JPS6332478B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a washing method and a washing machine in which a first washing method using the rotation of a stirring blade and a second washing method using the rotation of a rotating tank are switched.

Conventional dewatering and dehydrating washing machines have a rotating tank that serves as both a washing and dehydrating tank in the water receiving tank, and a stirring blade is installed at the bottom of the rotating tank, and a drive motor drives the detergent washing and rinsing processes. It is common to have a configuration in which the stirring blades are driven to rotate and the rotating tank is driven to rotate during the dewatering process. However, the conventional method mentioned above is
When washing ordinary laundry such as shirts, handkerchiefs, socks, etc., the laundry flows well with the water flow from the agitating blades and the washing effect is good, but especially when washing large items such as sheets and blankets. in case of,
There is a problem in that the washing effect is poor because the laundry does not flow very much with water flow only by the stirring blade. For this reason, recently, the stirring blades have been removed and the rotating tank is rotated intermittently at a lower speed than during the dehydration process while washing water is supplied to the water receiving tank during detergent washing and rinsing. It has been proposed to wash the laundry by causing the laundry to flow with water flow based on the rotation of the washing machine. However, according to this method, the drive motor rotates the rotating tub containing the laundry in the washing water, so the load applied to the drive motor is extremely large, and therefore a large drive motor is required. It is necessary to use this method, resulting in expensive problems.

The present invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to be able to wash both ordinary laundry and large items well.
Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide a washing method that can be realized by using an ordinary small and inexpensive drive source such as a drive motor, and a washing machine having a specific structure thereof.

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

Reference numeral 1 denotes an outer box, inside of which a water receiving tank 3 is elastically disposed via an elastic suspension mechanism 2. Reference numeral 4 denotes a rotating tank disposed within the water receiving tank 3, and a large number of dehydration holes 4a are formed in the peripheral wall of the rotating tank. A concave portion 4b whose lower surface is open is formed at the bottom of the rotary tank 4, and a receiving plate 5 is attached to the lower surface opening of the concave portion 4b by screws to close the opening. A water passage hole 5a is formed around the central portion of the receiving plate 5. Reference numeral 6 denotes a stirring blade disposed in the concave portion 4b of the rotating tank 4, and a plurality of driving blades 7 are protruded from the back surface of the stirring blade, and the inner bottom of the rotating tank 4 corresponding to the driving blades 7 is provided. A driven blade 8 is provided protruding from the upper surface of the barrel receiving plate 5.
A casing 9 is screwed to the center of the water tank 3 so as to project downward, and has a flange 9a. A hollow dehydration shaft 10 is inserted and supported in the casing 9, a washing shaft 11 is inserted and supported in the dehydration shaft 10, and a rotating tank 4 is provided at the upper end of the dehydration shaft 10.
The central part of the receiving plate 5 is attached by screws, and the stirring blade 6 is attached to the upper end of the washing shaft 11 by screws. 12 is a brake mechanism, which includes a brake drum 13 screwed to the dewatering shaft 10, a brake band 14 wrapped around the brake drum 13 and having an engaging protrusion 14a at one end; Casing 9
The brake band 1 is pivotally mounted on the flange portion 9a of the
The brake lever 15 has an engaging piece 15a that engages with the engaging protrusion 14a of the brake lever 15, and a support plate 16 is screwed to the base end of the brake lever 15 and the flange 9a. A tension coil spring 17 is provided to apply a rotational force to the brake lever 15 in the direction of arrow A at all times, and a plunger 18a attached to the support plate 16 is connected to the brake lever 15 to rotate the brake when energized. It is comprised of a brake electromagnetic solenoid 18 which is an operating source for rotating the lever 15 in the opposite direction of arrow A against the spring force of a tension coil spring 17. Reference numeral 19 denotes a drive motor as a drive source attached to the support plate 16, and a drive pulley 20 is fitted and fixed to the rotating tank 19a. A driven pulley 21 is fitted and fixed to the lower end of the washing shaft 11 via a shaft cylinder 22, and a belt 23 is stretched between this and the drive pulley 20. Reference numeral 24 denotes a clutch mechanism, which includes a clutch spring 25 wound around the lower end of the dewatering shaft 10 and the upper end of the shaft cylinder 22, and one end of the clutch spring 25. A sleeve 26 is fitted into the shaft cylinder 22 and has engaging teeth 26a around the periphery, and a flange portion 9a of the casing 9 is fitted in the direction of arrow B and in the direction opposite to arrow B.
a clutch lever 27 which is pivotably mounted in a direction and has an engaging pawl 27a at its tip that engages with the teeth 26a of the sleeve 26;
A tension coil spring 28 is stretched between the proximal end of the clutch lever 27 and the support plate 26 and normally applies a rotational force in the direction of arrow B to the clutch lever 27, and a plunger 29a attached to the support plate 26 is attached to the clutch lever 27. The clutch electromagnetic solenoid 29 is connected to the base end of the lever 27 and rotates the clutch lever 27 in the opposite direction of arrow B against the spring force of the tension coil spring 28 when energized. . 30 is a drain valve attached to the outer bottom of the water receiving tank 3, and its valve body 30a is connected to the plunger 29a of the electromagnetic solenoid 29 for the clutch. In this drain valve 30, its water inlet is connected to a drain port 3a formed at the bottom of the water receiving tank 3, and its water outlet is connected to a drain hose 3.
1. Reference numeral 32 denotes a lid attached to the upper opening of the outer box 1, and an opening/closing lid 33 is pivotally mounted on the laundry entry/exit opening 32a. 3
Reference numeral 4 denotes an operation box erected at the rear upper part of the lid body 32, and a timer 35 for controlling the washing operation and a selection switch (not shown) as control means are attached to this operation box as described later.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 36 denotes a liquid balancer fitted into the upper opening of the rotating tank 4;
Reference numeral 7 denotes a tank cover that is fitted and attached to the upper opening of the water receiving tank 3, and is formed with an opening 37a and a guide surface 37b directed toward the opening 37a.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

