KR20170096315A - Washing machine and apparatus for injection liquid additive in the washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a washing machine and a liquid additive injection apparatus included in the washing machine. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the washing machine comprises: a drum accommodating laundries; a washing water supply unit provided to supply washing water to the drum; and a liquid additive injection apparatus provided to supply a liquid additive to the drum, wherein the liquid additive injection apparatus comprises: a reservoir tank divided into a first tank and a second tank and accommodating the liquid additive; a level detection unit installed in the first tank and detecting a level of the liquid additive; and a suction nozzle portion installed in a height direction at one side of the second tank, and extended closely to a bottom surface of the second tank at a lower end thereof so that a trace amount of residual liquid additive remaining on the bottom surface of the second tank can be sucked.

Description

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

The present invention relates to a washing machine and a liquid additive charging device provided in the washing machine.

A washing machine removes various pollutants adhered to clothing, bedding, etc. by using the emulsifying action of the detergent, the friction action of the water stream due to the rotation of the pulsator, and the impact action of the pulsator on the laundry, In a fully automatic washing machine, a series of processes leading to washing, rinsing, and dehydration can be performed automatically without user intervention in the middle.

The washing machine may be classified into a top-loading type washing machine in which a washing machine is installed according to the type of the washing machine in which the laundry is received, and a drum type washing machine in which the washing machine is laid. Among them, The overall height of the washing machine can be reduced, the washing capacity can be increased, and the problems such as the twisting are hardly generated, so that the demand is increasing more and more.

These various washing machines are equipped with a detergent dispensing device for supplying an appropriate amount of detergent according to the amount of laundry, and the detergent dispensing device operates when the washing water is supplied to the tub so that the detergent is poured into the inside of the tub together with the washing water. The detergent used for washing includes solid powder detergent and liquid liquid detergent. Depending on the type of detergent used, the structure of the washing machine for detergent input may vary. A washing machine using a liquid detergent can have several advantages over a washing machine using a powder detergent.

For example, a washing machine using a liquid detergent is advantageous in that the installation position of the detergent dosing device is free as compared with a washing machine using a powder detergent. That is, since the powder detergent is not easily lifted up to the upper part, the washing machine using powder detergent is limited to the upper part of the tub, but the liquid detergent can be used as a pump So that the washing machine using the liquid detergent can be installed at the lower part of the tub with the detergent dispensing device. Therefore, the washing machine using the liquid detergent is free from the disposition of the parts as compared with the washing machine using the powder detergent.

However, since the conventional washing machine using the liquid detergent as described above consumes almost all of the liquid detergent and the liquid level of the liquid detergent is lowered, the residual liquid detergent remaining on the floor can not be sucked anymore. There is a problem that supply is impossible.

Patent Document: Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0081254 (published on July 14, 2010)

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a washing machine capable of maximally supplying a small amount of a liquid additive even if only a small amount of liquid additive remains on the floor due to lack of a liquid additive used in washing such as a detergent or a fabric softener, Thereby providing an additive feeding device.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a washing machine comprising: a drum in which laundry is received; A washing water supply unit provided to supply washing water to the drum; And a liquid additive introducing device provided for supplying the liquid additive to the drum, wherein the liquid additive introducing device comprises: a reservoir tank partitioned into a first tank and a second tank and accommodated with a liquid additive; A water level detection unit installed in the first tank for sensing the level of the liquid additive; And a suction nozzle unit installed in a height direction on one side of the second tank and having a lower end extending close to a bottom surface of the second tank so that a minute amount of liquid additive remaining on the bottom surface of the second tank is sucked A washing machine can be provided.

The bottom surface of the reservoir tank may be formed to be inclined downward with respect to the horizontal line so that the bottom surface of the second tank is positioned lower than the bottom surface of the first tank.

Further, the lower end of the suction nozzle unit may be positioned lower than the horizontal line.

The water level sensing unit may further include: a buoyancy body whose height is varied by buoyancy; And a sensor for sensing the approach of the buoyant body.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reservoir tank which is partitioned into a first tank and a second tank and contains a liquid additive; A water level detection unit installed in the first tank for sensing the level of the liquid additive; And a suction nozzle unit installed in a height direction on one side of the second tank and having a lower end extending toward a bottom surface of the second tank so that a trace amount of liquid additive remaining on the bottom surface of the second tank is sucked A liquid additive introducing device of a washing machine may be provided.

