JPS626830B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a finishing agent dosing device for a washing machine. Note that the finishing agent is something that makes the laundry soft and free from static electricity after washing, and is commonly called a softener.

Conventionally, the finish dispenser for washing machines has a special container equipped with a valve that is opened and closed by a solenoid.
The finishing agent in the container can be poured into the washing tub by opening a valve using a solenoid during rinsing when the washing tub does not rotate, or alternatively, a separate water supply valve can be installed and the finishing agent in the container can be poured into the washing tub during rinsing. There are methods that allow water to flow through a valve and put it into the washing tub together with the finishing agent, and there are also methods that combine the former with the latter, but in both of these methods, the finishing agent is placed in a separate container specially installed. The washing tub does not rotate, and when rinsing, the valve is opened and the water is poured in, or the water is poured in with the water flow from the water supply valve, which is not a simple method. Also, the finishing agent dispenser is not suitable for pouring in the finishing agent. A solenoid or a water supply valve is required, and various components such as the structure of the container, piping to the water supply valve, and an outflow device to the washing tub are required, resulting in poor productivity and high costs.

Furthermore, since the finishing agent itself has high viscosity, it has the disadvantage that problems such as clogging of pipes are likely to occur during long-term use.

The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks.

In other words, by using the operating process of a washing machine, there is no need to use special parts for adding finishing agent.
The aim is to provide products with good productivity and stable performance.

In the present invention, a finishing agent inlet is provided in the top cover, a saucer is formed at the top of the washing tub, and before the washing machine is started, the finishing agent is injected from the finishing agent inlet and stored in the tray, and the finishing agent is stored in the tray before the final rinse. Alternatively, during the same rinsing, the washing tub is rotated to scatter the finishing agent by centrifugal force, and the scattered finishing agent is thrown into the rinsing liquid between the water tub and the washing tub. It's in the finish dispenser of the washing machine.

Next, an example of the finishing agent injection operation method according to the present invention, together with an example of the finishing agent injection device, will be described.
The explanation will be based on FIGS. 1 to 4. The operating system shown in this embodiment is one in which the washing tub is rotated during the final rinsing and the finishing agent is thrown into the rinsing liquid.

In Figures 1 and 2, 1 is an outer frame, 2 is a top cover, 3 is a hanging rod, 4 is a vibration isolator, and 5 is a
Internal mechanical part, 6 is a water tank, 7 is a motor,
8 is a clutch, 9 is a tank cover, 10 is a washing tub, 11 is a pulsator, and 12 is a balancer.

Further, 13 is a finishing agent inlet, 14 is a receiving port, 15 is a saucer, and 16 is a control box.

The tray 15 is formed all around the upper part of the washing tub. A finishing agent inlet 13 is located above this tray 15.

Furthermore, in FIGS. 3 and 4, S1 to S7 are cam switches, RS is a reversing cam switch, T is a timer, TM is a timer motor,
LS is the lid switch, PL is the operation indicator lamp, Mg is the solenoid, WV is the water supply valve, P
is a drainage pump, PS is a pressure switch, a, b are contacts of each of the above cam switches S1 to S7, NC, NO are contacts of pressure switch PS, C
indicates a capacitor and AC indicates a power supply.

That is, a top cover 2 is attached to the upper part of the outer frame 1, and an internal mechanical part 5, which is suspended from a corner of the outer frame 1 by a hanging rod 3 of a vibration isolator 4, is attached to the inside. .

This internal mechanical part 5 has a water tank 6, a motor 7 and a clutch 8 are disposed at the bottom, and a tank cover 9 is disposed at the top. A pulsator 11 is disposed in the center of the washing tub 10. During washing, the rotation of the motor 7 is transferred to the pulsator 11 via a clutch 8, and during spin-drying, the rotation is transferred to the washing tub 10. It is something that can be conveyed. In addition, washing tub 10
is equipped with a balancer 12 that suppresses vibration of the internal mechanical part 5 during dehydration.

Further, a finishing agent inlet 13 is provided on the top surface of the top cover 2, and correspondingly, a receiving port 14 is provided in the tank cover 9, and a finishing agent inlet port 14 is provided on the top of the balancer 12. A receiving tray 15 is provided as a storage area for the agent.

Furthermore, inside the control box 16 of the top cover 2, there is a water supply valve WV, a solenoid Mg that switches the clutch 8 to the washing and spin-drying states, an operation display lamp PL, and a timer motor TM that controls the drain pump P.
It has a built-in timer T that is controlled by the following.

The above timer T includes cam switches S1 to S7.
etc., and by the timer motor TM,
It is turned on and off as shown in the cam chart in Figure 4.

The reversing cam switch RS operates the motor 7 in forward and reverse directions at regular intervals, and the pressure switch PS closes the NO contact when water is supplied, and the NC contact when there is no water. Also, the lid switch LS is designed to open when a lid (not shown) is opened.

