KR101716704B1 - Bubble Generating Device for Washing Machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a bubble generation apparatus for a washing machine, comprising: a housing including an inlet (11) and an outlet (12) supplying and draining washing water, respectively; a motor pump (20) installed on one side of the housing (10); a first to a third valve unit (30A, 30B, 30C) installed in the outlet (12) in a row to selectively open/close a passage; and a controller to control operation of the motor pump (20) and the first to the third valve unit (30A, 30B, 30C). Each of the first to the third valve unit (30A, 30B, 30C) comprises: a valve body (31) having an orifice (31A) formed on an inner side; a magnetic force generation unit (32) installed on an upper side of the orifice (31A) to generate a magnetic force when power is applied to a coil; a cylindrical plunger housing (33) penetrating inside the magnetic force generation unit (32) to be installed; a plunger (34) installed inside the plunger housing (33) and receiving a downward elastic force by a spring (S); and a diaphragm (35) placed in an upper part of the orifice (31A) and selectively opening/closing the orifice (31A) by lifting/lowering operation of the plunger (34). Due to such configuration, since the bubble generation apparatus controls one motor and a plurality of valve units, operation to circulate the washing water, supply bubble water, and drain the washing water can be correctly performed.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a bubble generator for a washing machine,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a bubble generator for a washing machine, and more particularly, to a device for generating air bubbles (hereinafter referred to as bubbles) And switching the flow path so that the flow path can be circulated or discharged.

In the washing machine, a circulating flow path for circulating water to the inside of the washing tub and a drain flow path for discharging water in the washing tub are provided, and a pump for circulating water is installed. In recent years, a bubble is generated, A bubble generating device is further provided, and a bubble water supply channel is provided together with a circulation channel.

The bubble generating apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-1375717 (a washing machine and a pump filter provided therein) is an example of the conventional technique as described above. The bubble generating pump 110 and the drain pump 120 are provided so as to face each other on the oil passage 100 and the circulation channel and the bubble water supply passage are connected to the bubble generating pump 110, The water pump 120 is connected to a drain pipe.

A switching door is provided in the circulation flow path and the bubble water supply flow path so that the flow path can be switched by an actuator or the like. With this structure, bubble water is supplied or the wash water is circulated to the inside of the washing tub.

However, since the two pumps 110 and 120 need to be installed and controlled as described above, the manufacturing cost is increased. In addition, when the foreign substance or the like is fixed to the switching door, the switching door can not accurately block the flow passage, There is a problem of.

In order to solve this problem, a filtering net 130 and the like are additionally provided so as to remove foreign substances in the washing water flowing into the inside of the oil line 100. However, the foreign substances contained in the washing water are difficult to filter through the filtering net, The flow rate at which the washing water is circulated is significantly lowered.

KR 10-1375717 B1 KR 20-1998-064029 U KR 20-2009-0003862 U KR 10-2012-0071528 A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the conventional bubble generator for a washing machine, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a washing machine capable of supplying circulation and discharge of washing water and bubble water using one pump, It is an object of the present invention to provide a bubble generator for a washing machine which can accurately perform a breaking operation.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bubble generator comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet through which wash water is introduced and discharged, respectively; A motor pump installed at one side of the housing; First, second and third valve units arranged in series at the outflow port to selectively shield the flow path; And a controller for controlling the operation of the motor pump and the first, second and third valve units, wherein the first, second and third valve units each have an orifice hole on the inside thereof; A magnetic force generating unit installed on the upper side of the orifice hole and generating a magnetic force when power is applied to the coil; A cylindrical plunger housing installed through the inside of the magnetic force generating portion; A plunger installed inside the plunger housing and receiving an elastic force downward by a spring; And the diaphragm is disposed at an upper portion of the orifice hole and configured to selectively shield the orifice hole by the lifting operation of the plunger.

The plunger housing of the present invention includes: a cylindrical housing body having a lower portion thereof opened and a plunger inserted therein; A coupling portion formed on the lower end of the housing main body and having a relatively large diameter and projecting downward to be coupled to the valve main body; And a shielding portion protruding from the inner circumferential surface of the coupling portion at a predetermined distance and blocking the inflow of water toward the upper portion of the diaphragm.