The bottom surface of the reservoir tank may be formed to be inclined downward with respect to the horizontal line so that the bottom surface of the second tank is positioned lower than the bottom surface of the first tank.

And the lower end of the suction nozzle unit may be positioned lower than the horizontal line.

And a suction pump for sucking the liquid additive through the suction nozzle unit.

And a control unit for stopping the operation of the suction pump when it is determined that the liquid additive in the reservoir tank is insufficient by receiving a signal from the water level sensing unit.

The liquid additive may be a detergent or a fabric softener.

Wherein the water level sensing unit comprises: a buoyant body whose height is varied by buoyancy; And a sensor for sensing the approach of the buoyant body.

The liquid additive introducing device of the washing machine further includes a filter unit installed at a boundary between the first tank and the second tank in the reservoir tank and filtering the foreign substances when the liquid additive in the first tank moves to the second tank can do.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a liquid additive used in washing, such as a detergent or a fabric softener, is consumed, so that even if only a small amount of the liquid additive remains on the floor, The intake performance of the additive can be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a washing machine equipped with a liquid additive charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 1B is a side view showing an approximate structure of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1A; FIG.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of a liquid additive adding device according to an embodiment of the present invention,
3 is a side view showing a liquid additive introducing device according to an embodiment of the present invention,
4 is a detailed view showing the arrangement relationship of the suction nozzle part in the liquid additive introducing device according to the embodiment of the present invention,
5 is a block diagram showing the control logic of the liquid additive input device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a configuration and an operation according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The following description is one of many aspects of the claimed invention and the following description may form part of the detailed description of the invention.

However, the detailed description of known configurations or functions in describing the present invention may be omitted for clarity.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Terms including ordinals such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited by such terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one component from another.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that no other element exists in between.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It will be understood that the terms such as "comprises" or "having" in this application are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts or combinations thereof, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a washing machine provided with a liquid additive input unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a side view showing a rough structure of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1A, FIG. 3 is a side view showing a liquid additive injection unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

First, the drum type washing machine 1 as shown in FIG. 1A can be provided with a charging device 10 in which a liquid additive such as a detergent or a fabric softening agent can be housed. The liquid additive introducing device 10 may be provided on the front side of the washing machine 1, wherein Fig. 1A shows a state in which the liquid additive introducing device 10 is closed by the cover 2. Fig.

The liquid additive introducing device 10 may be made of a liquid such as a detergent or a fabric softener, and may be stored in a tub for supplying laundry when washing. The drum type washing machine 1 may also contain a powdery additive in addition to the liquid additive.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1B, the drum type washing machine 1 includes a drum 5; A drying device (20) for drying the laundry in the drum (5); A washing water supply unit (30) for supplying washing water to the drum (5); A washing water discharge portion 40 through which wash water is discharged; An electric supply device (45) for supplying power to the washing machine (1); And a liquid additive input device 10 for supplying a liquid additive for washing the laundry.

The drum 5 can receive and dry the laundry. The drum 5 may be connected to the drying device 20 and the wash water supply unit 30. Air for drying may be supplied from the drying apparatus 20 during the drying process, and wash water may be supplied from the washing water supply unit 30 during the washing process. The washing water in the drum 5 can be discharged through the washing water discharging part 40.

The drying apparatus 20 can dry the laundry in the drum 5. [ The drying apparatus 20 may include a circulator for circulating the air in the drum 5, a discharge unit for discharging the air containing the steam by drying the laundry, and a heater for heating the air in the drum.

The washing water supply unit 30 can supply the drum 5 with wash water supplied from outside. The washing water supply unit 30 may be connected to the liquid additive input device 10. That is, the wash water supplied from the wash water supply unit 30 can be supplied to the drum 5 through the liquid additive charging device 10. [ The washing water supply unit 30 may include, for example, a pipe or a hose, and may be provided on the upper portion of the washing machine 1.

