JPS623115Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] The present invention relates to a domestic washing machine.

Conventionally, household washing machines have been equipped with motor-driven blades in the washing tub, and the rotation of the blades generates a water flow that stirs the laundry with washing water to remove dirt. This method has the problem that the laundry is easily damaged because the vortex of the washing water causes the laundry itself to get caught up in the laundry itself and to get caught in other laundry items.

Another conventional technique, as shown in FIG. 1, involves pumping pressurized soapy water bubbles from the bottom of a washing tub 1 with a pump 2, and causing the bubbles to weave through the laundry 3 and rise, thereby staining the surface of the laundry. There are things that drop. This method does not damage the laundry and does not require the use of petroleum-based detergents when heating the soapy water with a heater, but the laundry does not move in the tub when the fabric is poorly breathable and there is a large amount of laundry. There was a problem with uneven dirt removal. Further, the washing ability of this method was equal to or lower than that of the above-mentioned blade rotation method, and there remained a problem in terms of efficiency.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a household washing machine that eliminates uneven dirt removal without damaging the laundry and also enables efficient washing in a short time.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. The washing tub 4 is filled with detergent and detergent to enable pressure inside the tub.
A lid 6 for introducing water and laundry 5 has an airtight structure.
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the lid 6 is opened and closed by a hinge 7, a sealing rubber gasket 8 is provided around the entire opening end surface of the tank 4, and the other end of the lid 6 is locked with a gasket 9. .

Returning to FIG. 2, the bottom of the washing tub 4 is connected to a pressurized air supply pipe 10 at its corner. Further, the bottom of the washing tub 4 is connected to a drain pipe 12 having an electric drain pot 11 interposed at a corner farthest from the communicating portion of the pipe 10. This drain pot 11 is made airtight so that pressurized air in the tank 4 does not leak from the pot. The bottom cross section of the tank 4 has an inclined structure in which the drainage pot 11 side is deepest. Tank openings 10A and 1 of pipes 10 and 12
2A has wire meshes 13A and 13 each having a small diameter hole.
The wire mesh 13A that covers the opening 10A of the pipe 10 has a function of blowing pressurized air from the pipe 10 side into the tank using small-diameter air bubbles, and the wire mesh 13B that covers the opening 12A has a function of blowing out pressurized air from the pipe 10 side into the tank. To prevent laundry 5 and fiber waste from clogging a pipe 12 and a drain pot 11 when draining water.

The other end of the pressurized air supply pipe 10 is connected to the lower part of the pressurized air storage tank 15 via an electric control valve 14 . Further, the other end of the supply pipe 10 is communicated with a pipe 16 before the control valve 4. The other end of the pipe 16 is connected to a pressurized air outlet of a compression pump 17. The tank 15 communicates with the pipe 10 at its lowest end to prevent washing water from flowing back into the tank. When the control valve 14 is in its open state, the amount of pressurized air blown into the tank 4 per time can be increased by an amount equivalent to the volume of the tank 15. The compression pump 17 is a reciprocating pump using a piston or a rotary vane type pump, and is continuously driven by a motor 18 , and a pressurized air intake port is communicated with a pressure release part 19 of the tank 4 .

The pressure relief part 19 communicates with the inside of the tank 4 via a pressure relief valve (pressure control valve) 20 provided on the side of the tank 4 at a position higher than the upper limit of the washing water in the tank 4, and has a pressure release part at the top. It is provided with an air vent hole 19A. The pressure relief valve 20 partitions the tank 4 and the pressure relief part 19 during normal washing, and is driven at regular intervals to release the pressurized air in the tank 4 to the pressure relief part 1.
9 to be released. A part of this relief air is pump 1
The air is circulated as intake air to the air pump 7, and most of it is released from the air vent hole 19A. The pressure release part 19 has a structure with a relatively large volume so as to function as a muffler for the pressure release air from the tank 4, and the pressure release air vent hole 19A is made small to reduce pressure release noise. We are trying to