According to the present invention, there is provided a plunger having a coupling protrusion at a lower portion thereof and a coupling portion coupled with a coupling protrusion at an upper surface of the diaphragm, so that the diaphragm is interlocked with the plunger to move up and down. And a conical protrusion is formed such that the resistance of water generated during the lifting operation of the plunger is reduced.

Meanwhile, the first valve unit of the present invention is connected to a circulating flow path for circulating and supplying washing water to the inside of the washing tub, and the second valve unit is connected to a bubble water supply path for supplying bubble water to the inside of the washing tub, Is connected to the drainage passage for discharging the washing water to the outside.

The bubble generator for a washing machine according to the present invention is configured so that the washing water flows in a selected flow path from the circulating flow path, the bubble water supply flow path and the drain flow path by using one motor pump and first, second and third valve units, And the switching operation of the oil passage through the first, second, and third valve units can be performed quickly and accurately.

1 is a sectional view showing an example of a conventional bubble generator for a washing machine,
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a bubble generator for a washing machine according to the present invention,
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 2,
Fig. 4 is a front view of Fig. 2,
5 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a valve unit according to the present invention,
6 is a sectional view showing an example of a plunger housing of a valve unit according to the present invention,
7 is a sectional view showing an example of a plunger and a diaphragm according to the present invention,
FIG. 8 is a state of use in which the flow path is blocked by the valve unit according to the present invention,
9 is a state view showing an example in which the flow path is opened by the valve unit according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention relates to a bubble generator for a washing machine capable of supplying circulation, discharge and bubble water of washing water by using a single pump and accurately performing opening and shutting operations of the flow path, The bubble generating device for the bubble generator comprises a housing 10, a motor pump 20, first, second and third valve units 30A, 30B and 30C and a controller as shown in Figs.

The housing 10 communicates with the bottom surface of a washing tub (not shown) using a flexible connection pipe (not shown), whereby the washing water of the washing tub is introduced into the housing 10 through the connecting pipe , Circulated into the inside of the washing tub through the channel selected by the first, second and third valve units 30A, 30B and 30B described later, or drained to the outside.

To this end, an inlet 11 connected to the connection pipe and an outlet 12 through which the washing water introduced into the housing 10 is discharged are formed on one side of the housing 10, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 A motor pump 20 to be described later is installed between the inlet 11 and the outlet 12 so that the wash water flowing into the housing 10 flows to the outlet 12 side.

The outlet 12 is provided with a connection pipe 12A having a branched flow path for installing the first, second and third valve units 30A, 30B and 30B in a row.

3, the motor pump 20 is provided with an impeller 21 on the rotating shaft of the motor. The motor pump 20 supplies the washing water introduced into the housing 10 to the outlet 12 side by driving the motor The motor pump 20 is generally installed inside the washing machine to circulate laundry water or generate bubbles. A more detailed description of the motor pump 20 will be given later It is omitted.

The first, second and third valve units 30A, 30B and 30C, which are arranged in a row in a branch pipe of a connection pipe 12A connected to the outlet 12 of the housing 10, The inflow washing water is supplied to the inside of the washing tub to circulate the washing water or to supply the bubble water generated by the motor pump 20 to the inside of the washing tub or to open and close the flow path to discharge the washing water of the washing tub to the outside .

The first valve unit 30A is connected to the circulation flow path L1 for supplying and circulating the inside of the washing tub as shown in Fig. 4, and the second valve unit 30B is connected to the bubble supplying bubble number And the third valve unit 30C may be connected to the drainage passage L3 for discharging the wash water to the outside.