The washing water discharging part 40 may discharge the water discharged from the drum 5 to the outside of the washing machine 1. Further, the electric power supply device 45 may supply power to the washing machine 1.

The liquid additive introducing device 10 may receive a liquid additive for washing laundry. The liquid additive may be supplied to the drum 5 while being mixed with the washing water. A plurality of liquid additive introducing apparatuses 10 may be provided. For example, the liquid additive introducing device 10 may be partitioned into separate spaces to accommodate liquid detergent, powder detergent, and fabric softening agent. Hereinafter, the liquid additive introducing device 10 will be described in detail.

2 and 3, the liquid additive introducing apparatus 10 of the washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a reservoir tank 100, a water level sensing unit 300, and a suction nozzle unit 400 And may further include a filter unit 200 therein.

The present invention is not limited to these configurations but includes these configurations basically. In addition, other configurations (for example, a well-known technology widely known in liquid additive injection devices) However, the known technology is not described in detail because it may obscure the gist of the present invention.

The reservoir tank 100 may contain a liquid additive such as a detergent or a fabric softener. The reservoir tank 100 may be formed of a plurality of different types of liquid additives (for example, a detergent and a fabric softener) as shown in FIG. Specifically, the reservoir tank 100 can be partitioned into the first tank 110 and the second tank 120.

Meanwhile, the reservoir tank 100 may have a different size depending on the type of the liquid additive to be accommodated. However, since the structure and the configuration are the same, the same reference numerals and designations are used.

When the washing machine 1 is used, the user selects the type of the liquid additive before storing the laundry and starting the washing operation. By selecting a liquid additive by operating a selection key provided on the outer wall of the washing machine 1, When the washing water is supplied to the tub, the suction pump 500 is driven so that the liquid additive contained in the reservoir tank 100 can be supplied to the tub.

The filter unit 200 may be installed at a boundary between the first tank 110 and the second tank 120 in the reservoir tank 100. That is, the filter unit 200 separates the reservoir tank 100 into two different spaces, specifically, the first tank 110 and the second tank 120. The filter unit 200 is disposed between the first tank 110 and the second tank 120 so that when the liquid additive in the first tank 110 moves to the second tank 120, Can be filtered out.

The water level sensing unit 300 may be installed at a lower portion of the first tank 110. The water level sensing unit 300 senses the level of the liquid additive and informs the user of the lack of the liquid additive.

The water level sensing unit 300 may include a buoyancy body 310 whose height is varied by buoyancy and a sensor 320 for sensing the approach of the buoyancy body 310. The buoyant body 310 may be installed at a lower portion of the reservoir tank 100 and may be raised or lowered according to the level of the liquid additive. The sensor 320 is fixed to one side of the reservoir tank 100 so as to face the buoyancy body 310 and detects the approach of the buoyancy body 310 to output a predetermined signal to inform the user of the lack of the liquid additive .

The suction nozzle unit 400 may be installed at one side of the second tank 120 in the height direction to suck the liquid additive in the second tank 120 and supply the liquid additive to the inside of the tub along a supply line have. The suction pump 500 shown in FIG. 5 may be installed in the supply line. The suction force of the suction nozzle unit 400 may be generated by the suction pump 500. Since the suction pump 500 corresponds to a well-known technology well known in the washing machine 1, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The lower end of the suction nozzle unit 400 is connected to the lower end of the second tank 120 so that a small amount of liquid additive remaining on the bottom surface of the second tank 120 is sucked. May be extended to approach the bottom surface.

Reference is now made to Figs. 4 and 5 to describe this embodiment in more detail.

FIG. 4 is a detailed view showing an arrangement relationship of a suction nozzle unit in a liquid additive input unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing control logic of a liquid additive input unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4, the bottom surface of the reservoir tank 100 may be downwardly directed relative to the horizontal line w such that the bottom surface of the second tank 120 is positioned lower than the bottom surface of the first tank 110 It can be formed obliquely. When the bottom surface of the reservoir tank 100 is inclined downward with respect to the horizontal line w, the liquid additive collects toward the second tank 120 when a small amount of liquid additive remains, As shown in FIG. The lower end of the suction nozzle unit 400 is positioned lower than the horizontal line w and the lower end of the suction nozzle unit 400 is positioned below the bottom surface of the second tank 120 so that a small amount of the liquid additive can be easily sucked. And may extend as close to the bottom surface of the second tank 120 as possible.

