JPS62227397A - Detergent feeder of washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to a detergent supply device for a washing machine, etc., for supplying detergent, particularly powdered detergent, to a detergent receiving section of a washing machine, etc.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, as shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 54-43827, a detergent supply device for a washing machine or the like used for supplying this kind of powdered detergent has been used to quantify the amount of powdered detergent stored and stored in a hopper. One type dispenses detergent powder one by one and stores it once before supplying it, and the other type, as shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 42-18769, supplies the powdered detergent stored in a hopper by rotating a screw-shaped detergent delivery member. There are representative examples.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) However, among the above, the former Japanese Patent Publication No. 54-43827
What is shown in the publication does not have an effective method to solve the problem that the powder detergent tends to harden due to moisture and humidity, which is characteristic of washing machines and other water-handling equipment, before it is supplied. This has resulted in the problem that the detergent often becomes clogged and the detergent cannot be supplied smoothly and reliably. Moreover, detergents were sometimes supplied in large lumps, which took a long time to dissolve and could not effectively contribute to cleaning.

On the other hand, in the latter method disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 42-18769, it is possible to supply the powdered detergent, which tends to harden, while loosening it with the detergent delivery member, as described above. Moreover, it can be supplied more reliably and more conveniently. However, in this case, at the end of the supply operation, the detergent delivery member sends the powdered detergent to the full outlet of the detergent delivery section and then stops its operation. There has been a problem in that the powder detergent falls from the outlet of the detergent delivery section, causing the powder detergent to stick to the area where it fell. Furthermore, there is a problem in that if the particles fall into the washing tub, they fall during rinsing, reducing the rinsing effect.

Another problem is that even if the detergent does not fall off, it gets wet through the outlet of the detergent delivery section and hardens in the vicinity of the outlet.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to supply powder detergent smoothly, reliably, and conveniently, and to prevent the powder from flowing out from the outlet of the detergent delivery section after the supply operation is completed. To provide a detergent supply device for a washing machine or the like that can be comfortably used without causing problems of detergent dropping or clumping.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides a detergent delivery section at the lower end of a hopper that accommodates and stores powdered detergent in a direction facing the detergent receiving section, and the detergent delivery section is provided with a detergent delivery section. A delivery member is housed and arranged, and the detergent delivery member is rotated by a drive device, and after the powder detergent supply operation is completed, the detergent delivery member is rotated for a predetermined time in the opposite direction to the supplying time. It is characterized by the following.

(Function) According to the present invention of the above-mentioned means, the rotating detergent delivery member sends out the powdered detergent in the hopper through the detergent delivery portion by its rotation, and after the feeding operation is completed, the detergent delivery member that rotates in reverse rotates the powder The detergent is returned to the interior from the outlet of the detergent delivery section.