The first, second, and third valve units 30A, 30B, and 30C are water supply valves for washing machines that selectively block the flow path by the lifting operation of the plunger. The known water supply valves used in the conventional washing machines are, So that the water remaining on the upper side of the diaphragm is allowed to escape to the side of the outlet port through the water outlet so that the upper part of the diaphragm The diaphragm is raised by the pressure of the water flowing from the inlet port side to open the orifice hole. Such a conventional water supply valve has a structure in which the outlet port is easily There is a problem that the opening and closing operation can not be performed accurately, and further, When the pressure of water is large, the diaphragm rises and the water flows into the upper part of the diaphragm again, instead of opening the orifice hole, and the water is discharged (malfunctioned) only through the outflow hole in the state where the diaphragm is closed. A switching door for selecting a flow path by using an actuator or the like is mainly used for the flow path of high water pressure such as the circulation of washing water or the supply of bubble water. However, in the case of a switching door using an actuator, It is difficult to maintain the airtightness due to the switching operation of the switching door due to foreign matter or the like of the washing water being fixed to the switching door.

In order to solve such a problem, in the present invention, the first, second and third valve units 30A, 30B and 30C each have a valve body 31 having an orifice hole 31A on the inner side as shown in FIG. 5 A magnetic force generating portion 32 provided on the upper side of the orifice hole 31A to generate a magnetic force when power is applied to the coil and a magnetic force generating portion 32 which penetrates the inside of the magnetic force generating portion 32 and is a non- A housing 33 and a plunger 34 disposed inside the plunger housing 33 and receiving an elastic force downward by a spring S and a plunger 34 located at an upper portion of the orifice hole 31A, And a diaphragm 35 for selectively shielding the orifice hole 31A.

6, the plunger housing 33 according to the present invention includes a cylindrical housing body 33A having a lower opening and an insertion hole 33A 'into which a plunger 34 is inserted, A coupling portion 33B having a relatively large diameter formed at a lower end of the housing main body 33A and protruding downward to be coupled to the valve body 31; a diaphragm 33B protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the coupling portion 33B, And a blocking portion 33C for blocking the inflow of water to the upper side of the upper portion of the water tank 35. [

7, a coupling protrusion 34A is formed at a lower portion of the plunger 34 and a coupling portion 35A is formed at an upper surface of the diaphragm 35 to be coupled with the coupling protrusion 34A, The plunger 34 is moved upward and downward by interlocking with the plunger 34 so that the resistance of the water generated during the lifting operation of the plunger 34 is reduced by the water introduced into the plunger housing 33, Shaped protrusion 34B is formed.

8, the first, second and third valve units 30A, 30B and 30C of the present invention having the above-described structure are constructed so that a spring S (not shown) inserted into the insertion hole 33A 'of the plunger housing 33 The plunger 34 is held in the lowered state by the elastic force of the plunger 34 and the diaphragm 35 coupled to the lower end of the plunger 34 is held in close contact with the orifice hole 31A, The washing water flowing through the inlet pipe 31B of the outlet pipe 31B can not flow toward the outlet pipe 31C and is kept shut.

When power is applied to the magnetic force generating portion 32 and a magnetic force is generated, the plunger 34 is raised to the upper side of the plunger housing 33 while compressing the spring S by the magnetic force. The diaphragm 35 coupled to the lower end of the diaphragm 35 rises together.

At this time, the diaphragm 35 is separated from the orifice hole 31A, and at the same time, the washing water flowing in from the inlet pipe 31B flows into the orifice hole 31A quickly, and when pressure is applied to the upper side of the diaphragm 35, A large amount of electric power is consumed for raising the plunger 34. In the present invention, the blocking part 33C protruding from the plunger housing 33 Is formed so as to cover the upper side of the diaphragm 35 so that the diaphragm 35 rises and the wash water flows toward the upper portion of the diaphragm 35 when the wash water flows into the orifice hole 31A quickly from the inflow pipe 31B As a result, the diaphragm 35 is moved up and down with the plunger 34 without being greatly influenced by the flow rate of the washing water, so that the orifice hole 31A can be quickly and accurately opened Or shielded.

