KR101053597B1 - Drum washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a laundry apparatus, and to provide a laundry apparatus that prevents laundry from being damaged by increasing the temperature in the drum during the washing process while increasing the washing effect while reducing washing water in a more efficient process. will be.

To this end, the present invention is the main body forming the appearance; A tub provided in a state supported in the main body; A drum rotatably installed in the tub; At least one steam generator for providing a predetermined amount of steam into the drum; And, there is provided a drum washing machine comprising a circulating pump for circulating the wash water discharged from the tub to be introduced to one side of the tub again.

Washing machine, steam generator, circulation pump

Description

Drum washing machine

1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of a general drum washing machine

Figure 2 is a schematic state view from the front of the internal structure of a conventional drum washing machine

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the drum washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention from the front;

Figure 4 is a schematic state view of the internal structure of the drum washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention

5 is a perspective view showing a specific internal structure of the steam generator among the components of the drum washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention

Figure 6 is a graph showing the temperature change of the laundry when washing using a drum washing machine equipped with a circulation pump and a steam generator according to a first embodiment of the present invention

7 is a schematic state view of an internal structure of a drum washing machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

110 Main unit 118 Feed valve

120.Tub 130.Drum

140 ... door 150 ... gasket                 

200 ... Steam generator 220 ... Steam supply pipe

221 ... opening and closing valve 230 ... first injection nozzle

240 ... Water reservoir 250 ... Water level sensor

310 ... Dispenser 400 ... Circulation pump

410 Circulating Euro 500 Heater

The present invention relates to a drum washing machine, and more particularly, to prevent washing of clothes due to an increase in temperature during the washing operation while saving the washing water through improving the overall structure of the drum washing machine.

In general, a drum washing machine is a washing apparatus that performs washing by dropping a laundry into which a drum is laid down in a horizontal direction.

1 and 2 schematically show a conventional structure of such a drum washing machine.

That is, the drum washing machine includes a main body 10, a tub 20 mounted in the main body 10, a drum 30 rotatably mounted in the tub 20, and the drum 30. It comprises a drive means for driving.

Here, the front of the main body 10 is formed with an inlet (11) into which the laundry is input, the door 40 for opening and closing the inlet is mounted on the peripheral portion of the inlet (11).

In addition, a gasket 50 for sealing between the door 40 and the inlet 11 is mounted at an inner circumference of the inlet 11.

In addition, the tub 20 is provided with dampers 21 at both bottoms of the outer circumferential surface thereof to form a state of being supported in the main body 10.

In addition, the driving means includes a drive motor 71 for driving the drum 30 and a belt 72 connected to the belt pulley 73 to transfer the driving force of the drive motor 71 to the drum 30. It is configured by.

Therefore, when a general washing request by the user is made, a controller (not shown) for controlling the operation performs washing for laundry while sequentially performing a washing stroke, a rinsing stroke, and a final dewatering stroke.

At this time, in the washing stroke, the contaminants are separated by friction between the laundry and the drum 30 due to the separation of the contaminants by the detergent and the continuous rotation of the drum 30.

In addition, in the rinsing stroke, the process of rinsing the remaining detergent and contaminants generated during the washing stroke through the supply of new wash water and the repeated rotation of the drum 30 is rinsed.

In addition, in the final dewatering stroke, a process of removing water from the rinsed laundry by rotating the drum 30 at a high speed (approximately 800 RPM to 1300 RPM) is performed.

However, in the case of the conventional drum washing machine as described above, the washing process is performed by putting a considerable amount of washing water at a time for washing and rinsing strokes, resulting in waste of washing water. There was also a problem that it is consumed more than necessary.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems and drawbacks, the present invention is to control the excessive increase in temperature in the drum while increasing the washing efficiency while reducing the washing water and power consumption in a more efficient process It is to provide a drum washing machine to prevent the laundry from being damaged.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a main body forming an appearance; A tub provided in a state supported in the main body; A drum rotatably installed in the tub; At least one steam generator for providing a predetermined amount of steam into the drum; And, there is provided a drum washing machine comprising a circulating pump for circulating the wash water discharged from the tub to be introduced to one side of the tub again.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the drum washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a schematic side view of the internal structure of the drum washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention 5 is a perspective view showing a specific internal structure of the steam generator among the components of the drum washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

First, referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, the drum washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The drum washing machine of the present invention may include: a main body 110 forming an appearance; Tub 120 provided in a state supported in the main body 110; A drum (130) rotatably installed in the tub (120); At least one steam generator (200) for providing a predetermined amount of steam into the drum (130); Then, the circulation pump 400 for circulating the wash water discharged from the tub 120 to be introduced to one side of the tub 120 is configured to include.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4 attached, the main body 110 forms the appearance of a drum washing machine.