First, the case of washing ordinary laundry items such as shirts, handkerchiefs, and socks will be described. When the selection switch (not shown) is selected to the first washing method side and the timer 35 is set, the water supply solenoid valve (not shown) is energized and opened to supply water to the rotary tank 4 and the water receiving tank 3. When the water level in the water receiving tank 4 reaches a specified level due to this water supply, a water level switch (not shown) detects this and operates, and based on this, the water supply solenoid valve is de-energized and the drive motor 19 is energized. The timer 35 rotates, and a timer motor (not shown) is energized to start the timer 35 timing operation.
The rotation of the drive motor 19 is controlled by the drive pulley 2.
0 is transmitted to the washing shaft 11 via the belt 23 and the driven pulley 21. In this case, both the brake electromagnetic solenoid 18 and the clutch electromagnetic solenoid 29 are in a power-off state, and the brake lever 15 is rotated in the direction of arrow A by the spring force of the tension coil spring 17, and its engagement piece 15a
is engaged with the engagement protrusion 14a of the brake band 14, so that the brake mechanism 12 applies a braking force to the dewatering shaft 10 and thus the rotating tank 4, and the clutch lever 27 is rotated in the direction of arrow B. The engaging claw 27a of the lever engages the engaging teeth 26 of the sleeve 26.
a, and the clutch mechanism 24 engages with the shaft cylinder 22.
Therefore, the connection between the driven pulley 21 and the dewatering shaft 10 is severed. As a result, the stirring blade 6 is rotationally driven by the washing shaft 11, and the "detergent washing" process is started. In this case, the drive motor 19 is
5, the stirring blades 6 are rotated in forward and reverse directions alternately, and the stirring blades 6 are also rotated in forward and reverse directions to generate a reverse swirling water flow. is executed. When such a "detergent washing" process is carried out for a predetermined period of time, the timer 35 moves to the next "draining" process, and the clutch electromagnetic solenoid 29 is energized to close the plunger 2.
9a starts to be sucked, and the drain valve 30 opens to discharge the washing water in the water receiving tank 3 to the outside. When such a "draining" stroke is completed, the timer 35 further shifts to a "dewatering" stroke, and the clutch electromagnetic solenoid 29 continues to be energized, and the brake electromagnetic solenoid 18 and the drive motor 19 are energized. Therefore, the clutch lever 27 is rotated in the opposite direction of arrow B against the spring force of the tension coil spring 28, so that the engaging pawl 27a engages with the sleeve 26.
The clutch spring 25 connects the shaft cylinder 22 and the driven pulley 21 to the dewatering shaft 10, and the brake lever 15 moves in the opposite direction of arrow A against the spring force of the tension coil spring 17. The engaging piece 15a is disengaged from the engaging protrusion 14a of the brake band 14, and the braking force on the brake drum 13 and thus on the dewatering shaft 10 is released. As a result, the rotation of the drive motor 19 is transmitted to the rotating tank 4 via the driving pulley 20, the belt 23, the driven pulley 21, and the dewatering shaft 10, and the rotating tank 4 is rotated, for example, at 850r.
Dehydration is performed by rotating at p.m. When such a "dehydration" process is completed after being performed for a predetermined time, the timer 35 then starts "rinsing" using the first washing method similar to the "detergent washing"process;
Each step of "draining", "dewatering", "rinsing", "draining" and dewatering as described above is executed in sequence, and the washing operation is completed.