(Example) An example in which the present invention is applied to a detergent supply device for a washing machine will be described below with reference to the drawings. First of all, the washing machine main body 1, whose entire structure is shown in FIG.
In addition to being pivoted so that it can be opened and closed, an operation panel 5 is provided at the front edge in front of the lid 4, and a platform 6 is provided at the rear edge. An operating knob 7 for setting the water level is provided at the right end of the table-shaped portion 6, and an operating knob 8 for setting the amount of detergent is provided on the left side of the operating knob 7. A hopper set opening 9 is formed from the left side of the operating knob 8 to the left end of the platform 6, and a cross section below the hopper set opening 9' is shown in FIG. Hopper receiving part 1 forming a V-shape and opening at both ends as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
0 is formed. The hopper receiving part 10 accommodates a hopper 11 whose lower part has a V-shaped cross section to match the hopper receiving part 10 and whose both sides are obliquely formed through the hopper set opening 9. At the same time, the hopper 11 The claw portion 12 formed on the left side in FIG. The hopper 11 is removably fixed by being elastically engaged with the hopper 11. On the other hand, a lid 15 is pivotally installed on the top opening of the hopper 11 so that it can be opened and closed by a shaft 16 at the rear end, and the inside of the hopper 11 has a plurality of protrusions 17 that protrude in the front and back direction. A stirring member 20 having a large number of protrusions 18 protruding in the direction of the hopper 11 and a number of stages of holes 19 is rotatably supported with a shaft 21 passing between the front and rear of the hopper 11. A detergent delivery part 22 is formed at the lower end of the hopper 11 and extends exclusively to a cylindrical part protruding outward to the right in FIG.
The outlet 23 at the tip faces a detergent receiving portion 25 located approximately in the center of the two sides of the receiving plate 24 disposed inside the platform portion 6. The upper surface of the receiving plate 24 also serves as a water supply channel, and is provided so as to gradually descend toward the supply port 26 at the tip facing the washing tub (not shown) inside the outer box 2. A water supply valve 27 is disposed on the end. A coil-shaped detergent delivery member 28 is rotatably housed in the detergent delivery portion 22 over its entire length, and the agitation member 20 has one of its protrusions 1°8 connected to the detergent. It is engaged with the delivery member 28. On the other hand, a transmission shaft 29 to which the base end of the detergent delivery member 28 is engaged is inserted into the end of the detergent delivery portion 22 opposite to the outlet 23, and the transmission shaft 29 is opposite to the detergent delivery member 28. A connector 30 is attached to the side end. Corresponding to the connector 3G, a motor 31 serving as a drive device is attached to the inner surface of the left side of the platform 6 in FIG. 33 to the above connector 27
is removably engaged with. FIG. 1 shows the control of the water supply valve 27, the drain valve (not shown), the motor for washing and dewatering (also not shown), and the motor 31 in the order of their strokes, with each diagonal line indicating the part in question. The remaining blank areas represent the non-operational state of the component. Therefore, especially regarding the motor 31, the direction of energization is changed near the end of water supply in the "washing" process, and the motor 31 is rotated in that direction for a predetermined period of time indicated by time t.

Now, in the case of the device constructed as described above, when using it, first open the lid 15 of the hopper 11 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG.
4, then close the lid 15 and add the powdered detergent 34.
is stored in the hopper 11. When the necessary switches on the operation panel 5 are operated to perform washing, the water supply valve 27 is energized to start water supply during the first "washing" process, and in this situation, the motor 31 is then energized. As a result, the motor 31 is started, and its rotational force is transmitted from the rotation shaft 32 to the transmission shaft 29 via the engagement structure between the transmission pin 33 and the connector 30, and further from the transmission shaft 29 to the detergent delivery member 28. communicated. In this way, the detergent delivery member 28 is rotationally driven, particularly in a so-called spiral direction, and the detergent delivery member 28 rotationally driven in this manner.
moves in contact with the powdered detergent 34 in the hopper 11 and loosens the powdered detergent 34 while passing through the detergent delivery section 22 at the outlet 23.
5, and exit from the exit 23 as shown by A on the left side in FIG. The powdered detergent 34 thus dispensed falls into the detergent receiving part 25 on the plate 24, and in this detergent receiving part 25, it passes through the water supply valve 27 as indicated by the arrow B in FIG.
It is flushed away by the supplied water as shown in , and is supplied together with the water from the supply port 26 into the washing tub (not shown).

Particularly in the case of this embodiment, when the detergent delivery member 28 is rotationally driven as described above, the protrusion 1 is formed on the detergent delivery member 28.
The stirring member 2° engaged with one of the detergent delivery members 28 is rotated so that its protrusions 18 are sequentially engaged with the detergent delivery member 28,
This agitates the powdered detergent 34 in the hopper 11, loosens any lumps of the powdered detergent 34, and allows the powdered detergent 34 to be smoothly introduced into the detergent delivery section 22.