In addition, the tub 120 is provided in a state of being supported in the main body 110.

In addition, the drum 130 is rotatably installed in the tub 120, and is mounted such that a side opened toward the inlet 111 of the main body 110 is positioned.

At this time, the door 140 for opening and closing the inlet 111 is mounted to a portion where the inlet 111 of the main body 110 is formed, and the door 140 and the inner circumferential surface of the inlet 111. A gasket 150 for sealing between the inlets 111 is mounted.

In addition, a plurality of through-holes (not shown) are formed on the circumferential surface of the drum 130 so that washing water and steam can be introduced into the drum 130.

On the other hand, the drum washing machine of the present invention generates steam and supplies a steam generator 200 for supplying steam into the tub 120 and a water supply valve 118 to which the dispenser 310 for supplying washing water into the tub 130 is connected. Is provided.

The water supply valve 118 is connected to an external water pipe (not shown) and the like and coolant is introduced.

In addition, the steam generator 200 is provided with at least one or more to provide steam for supplying the washing water heated into the drum (130).

And, the steam generator 200, as shown in Figure 5, the water reservoir 240 for storing the air introduced through the water supply valve 118, and in the water reservoir 240 It is installed and is provided with a heater 210 to provide a high temperature heat to vaporize the water therein.

In addition, the steam generator 200 is connected to the steam supply pipe 220 for the flow of steam vaporized by the heater 210 is supplied to the tub 120, is connected to the tub 120 One end of the steam supply pipe 220 is provided with a first spray nozzle 230.

At this time, the first spray nozzle 230 is formed in the shape of a nozzle to enable a smooth divergence of steam, the end of the discharge of steam penetrates the tub 120 to be exposed to the inner space of the tub 120 It is preferably mounted.

That is, the steam supply pipe 220 is located on one side of the tub 120, so that the laundry in the drum 130 does not directly contact the hot air, it is preferable to have a structure, of course, in this case, the tub 120 Of course, the steam supply pipe 220 may be configured such that steam flows directly into the drum 130 through the gasket 150 on the front surface.                     

And, the heater 210 constituting the steam generator 200 may be formed as a coil heater formed to surround the steam supply pipe 220, as shown in Figure 5 in the embodiment of the present invention 210 may be configured as a sheath heater provided in the water reservoir 240 to directly heat and vaporize water stored in the water reservoir 240.

In this case, when the heater 210 is provided in the water reservoir 240, the water level sensor 250 may be further configured to further detect the level of water stored in the water reservoir 240. .

If the amount of water stored in the water reservoir 240 is not high enough, excessive heating of the heater 210 may occur, and the amount of water stored in the water reservoir 240 may be excessively large. In this case, the time for vaporizing the water may be excessively long, or the amount of water stored in the water reservoir 240 is always maintained because liquid water, not steam, may flow directly into the tub 120. This is to ensure that it can be maintained at a constant level (enough to vaporize smoothly).

That is, when the water level measured by the water level sensor 250 is higher than the reference value, the water supply to the water reservoir 240 is cut off, and the water level measured by the water level sensor 250 is lower than the reference value. In this case, the replenishment of water may be made into the water reservoir 240.

On the other hand, the internal volume of the steam generator 200 provided in the drum washing machine, that is, the internal volume of the water storage container 240 is 1: 1/30 ~ 1 compared to the volume of the drum 130 for storing the laundry clothes It is desirable to achieve a volume of 1/120 so that an appropriate amount of steam is introduced into the drum for more effective washing.

On the other hand, the first spray nozzle 230 may be connected to a pumping means such as a pump so that the steam flowing in the steam supply pipe 220 is forced to be injected toward the drum 130, the steam supply pipe 220 By further comprising an on-off valve 221 for opening and closing the pipeline on the pipeline of the vapor is more preferable from the viewpoint of the structural simplification and cost can be achieved by selectively injecting steam.

On the other hand, the steam supply pipe 220 is provided with a bellows 220 'to be stably fixed to the vibration of the tub 120 when the washing machine is operating, wherein the bellows 220' is formed of a rubber material.

