JPS62275499A - 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 3. Detailed Description of the Invention [Object of the Invention] (Field of Application in Industry-1-) The present invention relates to a washing machine for supplying detergent, particularly powdered detergent, to a detergent receptacle of a washing machine, etc. Related to detergent supply devices such as.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, detergent r-no (feeding devices for washing machines, etc.) used to supply this type of powdered detergent have been, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 54-438.
As shown in Japanese Patent Application No. 27, there is a system in which a powdered detergent stored in a hopper is dispensed in fixed amounts, stored once, and then dispensed. However, this product has the problem that powder detergent tends to harden due to water and humidity, which is characteristic of washing machines and other equipment that handle water, before it is supplied. As a result, detergent often clogs and the detergent cannot be supplied smoothly and reliably.

On the other hand, as shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 42-18769, for example, there is a system in which powdered detergent stored in a hopper is delivered and supplied by rotation of a screw-shaped delivery member. According to this method, as mentioned above, powdered detergent that hardens easily is rubbed and finely fed by its screw-shaped delivery part, and therefore it can be fed more smoothly, reliably, and more conveniently than the above-mentioned method. There is.

However, even with this product, there is still quite a lot of detergent on the surface of the screw-like delivery member.
It is not possible to supply the detergent smoothly and reliably.Also, it may be possible to supply the solidified powder detergent if it is only a little lumpy, but according to the screw-shaped delivery member, Even small lumps of powdered detergent tended to clog, making it impossible to supply a sufficient amount of detergent.Historically, the screw-shaped delivery section was difficult to clean, and detergent was particularly likely to remain stuck in every corner. This, in turn, has the problem of inducing subsequent build-up of detergent.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) None of the conventional detergents, such as the double series, can supply powder detergent sufficiently smoothly and reliably, and
Cleaning of the screw-shaped delivery member has not been easy or sufficient.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and therefore, its purpose is to supply powdered detergent sufficiently smoothly and reliably, even if there are some clumps, and also to facilitate cleaning of the delivery member. We also provide an excellent detergent supply device such as a washing machine that can be used satisfactorily.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention relates to an apparatus for supplying powdered detergent to a detergent receiving portion of a washing machine, etc., in which a lower end portion of a hopper that accommodates and stores powdered detergent A detergent delivery part is provided facing the detergent receiving part, a coil-shaped detergent delivery member is housed in the detergent delivery part, and the detergent delivery member is rotationally driven by a drive device. has.

(Function) According to the above means, the coil-shaped detergent delivery member is rotationally driven by the drive device, thereby supplying the powdered detergent in the hopper to the detergent receiving part through the detergent delivery part.

(Embodiment) An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a detergent supply device for a washing machine will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

First of all, the washing machine main body 1, whose entire structure is shown in FIG.
The top cover 3 has a lid 4 attached to the top cover 3. 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. The platform part 6 is provided with an operating knob 7 for setting the water level at the right end in the figure, and an operating knob 8 for setting the amount of detergent on the left side thereof. And from the part to the left of the operation knob 8 on the platform part 6 to the left end part,
A hopper receiving part that forms a hopper centro 9 and is connected to and below the hopper set opening 9 and has a V-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. 3, and both ends are open as shown in FIGS. 4 and 1. 10 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 first of
A claw portion 12 formed on the left side in the figure is engaged with the left side edge of the hopper set port 9, and an elastic claw portion 14 having an operating protrusion 13 formed on the right side is elastically attached to the right side edge of the hopper set port 9. The hopper 11 is engaged to prevent the hopper 11 from falling off.

On the other hand, the upper opening of the hopper 11 has a lid 5 attached to the shaft 1 at the rear end.
6 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), the hopper 11 has a plurality of protrusions 17 that protrude in the front-rear direction, and a protrusion that protrudes outward from the hopper 11. A stirring member 2 having a large number of holes 18 and further having a large number of holes 19.
0 is rotatably supported by a support 21 extending between the front and back of the hopper 11, and furthermore, at the lower end of the hopper 11, there is a cylindrical part that protrudes from inside the hopper 11 exclusively outward to the right in FIG. A detergent delivery section 22 is formed, and an outlet 23 at the tip thereof faces a detergent receiving section 25 located approximately at the center of the upper surface of a receiving plate 24 disposed inside the front platform 6. Receive! N2
4, whose upper surface also serves as a water supply channel, 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, as shown in FIG.
A water supply valve 27 is disposed on the uppermost rear end portion.