Then, after the time set for supplying the powdered detergent 34 as described above, the motor 31 is de-energized, thus stopping the rotation of the detergent delivery member 28 and dispensing the powdered detergent 34.
supply will be terminated. Thereafter, after a short period of time, the motor 31 is energized in the opposite direction to the previous direction, and thereby the detergent delivery member 28 is rotated in the opposite direction to the above-mentioned detergent supply time. As a result of the rotation, the powdered detergent 34 in the detergent delivery portion 22, particularly in the outlet 23 portion, is returned to the interior in the opposite manner to the above. Note that this rotation of the detergent delivery member 28 in the opposite direction is performed only for a predetermined time shown as time t in FIG.
is de-energized again, so that the motor 31 stops rotating and the detergent delivery member 28 stops rotating.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the powdered detergent 34 accommodated and stored in the hopper 11 can be delivered by the rotation of the detergent delivery member 28, and the powdered detergent 34 is delivered by contact with the rotating detergent delivery member 28. This allows the powdered detergent 34 to be fed out while being loosened, compared to the conventional hopper that takes a fixed amount out of the hopper, stores it, and then dispenses it. It can be supplied very well as it is. After the supply is finished, the detergent delivery member 28 is rotated in the opposite direction to the direction in which it was supplied, so that the powdered detergent 34 in the detergent delivery section 22, especially the outlet 23, is returned to the inside. , the powder detergent 34 may be damaged due to vibrations caused by subsequent operation.
This prevents the powdered detergent 34 from dropping from the outlet 23 of the detergent delivery section 22, thereby preventing the powdered detergent 34 from getting stuck, especially at the detergent receiving section 25 in this embodiment. In addition, it can prevent the detergent from falling into the washing tub through the receiving plate 24 having the detergent receiving portion 25, and in particular, it prevents the detergent from falling into the washing tub during the process after supply, especially during the "rinsing" process. Therefore, a decrease in the rinsing effect can be prevented. Furthermore, in this case, even if it did not fall,
Since the powdered detergent 34 that has not fallen off is not left at the outlet 23 of the detergent delivery section 22, it is possible to prevent the detergent from coming into contact with moisture at the outlet 23 and hardening. You can use it comfortably without worrying about it.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and in particular, the supply of the powdered detergent 34 together with the water supply described above and the stirring member 20 may be appropriately selected. It may also be implemented by doing so. Further, the detergent receiving portion is not limited to the detergent receiving portion 25 on the receiving plate 24, but may be placed inside the washing tub, that is, the powdered detergent 34 may be directly supplied into the washing tub. Also, the detergent delivery member 28
The drive device for rotationally driving is not limited to the motor 31, but may be, for example, a water wheel operating in a water supply channel.

The invention as a whole is not limited to washing machines, but can be similarly applied to all appliances that function using powdered detergent, such as dishwashers.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, a detergent delivery section is provided at the lower end of the hopper that accommodates and stores powdered detergent in a direction facing the detergent receiving section. A detergent delivery member is accommodated and arranged so that the detergent delivery member is rotated by a drive device, and after the powder detergent supply operation is completed, the detergent delivery member is rotated for a predetermined time in the direction of warp 1 from the time of supply. This has the effect of supplying powdered detergent, which tends to harden due to water and humidity, which is characteristic of washing machines and other water-handling equipment, smoothly, reliably, and conveniently. This has the effect that the detergent powder can be used comfortably without causing problems such as dropping or clumping of the powdered detergent from the outlet of the detergent delivery section.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, with Fig. 1 being a time chart that mainly shows the control of the main parts, Fig. 2 being a perspective view of the overall appearance of the washing machine, and Fig. 3 showing the main parts. FIG. 4 is a vertical side view of the same part at a different sectional position, and FIG. 5 is a vertical front view of the same part. In the figure, 11 is a hopper, 22 is a detergent delivery section, 23 is an outlet,
25 is a detergent receiver, 28 is a detergent delivery member, and 31 is a motor (
(driving device), 34 is a powdered detergent, and t is a predetermined time.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A hopper for supplying powdered detergent to a detergent receiving section of a washing machine, etc., which accommodates and stores the powdered detergent;
A detergent delivery part is provided at the lower end of the hopper facing the detergent receiving part, a detergent delivery member is rotatably housed in the detergent delivery part, and a detergent delivery part is rotatably driven. A detergent supplying device for a washing machine or the like, characterized in that the detergent delivery member is rotated for a predetermined period of time in a direction opposite to that during supplying after the powdered detergent supplying operation is completed. Device.