The water tank 6 and the washing tub 10 are configured to have liquid communication through a peripheral hole of the washing tub 10.

With the above-described configuration, the operating method and operation thereof will be explained next with reference to each figure.

First, when a predetermined amount of finishing agent is poured into the finishing agent inlet 13 provided on the top cover 2, the finishing agent is
Balancer 12 through socket 14 of tank cover 9
The water is collected in a saucer 15.

In this state, when laundry and detergent are put into the washing tub 10 and operation is started by turning on the a contact of cam switch S1, the water supply valve WV is operated by the a contact of cam switch S4, water supply starts, and the operation display lamp PL lights up.

Then, when the predetermined amount of water is supplied, the pressure switch is turned on.
PS switches from NC contact to NO contact, water supply valve WV
At the same time as the cam switch S5 closes, the a contact of the cam switch S5 closes, and the b contact of the cam switch S6 closes, so
The motor 7 is turned on, reversed forward and backward by the reversing cam switch RS, and washing is started by the pulsator 11.

At this time, the timer motor TM is also driven, so the timer T advances.

Then, after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the cam switch S
At the same time that the b contact of the cam switch S7 is turned off, the motor 7 is stopped, and washing is completed, the drain pump P is driven by the a contact of the cam switch S7, and the washing liquid is drained to the outside. This drainage causes the pressure switch PS to return from the NO contact to the NC contact.

When the above-mentioned drainage is completed, water is supplied in the same way as in washing, and the pulsator 11 is driven to dilute the detergent contained in the laundry into the rinsing liquid.

Next, after rinsing for a predetermined time, the cam switch S6 switches from contact b to contact a, and the motor 7
is rotated on one side, and at the same time the cam switch S
3's a contact closes, solenoid Mg operates,
The clutch 8 becomes dehydrated and the washing tub 10 begins to rotate. There is a rinsing liquid in the washing tub 10, but the washing tub 10 begins to rotate slowly despite this resistance.

Due to the centrifugal force caused by this rotation, the finishing agent in the tray 15 of the balancer 12 mentioned above is mixed into the rinsing liquid, that is, into the rinsing liquid in the washing tub 10 via the water tank 6.

Note that the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the washing tub 10 needs to be greater than the force that drops the finishing agent into the tub, but this can vary depending on the shape of the tray 15, the height of the tray 15, etc. This relationship can be maintained freely.

However, in this regard, it is desirable to operate for a short time in order to prevent overloading of the motor 7. Therefore, the shape of the receiving tray 15 is such that the shape of the receiving tray 15 is such that the centrifugal force can work effectively. , preferably curved, and the height is
The lower the value, the more effective it is.

As described above, after the finishing agent is mixed into the rinsing liquid in the washing tub 10 by one rotation of the washing tub 10, the rinsing operation is performed again.

After that, the rinsing liquid is drained, and finally, the solenoid is activated by the a contact of cam switch S3.
Mg is operated to bring the clutch 8 into the dewatering state, and the motor 7 is rotated in one direction by the b contact of the cam switch S5 to rotate the washing tub 10 to perform the dewatering process.

As mentioned above, when using the finishing agent injection operation method using the finishing agent injection device, first, the finishing agent is released and introduced between rinses inseparably from the operating mode of the specially installed washing tub rotation process. This system has a special operating process for the washing tub itself, and makes clever use of that operating mode.At the same time, its finishing agent feeding device does not require a special finishing agent, as in conventional devices. It does not require a dispenser or the like, and simply adds a simple structure to each part of the washing machine, and does not use a special solenoid valve opening/closing device, water supply valve, or separate piping device for this. In addition, because the structure is extremely simple, it is not only highly productive, but also has the combined effect of not causing clogging due to finishing agents in containers and piping, which is the case with conventional products. be.

Next, what is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is further related to another embodiment of the finishing agent injection operation method,
In short, this is an embodiment in which the washing tub is rotated and the finishing agent is poured into the tub before the final rinse.

Then, the finishing agent feeding device is connected to the first and second
It has the same configuration as the one shown in the figure. Therefore, FIGS. 1 and 2 will also be referred to in the following description.

Also, in the figure, parts with the same symbols as in Figures 1 to 4 are
Indicates an equivalent functional part, BZ is a buzzer.

That is, as in the previous embodiment, first, when a predetermined amount of finishing agent is poured into the finishing agent inlet 13 provided on the top cover 2, the finishing agent passes through the receiving port 14 of the tank cover 9 and enters the receiving tray 15 of the balancer 12. It is stored in

In this state, when laundry and detergent are put into the washing tub 10 and operation is started by turning on the a contact of cam switch S1, the water supply valve WV is operated by the a contact of cam switch S4, water supply starts, and the operation display lamp PL lights up.