In addition, the present embodiment may further include a suction pump 500 for sucking the liquid additive through the suction nozzle unit 400. The suction pump 500 can suck the liquid additive through the suction nozzle unit 400 and supply the liquid additive to the tub. Accordingly, the suction pump 500 can be operated when the liquid additive remains in the reservoir tank 100 and the liquid additive needs to be supplied to the tub.

5, in the present embodiment, when a signal is received from the water level sensing unit 300 and it is determined that the liquid additive in the reservoir tank 100 is insufficient, the operation of the suction pump 500 is stopped And may further include a control unit 600.

The control unit 600 may determine that the liquid additive is insufficient due to the signal provided from the water level sensing unit 300 so that the suction pump 500 stops operation of the suction pump 500, And can be prevented from being operated without feeding.

The control unit 600 may be realized by adding the control logic to the controller 600, which is typically provided in the washing machine 1.

Therefore, even when a small amount of liquid additive remains in the reservoir tank 100, the present embodiment can suck all of the liquid additive, thereby improving the suction performance of the liquid additive.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, It is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto.

1: Washing machine 5: Drum
10: Liquid additive feeding device 20: Drying device
30: Washing water supply unit 40: Washing water discharge unit
45: Electric power supply
100: reservoir tank 110: first tank
120: second tank 200: filter section
300: Water level sensing unit 310: Buoyant body
320: sensor 400: suction nozzle part
500: Suction pump 600: Control unit

Claims (12)

A drum for receiving the laundry;
A washing water supply unit provided to supply washing water to the drum; And
And a liquid additive charging device provided to supply the liquid additive to the drum,
Wherein the liquid additive introducing device comprises:
A reservoir tank partitioned into a first tank and a second tank and containing a liquid additive;
A water level detection unit installed in the first tank for sensing the level of the liquid additive; And
And a suction nozzle unit installed at one side of the second tank in a height direction and having a lower end extending close to a bottom surface of the second tank so that a trace amount of liquid additive remaining on the bottom surface of the second tank is sucked, . The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the bottom surface of the reservoir tank is inclined downward with respect to the horizontal line so that the bottom surface of the second tank is positioned lower than the bottom surface of the first tank. 3. The method of claim 2,
And the lower end of the suction nozzle unit is positioned lower than the horizontal line. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the water level sensing unit comprises:
A buoyant body whose elevation is variable by buoyancy; And
And a sensor for sensing the approach of the buoyant body. A reservoir tank partitioned into a first tank and a second tank and containing a liquid additive;
A water level detection unit installed in the first tank for sensing the level of the liquid additive; And
A suction nozzle unit installed at one side of the second tank in a height direction and having a lower end extending close to the bottom surface of the second tank so that a small amount of liquid additive remaining on the bottom surface of the second tank is sucked;
And a liquid additive introducing device for introducing the liquid additive into the washing machine. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the bottom surface of the reservoir tank is formed to be inclined downward with respect to the horizontal line so that the bottom surface of the second tank is positioned lower than the bottom surface of the first tank.
The method according to claim 6,
And the lower end of the suction nozzle unit is positioned lower than the horizontal line. 6. The method of claim 5,
And a suction pump for sucking the liquid additive through the suction nozzle unit. 9. The method of claim 8,
Further comprising a controller for receiving a signal from the water level sensing unit and stopping the operation of the suction pump when it is determined that the liquid additive in the reservoir tank is insufficient. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the liquid additive is a detergent or a fabric softening agent. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the water level sensing unit comprises:
A buoyant body whose elevation is variable by buoyancy; And
And a sensor for sensing the approach of the buoyant body. 6. The method of claim 5,
Further comprising a filter unit installed at a boundary between the first tank and the second tank in the reservoir tank and configured to filter foreign substances when the liquid additive in the first tank moves to the second tank, .

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