The pressure relief valve 20 has an electric pressure relief valve structure shown in FIG. 4, for example. The flange portion 21A of the valve housing 21 is engaged with the inner end of the pressure relief hole bored in the tank 4 with an airtight rubber packing 22 interposed therebetween. Outer circumferential threaded portion 21B at a position protruding to the outside (inside of the pressure relief portion 19)
It is airtightly fixed to the tank 4 by a nut 23 and a washer 24. A valve inlet 21C bored in the center of the valve housing 21 has a rubber ring 25 on the valve seat and is engaged with the valve body 26, and the threaded portion 2
A hole 21D is provided on the front peripheral surface of the valve 1B for releasing the pressure release air from the valve inlet 21C. The valve body 26 is supported by a sliding pin 27A of a plunger 27 attached to the tip of the valve housing 21, and a pressure spring 28 is interposed between the plunger 27 and the end face of the plunger 27 to press it toward the valve seat. When the plunger coil 27B is energized, the plunger 27 pulls in the valve body 26 through the sliding pin 27A, thereby opening the valve, that is, releasing the pressurized air in the tank 4 to the pressure release part 19 side. The pressing force of the pressing spring 28 is designed to serve as a safety valve against a failure on the plunger side.

Returning to FIG. 2, a wire mesh 28 is provided in the tub 4 surrounding the valve inlet 21C of the pressure relief valve 20 to prevent part of the laundry 5 from clogging the valve inlet when loading laundry or releasing pressure. do. A washing water supply pipe 29 is airtightly connected to the upper part of the tank 4, and a hose 31 is connected to the pipe 29 via an electric pot 30 outside the tank 4, and the other end of the hose 31 is connected to a water supply pipe (not shown). connected to the faucet. Therefore, leave the water faucet open,
By controlling the opening and closing of the pot 30, water supply into the tank can be controlled. A small piece of a contact plate 32 is provided opposite the water supply pipe 29 in the tank water supply direction, and the structure is such that the supplied water collides with the contact plate 32 and is sprayed all over the tank 4.

In this structure, the drain pot 11 is closed and the laundry 5, water, and detergent are discharged into the washing tub 4 through the pressure relief valve 2.
0, and operate the motor 18 by turning on the manual switch or turning on the timer switch to start washing, thereby starting the compression pump 1.
7 is driven to send pressurized air into the tank 4, and the plunger 27 is driven at regular intervals to cause the pressure relief valve 20 to release the pressurized air in the tank. In this washing operation, the pressurized air generated from the pump 17 is pumped during the period when the valve 20 is closed, as shown in FIG.
At T ₁ , the pressure increases from P _O to P _S to pressurize the tank 4, and during the period T ₂ when the pressure relief valve 20 is opened, the pressure inside the tank 4 increases.
As the internal pressure rapidly drops from P _S to P _O , pressurized air is blown into the tank 4 from the pipe 10 side. The pressure P _O at the time of pressure release is determined by the opening time of the valve 20, and the time is adjusted so that the pressure drops to almost normal pressure, and the pressure P _S at the time of pressurization is determined taking into consideration the safety of the tank 4. The pressure is set to about 1.6 to 2 atmospheres, which is the same as a pressure cooker. In addition, in FIG. 5, the broken line waveform is the case where the pressure release time is set to be long.

As described above, in the washing operation, pressurization and pressure release are repeated at regular intervals in the washing tub 4, and air bubbles are blown up from the lower corners when the pressure is released. As a result, as shown in Fig. 6, the pressure change inside the washing tub 4 causes large and small air bubbles B ₁ and B ₂ contained in the laundry fiber A, and air bubble B ₃ caught between the fiber A and dirt C to contract and expand. The contraction and expansion of large and small bubbles B ₁ and B ₂ generate a flow of washing water that dissolves detergent between each fiber A, promoting the decomposition of dirt, and the contraction and expansion of bubbles B ₃ causes the removal of dirt C. promote. Furthermore, the pressurized air bubbles are blown into the washing tub 4 from the lower corners to efficiently and appropriately move the laundry, eliminate uneven stain removal, and promote the supply of air bubbles into the laundry.