Now, let's talk about washing large items such as sheets and blankets. When the second washing method is selected with the selection switch (not shown) and the timer 35 is set, the washing operation from the "detergent washing" step to the final "dehydration" step is performed as described above. Since the steps other than the "rinsing" step are the same as those described above, only the "detergent washing" and "rinsing" steps will be described below. When the timer 35 reaches the "detergent washing" or "rinsing" step, the rotating tank 4 is activated in the same manner as described above.
Water is supplied to the water tank 3, and when the water level in the water tank 3 reaches a predetermined water level (a water level switch (not shown) is set in advance to a water level lower than the specified water level), the water level switch is activated. The operation of this water level switch causes the drive motor 19 to rotate in the same manner as described above and the timer 35 to start timing, but the brake electromagnetic solenoid 18 is also energized via the selection switch and the timer switch of the timer 35. Therefore, the braking force exerted by the brake mechanism 12 on the dewatering shaft 10 and thus the rotating tub 4 is released, and the rotating tub 4 becomes free to rotate. When the stirring blade 6 is rotated by the washing shaft 11, a swirling water flow is formed in the concave portion 4b, which is the inner bottom of the rotating tank 4, by the driving blade 7 rotating together with the stirring blade 6. The rotating tank 4 rotates as the driven blade 8 receives rotational force. That is, the recessed portion 4a,
The driving blade 7, the driven blade 8, and the like constitute a so-called liquid joint that uses washing water as a working liquid to transmit the rotation of the stirring blade 6 to the rotating tank 4 at a reduced speed. In this case, since the stirring blades 6 are alternately rotated forward and backward at predetermined intervals, the rotating tank 4 also follows this, for example,
The washing machine is rotated forward and backward at 200 r.p.m., and the washing water in the rotating tub 4 flows together with the laundry, and the second washing method is executed. still,
When the drive motor 19 is switched between forward and reverse rotation, the brake electromagnetic solenoid 18 is cut off for a short time by the timer switch of the timer 35, and thereby the brake mechanism 12 A braking force is applied to the rotating tank 4 to bring it to a sudden stop. Therefore, when the rotary tub 4 suddenly stops, the washing water and laundry inside are fluidized and agitated for some time due to inertia.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when the selection switch (not shown) is selected to the first washing method side, the timer 35 rotates the stirring blade 6 during the "detergent washing" process and the "rinsing process" to create a reverse spiral. A water stream is generated to perform washing, and when the selection switch is selected to the second washing method side, washing is performed by intermittent forward and reverse rotation of the rotating tub 4 during the "detergent washing" process and the "rinsing process". Since water flow is generated and washing is performed, ordinary laundry items such as shirts, handkerchiefs, and socks can be washed using the first washing method, and large laundry items such as sheets and blankets can be washed using the second washing method. In particular, in the second washing method, a reverse swirling water flow is also generated by the stirring blades 6, so that large items of laundry can be washed even better.