In addition, the steam supply pipe 220 is preferably fastened by the clamp 251 when fastening to the tub 120.

On the other hand, the dispenser 310 is connected to the water supply valve 118 to supply the washing water into the tub 210 is provided in the main body 110, it is configured to enable the replenishment of detergent.

In addition, the dispenser 310 also the detergent supply pipe for guiding the detergent in the dispenser 310 and the second spray nozzle 330 to spray the detergent stored in the drum (130) ( 320).

At this time, it is preferable that the site where the discharge of the detergent which is the end of the second injection nozzle 330 is made is exposed to the drum 130.

In particular, the end of the detergent discharge of the second spray nozzle 330 is to be exposed to the drum 130 penetrates the laundry 130 into the drum 130, for example, through the gasket 150 to expose the inside of the drum 130. desirable.

The second spray nozzle 330 as described above may be integrally formed with the first spray nozzle 230 constituting the steam generator 200.

In addition, the minute flow rate of the water supply valve 118 for supplying the washing water to the dispenser 310 is greater than the minute flow rate of the water supply valve 118 for supplying the washing water to the steam generator 200. It is composed.

And, the lower portion of the drum washing machine is provided with a circulation pump 400 for circulating the wash water supplied in the tub 130.

Between the circulation pump 400 and the tub 120 sucks the wash water discharged to the lower portion of the tub 120 and again discharges the sucked wash water to the other side of the circulation pump 400 flows into the tub The circulation flow path tube 410 is provided.

That is, the circulation pump 400 performs a pumping action to discharge the introduced washing water again, and the washing water discharged from the circulation pump 400 rises on the illustrated circulation passage tube 410 and the tub ( 120 is sprayed again from the front upper side.

Thus, by circulating the pump 400 by circulating the water accumulated in the bottom of the tub 120 and sprinkled inside the rotating drum 130, to ensure that the clothes put into the laundry evenly wet the laundry and at the same time saving the wash water You can do it.                     

In this case, the circulation pump 400 or the circulation passage tube 410 is preferably provided with a filter (not shown) that can filter the contaminants of the circulating wash water.

Although not shown, a drain pump (not shown) for draining the wash water is installed at the bottom of the drum washing machine after washing or rinsing stroke is completed, of course.

Referring to Figure 6 attached to the operation of the drum washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention configured as described above are as follows.

In order to perform a washing process, a user first puts laundry clothes into a drum of a drum washing machine, and then applies a predetermined input to the drum washing machine. A small amount of water is supplied through the dispenser 310 by a controller (not shown) in the drum washing machine. The tub 120 is introduced into the washing process begins.

Then, the steam generator 200 is operated and the high temperature, high pressure steam is introduced into the drum 130 until a predetermined time (a), and starts to call the laundry.

In this case, the temperature in the drum 130 is gradually increased by the supplied steam, as shown in the graph of Figure 6, the temperature is raised to T1.

Thereafter, a small amount of washing water is supplied again through the dispenser 310, and the washing water is circulated by the circulation pump 400 and then drained (hereinafter, referred to as a water supply circulation drainage process).

Thus, during the a-a1 hour on the graph going through the water supply circulation drainage process, since the wash water is made up of the cooling water, the temperature in the drum 130 is lowered.

Then, the steam generator 200 is operated again to supply the generated steam to the drum 130 for a predetermined time (a1-b) to raise the temperature to T2.

Then, the water circulation cycle is again performed for a predetermined time (a1-b).

This process is repeated as shown in the graph of Figure 6, iteratively increasing or decreasing the temperature in the drum step by step while performing the washing process while increasing the temperature in the drum to the desired temperature.

In particular, during the washing step that goes through such a process, in the last step of washing the water to wash more than the previous step of washing and pumping circulation using the circulation pump 400 to finally separate the contaminants from the clothes and discharge the contamination desirable.

On the other hand, in each of the water supply circulation drainage step, the water supply of the wash water through the dispenser 310 from the first water supply circulation drainage step to a predetermined water supply circulation drainage step to include a detergent to separate the contaminants from the laundry. It may be made easier, and the washing water that does not contain detergent during the last water supply circulation drainage step in any water supply circulation drainage step may be supplied with water, so that washing and a kind of rinsing function may be simultaneously performed.

