KR20080091047A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A washing machine is provided to prevent entering of foreign matters into a washing tub and reduce the number of elements by removing the need of a special drying unit. A washing machine comprises a cabinet(50) having a door(54), a tub(62), a washing tub(64), and a blower unit(80). The blower unit is installed on the door and connects the outer part of the cabinet to the inner part of the washing tub. The blower unit has a through hole(82), an intake block(84), and an opening/closing unit. The through hole is formed on the intake block. The opening/closing unit opens and closes the through hole.

Description

Washing machine {WASHING MACHINE}

The present invention relates to a blower, and more particularly, to a washing machine having a blower that can improve the drying efficiency.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a general washing machine.

Referring to FIG. 1, a washing machine includes a cabinet 10 in which an opening 12 is formed and a door 14 is installed, a tub 16 installed in the opening 12 to wash water, and a tub 16. Washing tank 18 rotatably installed inside to accommodate laundry, drive unit 17 installed in tub 16 and connected to washing tub 18, and tub 16 from outside of cabinet 10. And a water supply device 19 for supplying the wash water, and a drainage device 20 extending from the tub 16 to the outside of the cabinet 10 to discharge the wash water to the outside.

After the laundry is stored in the washing tank 18 and the washing operation is started, the washing water is supplied to the washing tank 18 and the tub 16 through the water supply device 19, and power is applied to the driving device 17 to wash the washing tank 18. ) Rotates to perform the washing operation, and when the washing operation is completed, the washing water is discharged to the outside of the cabinet 10 through the drainage device 20. When such a washing operation and a rinsing operation are completed, power is applied to the driving device 17 in a state where the washing water is drained, thereby performing a drying operation. When the drying operation is started, the water contained in the laundry is discharged to the outside through the drainage device 20 by the centrifugal force of the rotating washing tank 18.

The washing machine according to the related art has a problem in that the drying pressure is lowered when the washing tank is rotated at a high speed, so that the pressure inside the washing tub and the tub is lowered, so that the air pressure discharged through the drainage device does not rise above a predetermined value, thereby lowering drying efficiency.

The present invention has been made to improve the problems of the prior art, an object of the present invention to provide a washing machine that can improve the drying efficiency.

Washing machine according to the present invention comprises: a cabinet in which the door is installed; A tub provided inside the cabinet; A washing tub provided inside the tub; And a blower device installed to communicate with the outside of the cabinet and the inside of the washing tub.

In addition, the blower is preferably provided in the door.

In addition, the blower preferably includes a through hole and an intake block in which the through hole is formed. Here, the blower preferably further includes an opening and closing portion for opening and closing the through-hole portion. In addition, the opening and closing portion preferably includes an opening and closing member for opening and closing the through hole, a driving unit for driving the opening and closing member, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the driving unit. In addition, the intake block is preferably provided in the cabinet. In addition, the intake block is preferably provided along the edge of the door. In addition, the through hole is preferably formed to be bent. In addition, one side of the through-hole portion is preferably formed inside the washing tank.

In addition, the washing machine according to the present invention includes: a drain pipe installed in communication with the tub; A drain valve installed in the drain pipe to open and close the drain pipe; And it is preferable to further include a control unit for controlling the operation of the drain valve in accordance with the washing stroke.

In addition, the blower, the bottom portion formed to be stepped with the door; And a through hole formed in the bottom portion. The bottom portion is provided with a first coupling portion; Preferably, the blower further includes an opening and closing part having a second coupling part installed at the first coupling part. In addition, the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion is preferably detachably coupled. In addition, it is preferable that a leg extending toward the through hole part is further formed in the opening and closing part.

In addition, the washing machine according to the present invention further comprises: a handle portion hinged to the door; The blower is provided in the handle portion; Preferably, the blower includes a through hole, an intake block in which the through hole is formed, and an opening / closing portion to open and close the through hole. In addition, the door preferably comprises a transparent portion. In addition, the intake block is preferably formed integrally with the handle portion, or detachably installed on the handle portion. In addition, the opening and closing portion is preferably installed in the handle portion.

Unlike the conventional invention, the washing machine according to the present invention can increase the dehydration or drying efficiency because the laundry is dehydrated or dried while the humid air is discharged and the external dry air is introduced.

In addition, the present invention can reduce the inflow of foreign matter into the washing tank, it is possible to prevent the laundry is contaminated by foreign matter.