The washing operation based on repeated pressure changes and air bubble blowing has a higher washing effect due to the internal water flow between the laundry fibers and the agitation of the laundry, compared to the conventional method shown in Figure 1, which generates air bubbles only on the surface of the laundry. This results in more efficient (shorter time, higher washing capacity) laundry. In addition, since the laundry is agitated by the water flow blown up by air bubbles in the washing tub 4, the laundry does not get caught up in the whirlpool like in general blade-rotating washing machines, and the laundry is not damaged. It disappears.

In addition, by keeping the control valve 14 open at all times for blowing out pressurized air, the amount of air blowing per time can be reduced per tank.
5, the pressure relief period of the pressure relief valve 20 is changed to compensate for the increase/decrease in the maximum pressure in the tank according to the switching of the open/closed state of the control valve 14, so that the interval between pressure changes is shortened and the blowout is reduced. To enable switching between a washing operation with a small amount and a washing operation with a long pressure change interval and a large amount of blowing, and to enable switching according to the size and amount of a single item of laundry and automatic switching between rinsing and washing.

In order to facilitate the removal of detergent water impregnated into the laundry during rinsing, after draining the water in the tank 4, the pot 30 is opened and the pump 17 is operated while water is sprinkled into the tank 4, and the water is drained. By opening the pot 11, it is possible to spray water on the laundry and blow out the impregnation of the laundry to the drain pot side using the internal pressure of the tank 4. By linking these rinsing and pre-treatments with the above-mentioned washing operation, it is possible to perform a batch washing operation, that is, automatic washing.

In addition, in the embodiment, the pressure release control of the electric pressure relief valve 20 at fixed time intervals can be performed using a washing time setting timer to obtain a periodic signal, and instead of the electric pressure relief valve 20, the pressing force of the pressure spring 28 can be adjusted appropriately. It can also be adjusted to allow natural pressure relief. Furthermore, the same effect can be obtained by appropriately changing the design to a control device that releases pressure intermittently, such as a gear mechanism that operates a cam on the valve body 26 when the motor 18 reaches a certain rotation speed, A configuration in which the control valve 14 is omitted and a valve that opens and closes complementary to the pressure relief valve 20 is provided in the middle of the pipe 10 to alternately switch between pressurization and pressure relief in the tank is also within the scope of the present invention. Further, control of each pot for rinsing and sequence control of each pot, motor, etc. for automatic washing are also realized using the periodic signal of the timer. The safety mechanism for removing the pressure inside the tank 4 when the lid 6 is opened after the washing operation is completed is to operate the motor 1 in response to the operation completion signal of the washing time setting timer.
8, a control mechanism that forcibly opens the pressure relief valve 20 or another pressure relief valve to unlock the lid 6, or a combination of the two can be designed as appropriate. .

As described above, according to the present invention, pressure is periodically applied and released in the washing tub, dirt is removed by the compression and expansion of air bubbles contained in the laundry, and air bubbles are blown up from the lower part. Since the laundry is agitated in the tub, it has the effect of reducing uneven dirt removal and allowing efficient washing without damaging the laundry.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional washing machine, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the lid 6 in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the lid 6 in Fig. 2. is a side sectional view showing one embodiment of the pressure relief valve in FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is a pressure waveform diagram in the tank to explain the washing operation in FIG. 2, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the effect. 4... Washing tub, 6... Lid, 10... Pressurized air supply pipe, 11... Drainage pot, 13, 28...
Wire mesh, 14... Control valve, 15... Tank, 17...
... Compression pump, 18 ... Motor, 19 ... Pressure relief section, 20 ... Pressure relief valve.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A washing tub that holds laundry, detergent, and water and is airtightly covered; a pump that supplies pressurized air from the bottom of the washing tub; and a periodic release of the pressurized air above the water surface in the washing tub. A household washing machine characterized by comprising a pressure relief means for causing