Moreover, according to this embodiment, in the second washing method, the rotation of the stirring blade 6 is connected to the rotating tank 4 via a so-called liquid coupling that allows the driven blade 8 to receive the water flow generated by the driving blade 7. Since the transmission is decelerated, a large load is not applied to the drive motor 19 compared to when the rotating tub is driven to rotate in washing water, and the drive motor 19 is a normal small-sized drive motor 19 that does not have a large starting torque. It is sufficient to use an inexpensive one, and even if the drive motor 19 is repeatedly started and stopped so as to alternately rotate in forward and reverse directions, the temperature will not rise that much. It is sufficient to use a small drive motor 19.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the brake mechanism 1 is controlled by the selection operation of the selection switch as the control means.
2, by simply selecting whether to apply a braking force to the rotating tub 4 to restrict its rotation or to release the braking force to the rotating tub 4 to release its rotational restraint, the first washing method is completed. Since the washing method and the second washing method can be selected, the configuration is extremely simple, and the selection operation and control are also simple.

4 and 5 show a second embodiment of the present invention, and only the parts different from the previous embodiment will be described below.

38 is a plurality of stirring blades 3, for example, three stirring blades 3 on the upper surface.
8a is a circular container-shaped wing cover whose lower surface is open, and a plurality of engagement claws 38b are provided downwardly at the peripheral edge of the lower surface opening. The blade cover 38 is disposed at the inner bottom of the rotating tank 4 so as to cover the stirring blades 6, and its engaging claws 38b are connected to a plurality of engaging claws 38b formed around the concave portion 4b at the bottom of the rotating tank 4. It is removably attached to the bottom of the rotating tank 4 by being inserted into and engaged with the matching hole 4c.

According to this second embodiment, if the wing cover 38 is attached to the bottom of the rotary tank 4 when the second washing method is selected by the selection switch,
During the "detergent washing" process and the "rinsing process", the water flow generated by the stirring blade 6 does not affect the washing water or laundry in the rotating tub 4, and the water current is generated only by the rotation of the rotating tub 4. Therefore, it is suitable for washing delicate laundry such as wool or lace, which would be damaged by the reverse spiral water flow generated by the stirring blades 6. In this case, the load applied to the stirring blades 6 is less than in the above embodiment, and the rotation of the rotating tank 4 becomes slightly faster. The washing water that has risen between the water receiving tank 3 and the rotating tub 4 is guided by the guide surface 37b and repeatedly flows down into the rotating tub 4. The washing water inside is stirred by the stirring blades 38a of the tub cover 38, which has the advantage that the washing effect is extremely good.

FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, and only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described below.

Reference numeral 39 denotes a discharge waterway formed vertically on the peripheral wall of the rotating tank 4. Its lower end is connected to the concave portion 4b at the outer peripheral part of the stirring blade 6, and its upper end is connected to the bottom of the liquid balancer 36. It is connected to a discharge port 40 formed in the wall and forming a part of the discharge waterway 39, and a mesh bag-shaped filter 41 is removably attached to the upper opening of the discharge port 40 facing into the rotating tank 4. has been done.

In this third embodiment, a selection switch is not provided, and instead, the brake electromagnetic solenoid 18 of the brake mechanism 12 is controlled by a timer 35 (see FIG. 1) as a control means. It is configured to be intermittently energized during the "washing" process and the "rinsing process," and therefore, in the "detergent washing" process and the "rinsing process," the first washing method and the second washing method are used. Furthermore, the washing water sucked into the concave portion 4b from the water passage hole 5a by the pumping action of the drive blade 7 accompanying the rotation of the stirring blade 6 is transferred to the discharge channel 3.
9 and ascends the discharge waterway 39, a circulation action is performed such that the discharged water is returned to the rotary tank 4 from the discharge port 40 through the filter 41, and the filter 41
The rinsing effect can be particularly improved by capturing lint and the like, and the effect of capturing lint and the like is achieved by restricting the rotation of the rotating tank 4 and preventing the stirring blade from rotating. The first washing method using only rotations 6 is significantly better.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the timer 35 serving as a control means is used to execute one of the "detergent washing" process and the "rinsing process" using the first washing method and the other using the second washing method. Alternatively, in the third embodiment, the timer 35 may be used to execute the first washing method during the "detergent washing" step, and to execute the first washing method and the second washing method during the "rinsing washing" step. Control may be performed so that the methods are executed alternately.