Also, in the detergent delivery section 22, there is provided a first detergent delivery member 28 formed into a coil shape from a circular wire key, for example.
As shown in the figure, the stirring member 20 is rotatably housed over its entire length, and one of its protrusions 18 is engaged with the detergent delivery member 28. On the other hand, a detergent delivery member 28 is provided at the end of the detergent delivery unit 22 opposite to the outlet 23.
A transmission shaft 29 is inserted into which the base end of the transmission shaft 29 is connected.
9 has a connector 3 at the end opposite to the detergent delivery member 28.
It has a value of 0. Corresponding to the connector 30, 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 is removably engaged with the connector 30.

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.
or stored in the hopper 11. Then, when the necessary switches on the operation panel 5 are operated in order to wash the clothes, the motor 31 is energized before washing starts, and since the energized motor 31 starts, its rotational force is changed from rotation 1iII] 32. Transmission bottle 33 and connector 30
The detergent is transmitted to the transmission shaft 29 via the engagement structure with the detergent delivery member 28, and further transmitted from the transmission shaft 29 to the detergent delivery member 28. In this way, the detergent delivery part +A'2g is driven to rotate, particularly in a so-called spiral direction, and the detergent delivery member 28, which is rotationally driven in this way, moves while being in contact with the powdered detergent 34 in the hopper 1. The powdered detergent 34 is pulverized and rolled in the central cavity formed by the coiled shape, and advanced through the detergent delivery section 22 toward the outlet 23, and then discharged from the outlet 23. The powdered detergent 34 thus dispensed falls as shown by arrow A in Ryuteki 4 in FIG. 1 and is received by the detergent receiver #25 on the receiving plate 24. 27 as shown by the arrow B in FIG. 4, and together with the water flows as shown by the arrow C in the same figure, and is supplied from the supply port 26 to the inside of the washing tub (not shown). In addition, especially in the case of this example,
The above-mentioned water starts flowing before the powdered detergent 34 falls onto the detergent receiver 25, and continues to flow after the powdered detergent 34 has been flushed out, so that the powdered detergent 34 directly adheres to the laundry. Not only is the powder detergent 34 prevented from yellowing and staining, but also the powder detergent 34 is not left behind from the detergent receiving part 25 and does not stick to the detergent receiving part 25. Regarding the rotation of the motor 31 and the delivery of the powdered detergent 34 by the detergent delivery member 28, the amount of delivery is controlled by the sweep knob 8 depending on the time length.
The powder detergent 34 can be adjusted according to the type of powder detergent 34 by the operation. In addition, in this case, the adjustment of the delivery amount by the operation knob 8 refers to a supplement to a predetermined basic delivery amount, and the basic delivery amount is determined according to the water level set by the operation of the operation knob 7. . Then, when the detergent delivery member 28 is rotationally driven as described above,
The agitating unit 20 with one of the protrusions 18 engaged with the detergent delivery member 28 rotates so that the protrusions 18 are sequentially engaged with the detergent delivery member 28, and thereby the hopper 11
The powder detergent 34 inside is stirred to loosen any clumps of powder detergent 34 and to ensure smooth introduction into the detergent delivery section 22.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the powdered detergent 34 accommodated and stored in the hopper 11 is transferred to the coiled detergent delivery member 2.
Of course, the detergent powder 34 can be delivered in small pieces by contact with the rotating detergent delivery member 28, and in particular, the detergent delivery member 28 has a hollow portion in the center. Due to the coil shape, the contact area with the powdered detergent 34 is extremely small compared to the conventional screw-shaped delivery member in which a flat plate is spirally wound around the shaft, and the powder that adheres to the surface of the delivery member is extremely small. The amount of detergent 34 is very small, or even absent, and the supply can be carried out smoothly and effectively without clogging the powder detergent 34. In addition, since the detergent delivery member 28 has a coil shape, the detergent can freely move inside the cavity formed in the center of the coil, so even if the detergent is in a small amount, the spiral movement of the detergent delivery member 28 can move the detergent freely. It can be sent out on a conveyor. On the other hand, in a conventional screw-shaped delivery member in which a private space surrounded by a wall moves, solidified detergent is difficult to move and easily clogs. In this case, especially if the winding diameter is set larger than the winding pitch of the coil, any lump that is large enough to pass between the winding pitches will always be able to move through the coil-shaped air/161 section, preventing detergent clogging and municipality. can definitely be done. In addition, since the detergent delivery member 28 has a small contact area with the powdered detergent 34 as described above, the delivery force of the powdered detergent 34 based on the contact is smaller than that of a conventional screw-shaped delivery member, but this is due to the fact that the detergent delivery member 28 This can be easily and sufficiently compensated for by increasing the rotational speed, and since the sending force is small, it is basically possible to supply a small amount in small quantities in a scattered manner, and a large amount can be supplied at once. In order to avoid the problem, it can be supplied conveniently,
It makes the dissolution faster and more uniform. Furthermore, in this case, since the above-mentioned lJu-dispersed supply form is adopted, even fine adjustment of the delivery amount becomes desirable. As for cleaning the detergent delivery member 28, it is easier to clean the detergent delivery member 28 because the powdered detergent 34 does not stick to every corner compared to the conventional screw delivery member. Because water can pass through the inside of the
It can also be cleaned thoroughly. Therefore, the problem of adhesion and accumulation of new powder detergent 34 due to the remaining awns does not occur.