On the other hand, the main reason for washing through the process as described above, if only the steam is continuously supplied for a predetermined time without the process of circulation or water supply, the temperature in the drum is too high, the clothes of a certain material may be damaged As described above, it is possible to prevent the temperature in the drum from rising too high and to gradually increase the temperature by alternately passing the steam supply and feed water circulation drainage steps.                     

In addition, since a small amount of water is circulated and washing proceeds, washing water and electricity consumption can be reduced, and a plurality of soaking processes and a water supply circulation drainage process are performed, resulting in an improved washing effect.

In addition, in the case of washing in this process, while the steam generator 200 is operated to supply steam, the drum 130 may be operated at a low rotational speed to maximize the dirt removal and soaking effects. Do.

On the other hand, Figure 7 is a front view schematically showing the structure of a drum washing machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the heater 500 capable of heating and washing the washing water is mounted on the lower portion of the tub 120.

In this case, the heater 500 mainly serves to boil the laundry by heating the wash water supplied to the tub, and also helps to separate the contaminants by calling the laundry together with the steam generator 200.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will be able to implement another embodiment of a modified form within the essential technical scope of the present invention. .

As described above, the drum washing machine equipped with the circulation pump and the steam generator according to the embodiments of the present invention has various effects as described below.

First, the drum washing machine of the present invention has the effect of reducing the washing water and power consumption and enabling the progress of the washing process.

Second, the drum washing machine of the present invention allows the water supply operation and the steam supply operation to be alternated so that the temperature in the drum may be too high during the washing operation or the laundry may be damaged due to a radical temperature increase. Has

Third, the drum washing machine of the present invention alternates the water supply operation and the steam supply operation to perform a plurality of soaks of contaminants on the laundry, thereby more effectively separating the contaminants from the laundry.

Claims (18)

A main body forming an appearance; A tub provided in a state supported in the main body; A drum rotatably installed in the tub; At least one steam generator for providing a predetermined amount of steam into the drum; And, Drum washing machine comprising a circulation pump for circulating to wash water discharged from the tub back to one side of the tub. The method of claim 1, The steam generator, A water reservoir for storing the water supplied to generate steam, A heater provided in the water reservoir to generate hot steam by providing high temperature heat; And a steam supply pipe provided between the tub and the steam generator to supply steam into the tub. The method of claim 1, The internal volume of the steam generator provided in the drum washing machine has a volume of 1: 1/30 ~ 1: 1/120 compared to the volume of the drum for storing laundry clothes. The method of claim 1, Drum washing machine, characterized in that the lower portion of the tub further comprises a heater for heating the wash water supplied. The method of claim 2, The steam supply pipe, A drum washing machine connected to the front gasket of the tub to be supplied into the drum. The method of claim 2, The steam supply pipe, Drum washing machine characterized in that connected to the upper side of the tub to be supplied into the tub. The method of claim 2, The heater provided in the steam generator, Drum washing machine characterized in that formed in the coil heater surrounding the steam supply pipe. The method of claim 2, The water reservoir, Drum washing machine further comprises a water level sensor for detecting the level of water stored therein. The method of claim 2, The steam supply pipe, Drum washing machine characterized in that the bellows structure. The method of claim 9, The steam supply pipe having the bellows structure is a drum washing machine, characterized in that made of a rubber material. The method of claim 2, The steam supply pipe is a drum washing machine, characterized in that fastened to the tub by a clamp (clamp). The method of claim 1, The drum washing machine, And a water supply valve connected to the steam generator to supply washing water to the steam generator. 13. The method of claim 12, The drum washing machine, And a dispenser connected to the water supply valve and configured to supply washing water to the tub. The method of claim 13, The drum washing machine, characterized in that the flow rate per minute of the water supply valve for supplying the wash water to the dispenser flows larger than the minute supply flow rate of the water supply valve for supplying the wash water to the steam generator. 13. The method of claim 12, The water supply valve is a drum washing machine, characterized in that the water supply valve for cold water supply. The method of claim 2, The steam supply pipe, Drum washing machine further comprises a first spray nozzle for spraying the washing water to the tub. The method of claim 2, Drum washing machine characterized in that on the pipeline of the steam supply pipe is further provided with an opening and closing valve for opening and closing the pipeline. The method of claim 1, The circulation pump, Drum washing machine characterized in that it is provided with a circulating flow passage for discharging the washing water discharged from the tub by the circulation pump to the tub.

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