In addition, the present invention is not limited only to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope of the invention.

As explained above, the present invention is characterized in that the stirring blade is provided with a driving blade, and correspondingly, a driven blade is provided at the inner bottom of the rotating tank, and the stirring blade is rotated while the rotation of the rotating tank is restrained. A first washing method and a second washing method in which the stirring blade is rotated with the restraint released and the rotating tank is rotated by the water flow based on the driving blade via the driven blade. Since it has a switching configuration, it is possible to wash both normal laundry and large laundry properly, and it can be realized by using an ordinary small and inexpensive drive source such as a drive motor. We can provide washing methods.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, a rotating tank is provided in the water receiving tank, a stirring blade is provided at the bottom of the rotating tank, a drive motor is provided to rotate the stirring blade, and the rotating tank is provided with a stirring blade. A brake mechanism is provided for applying or releasing a braking force on the rotary tank, a control means is provided for controlling the braking mechanism, and a driving blade is provided protruding from the back surface of the stirring blade, and when the braking force for the rotating tank is released, the driving blade is The structure is such that a driven blade that rotates the rotary tank in response to the water flow generated by the rotation of the rotary tank is provided protruding from the inner bottom of the rotary tank, so that switching between the first washing method and the second washing method can be performed with a simple structure. It is possible to provide a washing machine having a specific structure that can be realized using a small and inexpensive drive motor.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view, FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional side view of the main part, and FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged bottom view. or,
FIGS. 4 and 5 show a second embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the water receiving tank and rotating tank portion, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the wing cover. FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional side view of a rotating tank portion showing a third embodiment of the present invention. In the drawing, 3 is a water receiving tank, 4 is a rotating tank, 4a is a dewatering hole, 4b is a recessed part, 6 is a stirring blade, 7 is a driving blade,
8 is a driven blade, 10 is a dewatering shaft, 11 is a washing shaft, 1
2 is a brake mechanism, 18 is a brake electromagnetic solenoid (actuation source), 19 is a drive motor (drive source), 2
4 is a clutch mechanism, 29 is a clutch electromagnetic solenoid, 30 is a drain valve, 35 is a timer (control means), 38 is a wing cover, 39 is a discharge waterway, and 41 is a filter.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A rotating tank is provided in the water receiving tank, and a stirring blade is provided at the bottom of the rotating tank, and the stirring blade is provided with a driving blade, and correspondingly, a rotating tank is provided in the rotating tank. A first washing method in which a driven blade is provided at the bottom and the stirring blade is rotated with the rotation of the rotating tank being restrained, and the driving is performed by rotating the stirring blade with the restraint released. A washing method comprising switching between a second washing method in which the rotary tub is rotated by a water flow based on the impeller via the driven impeller. 2. The first washing method is performed in one of the main washing step and the rinsing step, and the second washing method is performed in the other, or the first washing method is performed in at least one of the main washing step and the rinsing step. 2. The washing method according to claim 1, wherein the washing method and the second washing method are performed alternately. 3. A water receiving tank, a rotating tank disposed within the water receiving tank, a stirring blade disposed at the bottom of the rotating tank, a drive motor for rotationally driving the stirring blade, and a rotating tank disposed in the rotating tank. A brake mechanism for applying or releasing a braking force, a control means for controlling the brake mechanism, a drive blade protruding from the back surface of the stirring blade, and a drive blade protruding from the inner bottom of the rotating tank corresponding to the drive blade. and a driven blade that rotates the rotating tub by receiving a water flow based on the rotation of the driving blade when the braking force on the rotating tub is released. 4. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the control means is constituted by a selection switch that controls energization and disconnection of the operating source of the brake mechanism.