In addition, since the present invention does not require a separate drying device, the number of parts can be reduced, and the unit cost of the product can be reduced.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a washing machine according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this process, the thickness of the lines or the size of the components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of description. In addition, terms to be described below are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may vary according to the intention or convention of a user or an operator. Therefore, the definitions of these terms should be made based on the contents throughout the specification.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing a washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a detailed view of a portion A shown in Figure 2, a cross-sectional view showing a blower according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a plan view showing a washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 is a block diagram showing a drainage of the washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

2 to 5, a washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a cabinet 50 in which an opening 52 is formed and a door 54 is installed, a tub 62 in which washing water is freshly watered, The washing tub 64 installed inside the tub 62, the drive unit 66 for driving the washing tub 64, the water supply unit 68 for supplying the wash water, the drainage device 70 for draining the wash water, The blower device 80 is installed to communicate with the outside of the cabinet 50 and the inside of the washing tank 64.

The driving device 66 is rotated during the drying operation to dry the laundry. At this time, since the air outside the cabinet 50 is introduced into the washing tank 64 and the tub 62 by the blower 80, the humid air in the washing tank 64 and the tub 62 is discharged to the outside.

The drainage device 70 includes a drain pipe 72 in communication with the tub 62 and a drain valve 74 for opening and closing the drain pipe 72. The controller 100 controls the operation of the drain valve 74 according to the washing stroke.

In one embodiment, if the driving device 66 is driven at a predetermined speed or more during the drying operation, the control unit 100 detects this to open the drain valve 74, and the tub 62 and the washing tank through the through-hole part 82. (64) The outside air introduced into the inside collects moisture while contacting the laundry and is discharged out of the cabinet 50 along the drain pipe 72. The manner of detecting each washing stroke is well known to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The blower 80 is installed so that the outside of the cabinet 50 and the inside of the washing tank 64 communicate with each other. The blower 80 may be provided in the door 54 or may be provided in the cabinet 50.

In one embodiment, the blower 80 includes a through hole 82 and an intake block 84 in which the through hole 82 is formed. The through hole 82 communicates with the washing tub 64 and is formed to be bent. Therefore, the outside air introduced through the through-hole 82 is introduced into the washing tank 64, and the foreign matter is collected on the inner wall of the bent through-hole 82, it is possible to reduce the contamination of the laundry from the foreign matter. In the present embodiment, the through hole portion 82 extends from the upper side to the lower side of the intake block 84, is firstly bent in the lateral direction, and is secondly bent in the downward direction. Therefore, when foreign matter is introduced from the upper surface of the intake block 84, foreign matter accumulates on the portion extending laterally beyond the primary bent portion.

The intake block 84 is provided in at least one of the door 54 or the cabinet 50. When the intake block 84 is provided in the cabinet 50, it is preferable to be disposed along the edge of the door 54 in consideration of the intake effect or external appearance. In the present embodiment and another embodiment to be described later, the intake block 84 may be formed as a separate member, and may be variously modified, such as being formed integrally with the door 54 or the cabinet 50. Step 54 is formed in the door 54 or the cabinet 50 on which the intake block 84 is seated.

Looking at the operation of the washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention configured as described above are as follows.

When the washing operation and the rinsing operation are completed, the washing water is drained through the drainage device 70, and the driving device 66 is rotated at a high speed so that the dehydration operation or the drying operation is performed. The control unit 100 detects the rotational speed of the driving device 66, and if the rotational speed of the driving device 66 is greater than or equal to a set value, detects it as a drying operation to open the drain valve 74. At this time, the air outside the cabinet 52 is introduced into the washing tank 64 through the through-hole 82 to be in contact with the laundry to absorb moisture. Air absorbed in this way is discharged to the outside of the cabinet 50 along the drain pipe (72). At this time, the humid air is discharged along the drain pipe 72, and the dried air is introduced through the through-hole portion 82, so that drying efficiency is improved.

The drying efficiency of the washing machine is improved by the configuration and operation as described above. In order to confirm this effect, the applicant conducted a drying efficiency measurement test as follows. The specifications of the washing machine used for the test are shown in Table 1 below.

Rated voltage AC100V, 50 / 60Hz Washing capacity / drying capacity 5.5Kg / 1.5Kg Power Consumption 280W / 330W Quantity 130ℓ External size 563 * 550 * 948mm Characteristic Application of drying method by inflow of outside air without installing heater

Table 2 shows a change in the drying rate of the washing machine according to the prior art and the washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Here, the drying rate shown in Table 2 is a case where the test group of standard cloth, cotton pants, Y-shirt, and cotton pants + Y-shirt + cotton tee + underwear + socks is dried using a washing machine according to the prior art, and It is comparing the drying rate when drying using a washing machine according to an embodiment.

In addition, the test was carried out by putting 1.5Kg of each test group, and the average value is described after repeating the drying operation 5 times for 30 minutes. As can be seen in Table 2, it can be seen that the drying efficiency of the washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention is improved.