Then, when the predetermined amount of water is supplied, the pressure switch is turned on.
PS switches from NC contact to NO contact, water supply valve WV
At the same time as the motor 7 closes, the motor 7 is turned on, and the reverse cam switch RS causes the motor 7 to move forward and backward, and the pulsator 1
1 starts washing.

At this time, the timer motor TM is also driven, so the timer T advances.

Then, after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the cam switch S
At the same time that the b contact of the cam switch S7 is turned off, the motor 7 is stopped, and washing is completed, the drain pump P is driven by the a contact of the cam switch S7, and the washing liquid is discharged to the outside. Due to this drainage, the pressure switch PS returns from the NO contact to the NC contact.

Next, the a contact of the cam switch S7 is turned off to stop the drain pump P, and at the same time, the solenoid Mg is operated by the a contact of the cam switch S3, the clutch 8 is switched to the dewatering state, the b contact of the cam switch S5 is closed, and the motor is started. Rotate 7 in one direction.

The washing tub 10 rotates as the motor 7 rotates, and the finishing agent in the tray 15 of the balancer 12 is thrown into and released into the water tub 6 by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the washing tub 10. be.

After this, the a contact of the cam switch S3 and the b contact of the cam switch S5 are opened, the solenoid Mg and the motor 7 are stopped, the a contact of the cam switch S4 is closed, and the water supply valve WV is operated to supply water into the washing tub 10. .

When a predetermined amount of water is supplied as described above, the pressure switch PS switches from the NC contact to the NO contact, the timer motor TM is driven, and the motor 7 also starts rotating in the normal direction to perform rinsing, but the water tank 6
Since a finishing agent is placed inside the washing tub 10, the finishing agent is diffused by this rinsing liquid, and as a result, the finishing agent adheres to the clothes in the washing tub 10.

When rinsing is completed, the water is drained, the b contact of the cam switch S5 is closed, and the washing tub 10 is rotated one way to perform spin-drying for a predetermined period of time. Just before the end, the a contact of the cam switch S6 is closed and the buzzer BZ is activated.
The end of the process is notified.

As mentioned above, the finishing agent in the upper part of the washing tub 10, that is, in the tray 15 of the balancer 12, is transferred at a good timing by the rotation of the washing tub 10 before rinsing. Since the finishing agent is added to the rinsing liquid through the water tank 6, unlike the conventional method where the timing of adding and releasing the finishing agent is taken into consideration and the finishing agent is added and released by operating the finishing agent dosing device, the timing of adding and releasing the finishing agent is changed. timing,
This device is designed to match the operating mode of the washing tub 10, and to be able to perform loading and unloading automatically.As with the previous embodiment, the configuration of the device is similar to that of the previous embodiment. It does not use a special solenoid valve opening/closing device, water supply valve, or related piping equipment for the chemical dosing device, and has a simple structure, so it is not only very productive, but also easy to use compared to conventional ones. This product can be expected to have multiple effects, such as no clogging caused by the finishing agent in containers and piping.

As described above, the present invention provides a finishing agent inlet in the top cover, forms a tray at the top of the washing tub, and before starting the washing machine, the finishing agent is injected from the finishing agent inlet and stored in the tray. Before or during the final rinse, the washing tub is rotated to scatter the finishing agent by centrifugal force, and the scattered finishing agent is thrown into the rinsing liquid between the water tub and the washing tub. It is characterized by this.

According to this configuration, the following actions and effects can be expected.

(1) When the washing tub rotates before or during the final rinse, a tray is formed at the top of the washing tub that scatters the finishing agent poured from the finishing agent inlet on the top cover. The operating method of the machine can be followed as is.

(2) Since the tray only needs to be formed on the top of the washing machine, it is extremely simple and highly productive, as it does not require any special means such as a container valve opening/closing device using a solenoid, a water supply valve, or a separate piping device for this. It is something.

(3) Since there are no containers or piping, there is no clogging of the finishing agent, and stable performance of finishing agent injection can be maintained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded sectional view of a washing machine equipped with an embodiment of the finishing agent dosing device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion K in FIG. 1, and FIG. The diagram is
FIG. 4 is a cam chart diagram showing the operation of the cam switch of the timer, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a cam chart diagram showing the operation of the cam switch of the timer. 2...Top cover, 6...Aquarium, 7...Motor, 9
...Tank cover, 10...Washing tub, 11...Pulsator,
12... Balancer, 13... Finishing agent inlet, 14...
Socket, 15... saucer.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a single-tub washing machine that rotates a pulsator in the washing tub during washing and spins the washing tub during spin-drying, a finishing agent is poured into the top cover. A mouth is provided, and a tray is formed at the top of the washing tub. Before starting the washing machine, the finishing agent is injected from the finishing agent inlet and stored in the tray, and the washing tub is opened before or during the final rinse. A finishing agent dosing device for a washing machine, characterized in that it is configured to rotate to scatter the finishing agent by centrifugal force, and to throw the scattered finishing agent into a rinsing liquid between a water tank and a washing tub.