In addition, a conical protrusion 34B is formed on the upper portion of the plunger 34 according to the present invention to prevent the plunger 34 (or the plunger 34) from being damaged by the resistance of the washing water flowing into the insertion hole 33A 'of the plunger housing 33 The plurality of drain grooves (not shown) are formed radially along the circumference of the insertion hole 33A 'so as to further increase the effect, The washing water introduced into the insertion hole 33A 'can be discharged more easily and quickly through the drain groove when the washing water 34 is lifted. With this structure, the plunger 34 can be easily raised So that the power consumption (voltage) applied to the magnetic force generating portion 32 can be reduced.

The controller for controlling the operation of the motor pump 20 and the first, second and third valve units 30A, 30B and 30C is generally a controller provided in the washing machine to select a washing mode, Since the operation of the pump 20 and the first, second and third valve units 30A, 30B and 30C is controlled, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, in the washing machine bubble generator of the present invention, the first, second, and third valve units are selected from the circulating flow path, the bubble water supply flow path, and the drain flow path so that the flow path can be switched quickly and accurately, Circulation of the washing water and generation of the bubble water and the discharge of the washing water are accurately performed by using the motor pump.

10: housing 11: inlet
12: outlet 12A: connector
20: motor pump 21: impeller
30A: first valve unit 30B: second valve unit
30C: third valve unit 31: valve body
31A: orifice hole 31B: inlet pipe
31C: outlet pipe 32: magnetic force generating section
33: plunger housing 33A: housing body
33A ': insertion hole 33B: coupling part
33C: breaking portion 34: plunger
34A: engaging projection 34B:
35: Diaphragm S: Spring
L1: circulating flow path L2: bubble water supply flow path
L3: drainage channel

Claims (4)

1. A bubble generating device installed in a washing machine for circulating washing water or supplying burnt water and controlling discharge of washing water,
A housing (10) having an inlet (11) and an outlet (12) for the inflow and outflow of wash water, respectively;
A motor pump 20 installed at one side of the housing 10;
First, second and third valve units (30A, 30B, 30C) arranged in series in the outlet (12) to selectively shield the flow path;
And a controller for controlling operations of the motor pump 20 and the first, second and third valve units 30A, 30B and 30C,
The first, second, and third valve units 30A, 30B, and 30C each include a valve body 31 having an orifice hole 31A inside thereof; A magnetic force generating unit 32 installed on the orifice hole 31A and generating a magnetic force when power is applied to the coil; A cylindrical plunger housing (33) installed through the inside of the magnetic force generating portion (32); A plunger (34) installed inside the plunger housing (33) and receiving an elastic force downward by a spring (S); And a diaphragm 35 positioned above the orifice hole 31A and selectively shielding the orifice hole 31A by the lifting operation of the plunger 34,
An impeller 21 is installed on the rotating shaft of the motor pump 20 to supply the washing water introduced into the housing 10 to the outlet 12 by driving the motor pump 20, To form a vortex to generate innumerable bubbles,
The plunger housing (33) has a cylindrical housing body (33A) with a lower portion thereof opened and into which the plunger (34) is inserted; An engaging portion 33B having a relatively large diameter at a lower end of the housing main body 33A and projecting downward to be engaged with the valve body 31; And a blocking portion 33C protruding from the inner circumferential surface of the coupling portion 33B and spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface of the coupling portion 33B and blocking water from flowing into the upper portion of the diaphragm 35,
The plunger 34 has a coupling protrusion 34A formed at a lower portion thereof,
The upper surface of the diaphragm 35 is provided with an engaging portion 35A which engages with the engaging projection 34A so that the diaphragm 35 is moved up and down in cooperation with the plunger 34,
A conical protrusion 34B is formed on the upper portion of the plunger 34 so that the resistance of water generated during the lifting operation of the plunger 34 is reduced by the water introduced into the plunger housing 33 Wherein the bubble generator is a bubble generator for a washing machine.
delete delete The method according to claim 1,
The first valve unit 30A is connected to a circulating flow path L1 for circulating and supplying wash water into the washing tub and the second valve unit 30B is connected to a bubble water supply passage L2 , And the third valve unit (30C) is connected to a drain line (L3) for discharging the washing water to the outside.

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