A test gun Standard cloth Cotton pants Y shirt Cotton pants + Y-shirt + cotton tee + underwear + socks Drying rate of the washing machine according to the prior art 52.53 65.12 71.68 61.66 Drying rate of the washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention 60.1 75.22 77.73 69.45 Improvement 7.57 10.1 6.05 7.79

6 is a cross-sectional view showing a blower of the washing machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention, Figure 7 is a block diagram showing the blower and the drainage of the washing machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Components having the same or similar components and functions as those of the first embodiment are referred to by the same numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted for convenience of description.

6 and 7, the blower 180 according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a through hole 182 and an intake block 184 in which the through hole 182 is formed. In addition, the through hole 182 is opened and closed by the opening and closing portion 90.

The opening and closing unit 90 includes an opening and closing member 92 for opening and closing the through hole 182, a driving unit 94 for driving the opening and closing member 92, and a control unit 100 for controlling the operation of the driving unit 94. . The opening and closing member 92 has a panel shape wound around the gear, and opens and closes the through hole 182 while being wound or unrolled by the gear of the driving unit 94.

8 is a cross-sectional view showing a blower of the washing machine according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Components having the same or similar components and functions as those of the first embodiment are referred to by the same numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted for convenience of description.

Referring to FIG. 8, the blower 280 of the washing machine according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes a through hole 282 and an intake block 282 in which the through hole 282 is formed. The opening and closing member 192 is opened and closed manually, and includes a panel that is slidably installed inward and outward of the through hole 282. A guide 194 for guiding the movement of the opening and closing member 192 is formed inside the hole in which the opening and closing member 192 is inserted.

9 is an exploded perspective view showing a blower of the washing machine according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, Figure 10 is a view showing a state in which the blower of the washing machine according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is coupled. Components having the same or similar components and functions as those of the first embodiment are referred to by the same numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted for convenience of description.

9 and 10, the blower 300 of the washing machine according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is formed on the bottom portion 310 and the bottom portion 310 formed to be stepped with the door 54. The through hole part 320 is included. In this embodiment, the inclined portion 314 is formed between the bottom portion 310 and the door 54, but the bottom portion 310 and the door 54 may be variously modified, such as being inclined in a step shape. .

The opening and closing portion 330 is installed at the bottom portion 310 or the door 54 to open or close all or a part of the through hole 320. The opening and closing part 330 may be installed to directly open and close the through hole part 320, and may be installed to open or close all or part of the through hole part 320 while being spaced apart from the through hole part 320. The opening and closing part 330 of the present embodiment includes a second coupling part 332. In addition, the bottom portion 310 is provided with a first coupling portion 312, the second coupling portion 332 is installed. Meanwhile, the opening 330 may further include a leg 334 extending along the outer circumference of the opening 330 to prevent the dust flowing into the through hole 320 or to support the opening 330. The leg 334 extends in the direction in which the through hole part 320 is formed. In this embodiment, the leg 334 extends downward.

Table 3 shows a change in the drying rate of the washing machine according to the prior art and the washing machine according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention under the same conditions as the first embodiment described above.

Here, the drying rate shown in Table 3 is the case of drying the test group of standard cloth, cotton pants, Y-shirt, and cotton pants + Y-shirt + cotton tee + underwear + socks with a washing machine according to the prior art, It is comparing the drying rate when drying using a washing machine according to the fourth embodiment.

In addition, the test was carried out by putting 1.5Kg of each test group, and the average value is described after repeating the drying operation 5 times for 30 minutes. As can be seen in Table 3, the through-hole 320 is formed in the bottom portion 310 formed inclined with the door 54, it can be seen that the drying efficiency of the fourth embodiment is improved than the prior art.

A test gun Standard cloth Cotton pants Y shirt Cotton pants + Y-shirt + cotton tee + underwear + socks Drying rate of the washing machine according to the prior art 52.53 65.12 71.68 61.66 Drying rate of the washing machine according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention 65.3 81.11 82.32 74.57 Improvement 12.77 15.99 10.64 12.91

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a blower of the washing machine according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a view illustrating a state in which the blower of the washing machine according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is coupled. Components having the same or similar components and functions as those of the first embodiment are referred to by the same numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted for convenience of description.

11 and 12, the door 54 is provided with a handle portion 360 is hinged rotatably around one point. In general, the handle portion of the washing machine is fixed to the door, the handle portion 360 of the present embodiment is provided to be rotatable so that the door 54 can be easily opened and closed. Preferably, the handle portion 360 is formed at one end of the door 54. When the user puts the laundry into the front side, the handle portion 360 is formed at the front end. The handle 360 is preferably smaller than 1/4 of the length of the front and rear of the door 54 and larger than 5 cm, and preferably smaller than 1/2 of the left and right widths of the door 54 and larger than 5 cm. In addition, the door 52 preferably includes a transparent part so that the laundry can be checked from the outside. That is, at least part of the door 52 is preferably formed of a transparent material.

