US20080245111A1

US20080245111A1 - Washing machine with pressure venting unit

Info

Publication number: US20080245111A1
Application number: US11/959,064
Authority: US
Inventors: Chang Hoo Kim
Original assignee: Daewoo Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: WiniaDaewoo Co Ltd
Priority date: 2007-04-06
Filing date: 2007-12-18
Publication date: 2008-10-09
Also published as: KR101461379B1; JP2010522605A; EP2140055A4; EP2140055A1; TWI350870B; KR20080091047A; WO2008123646A1; TW200840909A; CN101680148A; CN101680148B; JP4959839B2

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a venting unit of a washing machine. The washing machine comprises a cabinet having a door mounted thereon, a water tub installed inside the cabinet, a washing tub installed inside the water tub; and a venting unit installed such that an outside of the cabinet is in communication with an inner space of the washing tub through the venting unit. The washing machine has improved drying efficiency.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to Korean patent application number 10-2007-0034384, filed on Apr. 6, 2007, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a venting unit of a washing machine, and more particularly to a washing machine that comprises a washing tub venting unit capable of improving drying efficiency.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a conventional washing machine.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional washing machine includes a cabinet 10 having an opening 12 to which a door 14 is mounted, a water tub 16 positioned inside the cabinet 10 to contain wash water, a washing tub 18 rotatably positioned inside the water tub 16 to receive laundry, a drive unit 17 mounted to the water tub 16 and connected to the washing drum 18, a water supply device 19 connected externally to the water tub 16 to supply wash water to the water tub 16, and a drainage unit 20 extending from the water tub 16 to an outside of the cabinet 10 to discharge wash water.
In the conventional washing machine, when the washing machine is operated after laundry is put into the washing tub 18 by opening the door 14, wash water is supplied into the water tub 16 and the washing tub 18 through the water supply device 19, and power is applied to the drive unit 17 to perform a washing operation while rotating the washing tub 18. Then, when the washing operation is completed, the wash water is discharged outside the cabinet 10 through the drainage unit 20.
When the washing and rinsing operations are completed, with the wash water discharged outside the cabinet, power is applied to the drive unit 17 to perform a spin drying operation.
When the spin drying operation is started, water contained in the laundry is expelled to the water tub 16 through a plurality of holes (not shown) formed in the washing tub 18 by a centrifugal force of the washing tub 18 rotating in the cabinet and discharged outside the cabinet 10 through the drainage unit 20.
In this manner, the conventional washing machine discharges the wash water outside the cabinet through a drainage passage constituted by the drainage unit 20, which includes a drainage tube 22 extending from the water tub 16 to outside the cabinet 10 and a drainage valve 24 positioned in the drainage tube 20. However, since the conventional washing machine is not formed with an air-suction passage, the inner pressure of the water tub 16 and the washing tub 18 decreases during the spin drying operation with the washing tub rotating at high speed, and thus the pressure of air discharged through the drainage unit 20 cannot be increased above a predetermined value or greater, thereby causing a low drying efficiency.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an aspect of the present invention is to provide a washing machine that can improve drying efficiency.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a washing machine comprising: a cabinet having a door mounted thereon; a water tub installed inside the cabinet; a washing tub installed inside the water tub; and a venting unit installed such that an exterior of the cabinet communicates with an inner space of the washing tub through the venting unit.
The venting unit may be mounted to the door.
The venting unit may comprise a through-hole formed within an air-suction block that is disposed in the cabinet.
The venting unit may further comprise a gate unit mounted on the air-suction block to open or close the through-hole.
The gate unit may comprise a gate member to open or close the through-hole, a driving section to drive the gate member, and a controller to control the driving section.
The air-suction block may be formed along an edge of the door.
The through-hole may be formed in a bent shape.
One side of the through-hole may be formed toward the inner space of the washing tub.
The washing machine may further comprise a drainage tube in communication with the water tub, a drainage valve installed in the drainage tube to open or close the drainage tube, and a controller to control the drainage valve depending on an operating mode of the washing machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects and features of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a conventional washing machine;

FIG. 2 is a sectional side elevation of a washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of Part A in FIG. 2, illustrating a cross-section of a venting unit of the washing machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