In particular, in the case of the above embodiment, if the operating protrusion 13 of the elastic claw part 14 is operated to remove the elastic claw part 14 from the edge of the hopper set opening 9, the rest is as shown in FIG. Then, by pulling out the elastic claw portion 14 from the hopper setter 9, and then removing the claw portion 12 from the edge of the hopper set opening 9, the connector 30 is disengaged from the transmission pin 33, and the detergent delivery member 28 is removed. The hopper 11 body can be removed and its detergent delivery member 28 and hopper 1
Cleaning by washing with water or the like in step 1 can be easily done as desired.

Here, since FIGS. 6 and 7 show different embodiments of the present invention, springs 35 and 35 are installed at both side edges of the hopper set port 9, respectively, in place of the above-described claw portions 12 and elastic claw portions 14.
The claws 36.36, which are biased by the
At the same time, rotational force is transmitted from the motor 31 to the detergent delivery member 28 by meshing a drive gear 38 attached to the rotating shaft 32 and a driven gear 39 attached to the transmission shaft 29. Even with this structure, if the pawls 36, 36 are removed from the recesses 37, 37 as shown in FIG. The gear 39 can be disengaged 1'1' and removed in the same manner as described above, so that the detergent delivery member 28 and the hopper 11 can be cleaned easily and as desired by washing with water or the like.

Also, since FIG. 8 shows a different embodiment of the present invention, the detergent delivery member 40 is replaced with the detergent delivery member 28 described above, and a flat surface is provided at least in the feeding direction of the powdered detergent 34 (arrow D in the figure). For example, it is made of a wire having a semicircular cross section, and by doing so, it is possible to ensure the feeding of the powdered detergent 34. In this case, there is also the effect of being able to scrape off the powdered detergent 34 that tends to harden on the inner bottom surface of the detergent delivery portion 22, and in particular, with the semicircular cross-sectional shape shown, this scraping effect can be more reliably obtained. Can be done.

As mentioned above, it is not necessarily necessary for the present invention to be able to remove the hopper 11 body, and therefore the hopper 11 body may be provided in a fixed state. The specific shape of the detergent delivery member 28, the supply/Iff of the powdered detergent 34 together with the water supply described above, the time width control of the water supply, the adjustment of the delivery claw according to the type of the powdered detergent 34, and the 9th part of the stirring member 20. The point of no equality may also be selected and implemented as appropriate. Further, the detergent receiving portion is not limited to the detergent receiving portion 25 of the receiving plate 24-1x, but may be inside the washing tub, that is, the powdered detergent 34 may be directly supplied into the washing tub. The motor 31 also serves as a drive device for rotationally driving the detergent delivery member 28.
For example, it may be a water wheel or the like that operates in a water supply channel. The invention as a whole is not limited to washing machines, but can be similarly applied to all appliances that function using powdered detergent, such as dishwashers.

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

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the description in L below, according to the present invention, the powdered detergent stored and stored in the hopper is delivered by the rotation of the coil-shaped detergent delivery member. ,
To be able to supply powdered detergent, which tends to harden due to water and humidity, which is characteristic of washing machines and other water-handling equipment, smoothly and reliably, and as is even if there is some hardening, and to also be able to easily and thoroughly clean the delivery member. It has the excellent effect of being able to.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention, with Figure 1 being a longitudinal sectional front view of the main parts, Figure 2 being a perspective view of the overall appearance of the washing machine, and Figure 3 showing the main parts. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal side view of the same part at different cross-sectional positions, FIG. 5 is a fracture pressure surface view of the main part with the hopper being removed, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are the main parts. 1 and 5, respectively, showing different embodiments of the invention, and FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged longitudinal sectional front view of a detergent delivery member showing still another embodiment of the invention. In the figure, 11 is a hopper, 22 is a detergent delivery section, 25 is a detergent receiving section, 28 is a detergent delivery section, and 31 is a motor (drive device).
, 34 is a powdered detergent, and 40 is a detergent delivery member.

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 coil-shaped detergent delivery member is rotatably housed in the detergent delivery part, and the detergent delivery member is rotated. 1. A detergent supply device for a washing machine, etc., comprising a drive device installed to drive the detergent.