In this embodiment, the blower 350 is provided in the handle portion 360 to improve workability, assembly and productivity. The blower 350 of the washing machine according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention includes a through hole 352, an intake block 354 in which the through hole 352 is formed, and an opening / closing portion 356 that opens and closes the through hole 352. ).

The intake block 354 may be installed to be fixed to or detached from the handle 360 or may be integrally formed with the handle 360. Here, the technical meaning that the intake block 354 is integrally formed with the handle portion 360 means that the through hole portion 352 is formed in the handle portion 360. On the other hand, the through-hole portion 352 may be formed in the bottom portion as in the fourth embodiment, it may be formed in a concave recessed portion of the handle portion 360 can be carried out various modifications.

The opening and closing part 356 may be installed to be fixed to or detached from the handle part 360 or may have a configuration similar to that of the second embodiment or the third embodiment. In the present embodiment, the opening and closing part 356 has a second coupling part 357. Handle portion 360 is provided with a first coupling portion 351, the second coupling portion 357 is installed. The opening and closing part 356 may be detachably installed as shown, or may be installed to be slidingly opened and closed.

13 is a view showing the operation of the washing machine according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, an operation of the washing machine according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 13.

Referring to FIG. 13, when the user grabs the handle 360 and opens the door 54, the handle 360 is rotated so that the door 54 can be opened without difficulty on the wrist. In addition, since the handle portion 360 is formed on a part of the door 54, the washing progress of the inside of the washing machine may be checked through the door 54.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, this is merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art to which the art belongs can make various modifications and other equivalent embodiments therefrom. Will understand. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the claims below.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a general washing machine.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing a washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a portion A shown in FIG. 2 and is a cross-sectional view of a blower according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a plan view showing a washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a block diagram showing the drainage of the washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a cross-sectional view showing a blower of the washing machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a block diagram illustrating a blower and a drainage device of a washing machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a cross-sectional view showing a blower of the washing machine according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

9 is an exploded perspective view showing a blower of the washing machine according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a view showing a state in which the blower of the washing machine according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is coupled.

11 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a blower of the washing machine according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

12 is a view showing a state in which the blower of the washing machine according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is coupled.

13 is a view showing the operation of the washing machine according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (19)

A cabinet in which a door is installed; A tub provided inside the cabinet; A washing tub provided inside the tub; And And a blower device installed to communicate with the outside of the cabinet and the inside of the washing tub. The method of claim 1, The blower is provided in the door washing machine. The method of claim 1, The blower is a washing machine, characterized in that it comprises a through hole and the intake block formed with the through hole. The method of claim 3, The blower further comprises an opening and closing portion for opening and closing the through-hole portion. The method of claim 4, wherein The opening and closing unit is a washing machine comprising a opening and closing member for opening and closing the through hole, a driving unit for driving the opening and closing member, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the driving unit. The method of claim 3, The intake block is provided in the cabinet. The method of claim 6, The intake block is a washing machine, characterized in that provided along the edge of the door. The method of claim 3, Washing machine, characterized in that the through-hole is formed to be bent. The method of claim 8, One side of the through-hole portion is formed in the washing tank characterized in that the washing machine. The method of claim 1, A drain pipe installed in communication with the tub; A drain valve installed in the drain pipe to open and close the drain pipe; And Washing machine further comprises a control unit for controlling the operation of the drain valve in accordance with the washing stroke. The blower according to claim 1 or 10, wherein A bottom portion formed to be stepped with the door; And Washing machine comprising a through hole formed in the bottom portion. The method of claim 11, The bottom portion is provided with a first coupling portion; Washing machine further comprises an opening and closing portion having a second coupling portion provided in the first coupling portion. The method of claim 12, Washing machine, characterized in that the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion is detachably coupled. The method of claim 12, Washing machine, characterized in that the opening portion further comprises a leg formed to extend toward the through-hole portion. The method of claim 1, A handle portion hinged to the door is further provided; The blower is provided in the handle portion; The blower is a washing machine comprising a through-hole portion, an intake block in which the through-hole portion is formed and an opening and closing portion for opening and closing the through-hole portion. The method of claim 15, The washing machine, characterized in that the door comprises a transparent portion. The method of claim 15, The intake block is a washing machine, characterized in that formed integrally with the handle. The method of claim 15, The intake block is a washing machine, characterized in that detachably installed in the handle portion. The method of claim 15, Washing machine characterized in that the opening and closing portion is installed in the handle portion.

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