoid 41 at the time of suction can be reduced, so that the solenoid 41 can be designed compact. Further, after the adsorption is completed, the permanent magnet 67 can hold the magnet alone, and the power supply to the solenoid 41 can be stopped. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an increase in coil temperature.

Further, by reversing the direction of the current flow to the electromagnetic coil 41, the movable body 2
9 is quickly lowered by its own weight plus the repulsive force, and the switching operation is completed quickly.

[0060]

As described above, according to the fully automatic washing machine of the present invention, when the solenoid is turned on, the first meshing tooth of the movable body is changed to the fixed meshing tooth, and the solenoid O is engaged.
The FF enables the second meshing tooth of the movable body to mesh with the rotor-side meshing tooth reliably and quickly. In addition, a rise in the temperature of the solenoid can be suppressed and a compact design can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged schematic explanatory view of a main part showing a state where a clutch operation of a dog clutch mechanism according to the present invention is different between a right half and a left half.

FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory view of the entire automatic washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a first meshing tooth and a fixed side meshing tooth partially developed.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing, in a partially developed state, a meshing state between a first meshing tooth and a fixed meshing tooth;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view similar to FIG. 3 in which the teeth of each meshing tooth are wedge-shaped;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view similar to FIG. 4, showing the meshing state of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged explanatory view of a solenoid.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart from the start to the middle.

FIG. 9 is a time chart of a movable body, a solenoid, and a driving unit.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view similar to FIG. 1, but showing a second embodiment of the movable body.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing one half of the movable body of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a time chart of each meshing tooth of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is an explanatory view similar to FIG. 1, showing a third embodiment of the movable body.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a switching control unit that switches the direction of the current of the solenoid.

[Explanation of symbols]

 7 Dehydration tub 17 Pulsator 19 Washing shaft 21 Dehydrating shaft 27 Drive unit 29 Movable body 30 Mesh clutch mechanism 35 Stator 37 Rotor 47 First meshing tooth 49 Second meshing tooth 51 Fixed meshing tooth 53 Rotor meshing tooth a Washing transmission path b Dehydration transmission path

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A rotatable dewatering tub, a pulsator provided in the dehydration tub and rotatable independently of the dehydration tub, and a dehydration shaft rotatably supported by a bearing case and transmitting rotational power to the dehydration tub. A washing shaft that transmits rotational power to the pulsator, a drive unit that rotates the rotor by energizing the stator, and a meshing clutch mechanism that switches to a state according to the washing process. And a rotor-side meshing tooth provided on the rotor side and a non-rotatably and axially slidably mounted on the dehydrating shaft, each of which is formed in a ring shape.
A movable body having meshing teeth and second meshing teeth, and a solenoid serving as a power source for slidingly moving the movable body, wherein the first meshing teeth of the movable body mesh with the fixed-side meshing teeth to fix the dehydrating shaft. A fully automatic washing machine characterized by switching between a state and a state in which a second meshing tooth of a movable body is meshed with a meshing tooth on a rotor side to transmit rotational power of a rotor to a dehydrating shaft. 2. The dimension from the tip of the fixed side meshing tooth to the tip of the rotor side meshing tooth is smaller than the dimension from the tip of the first meshing tooth of the movable body to the tip of the second meshing tooth. The fully automatic washing machine according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second meshing teeth of the movable body are meshed with the meshing teeth on the rotor side before the drainage is completed, when shifting from the washing process or the rinsing process to the dewatering process. Fully automatic washing machine. 4. When transitioning from the dehydration step to the rinsing step,
The fully automatic washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the first meshing tooth of the movable body is meshed with the fixed side meshing tooth after a predetermined time from the start of water supply. 5. A fully automatic washing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control circuit for providing a permanent magnet to the movable body in the magnetic circuit of the solenoid and for changing a pole of direct current supply to the solenoid. Machine. 6. After the start of the washing or rinsing step,
2. The fully automatic washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the power supplied to the solenoid is reduced. 7. The movable body is formed of a synthetic resin,
2. The fully automatic washing machine according to claim 1, wherein a portion fitted to the dehydrating shaft is formed of a metal part.