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

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

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a venting unit of a washing machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the venting unit of the washing machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a venting unit of a washing machine according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. For convenience of description, a top-door type washing machine will be described by way of an example. It should be noted that the drawings are not to precise scale and may be exaggerated in thickness of lines or size of components for descriptive convenience and clarity only. Furthermore, terms used herein are defined by taking functions of the present invention into account and can be changed according to the custom or intention of users or operators. Therefore, definition of such terms should be made according to overall disclosures set forth herein.
Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, the washing machine according to the first embodiment comprises a cabinet 50 having an opening 52 to which a door 54 is mounted, a water tub 62 positioned inside the cabinet 50 to contain wash water, a washing tub 64 rotatably positioned inside the water tub 62 to receive laundry, a drive unit 66 to drive the water tub 64, a water supply device 68 connected externally to the water tub 62 to supply wash water, a drainage unit 70 extending from the water tub 62 to an outside of the cabinet 50, and a venting unit 80 installed such that the outside of the cabinet communicates with an inner space of the washing tub 64 through the venting unit 80.
When the washing machine is operated after laundry is put into the washing tub by opening the door 54, wash water is supplied into the water tub 62 through the water supply device 68 and power is applied to the drive unit 66 to perform a washing operation while rotating the washing tub 64. Then, when the washing and rinsing operations are completed, the drive unit 66 is rotated at high speed to perform a spin drying operation.
During the spin drying operation, air is drawn into the water tub 62 and the washing tub 64 from the outside through the venting unit 80, to prevent a reduction in the inner pressure of the water tub 62 due to discharge of water from the washing tub 64 and water tub 62 to the outside.
Further, the drainage unit 70 comprises a drainage tube 72 communicating with the water tub 62 and a drainage valve 74 positioned in the drainage tube 72 to open or close the drainage tube 72. Operation of the drainage valve 74 is controlled by a controller 100 described below.
When the spin drying operation is started, the drive unit 66 is rotated at high speed, and, when it is rotated at a predetermined speed or greater, the controller 100 opens the drainage valve 74 in response to such rotation of the drive unit 66. When the drainage valve 74 is opened, air drawn into the water tub 62 and the washing tub 64 via a through-hole 82 makes contact with laundry and is then discharged together with moisture contained in the air to outside the cabinet 50 through the drainage tube 72. Here, the controller 100 controls the rotational speed and rotational force of the drive unit 66 depending on washing mode. Since such a method of detecting the mode of the washing operation is generally adopted by typical washing machines, detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.
The venting unit 80 is installed to the door 54 such that air can be drawn towards an upper surface of the washing tub 64. The venting unit 80 comprises an air-suction block 84 in which is formed a through-hole 82. Air is drawn through the through-hole 82 from the outside into the washing machine to the inner space of the washing tub 64. Preferably, the through-hole 82 is formed in a bent shape such that, when drawn into the through-hole 82, air can flow into the water tub 62 and the washing tub 64, but foreign matter can be collected at an inner wall of the through-hole 82 while flowing through the through-hole 82. On the other hand, during rotation of the washing tub 64, air inside the washing tub 64 moves towards the water tub 62. Such a movement of air lowers pressure in the washing tub 64, that is, the pressure at the center of the washing tub 64. Therefore, it is preferable that one end 92 of the through-hole 82 is formed to open toward the inner space of the washing tub 64 to obtain smooth circulation of air within the washing machine.
In this embodiment, the through-hole 82 extends from an upper surface of the air-suction block 84 in a downward direction, is bent primarily, extends a predetermined distance in a lateral direction, and is bent secondarily in the downward direction. When drawn into the through-hole 82 through the upper surface of the air-suction block 84, foreign matter passes through the primarily bent section 86 of the through-hole 82 and becomes accumulated in a laterally extending section 90 of the through-hole 82, the laterally extending section 90 residing between the primarily bent section 86 and the secondarily bent section 88.
The air-suction block 84, having the through-hole 82 formed therein, is mounted to the door 54 or the cabinet 50. Preferably, to improve the appearance of the washing machine, the air-suction block 84 is disposed corresponding to the shape of the door 54. In this embodiment, the air-suction block 82 is disposed in a curved shape along a circular edge of the door 52. In addition, although the air-suction block 84 is provided as a separate member from the door 54 or the cabinet 50 in this embodiment, various modifications of the air-suction block can be made, for example, by integrating a function of the air-suction block within the door 54 or the cabinet 50.
For installation of such an air-suction block 84, a portion of the circumference of the opening 52 is formed with a step 56 on which the air-suction block 84 is seated. Since the step 56 is provided to seat the air-suction block 84 thereon, a lower end 92 of the through-hole 82 is disposed in a space between the door 54 and the step 56. This configuration prevents interference between the lower end 92 of the through-hole 82 and the step 56, so that the lower end 92 of the through-hole 82 can face the interior of the washing tub 64.
Operation of the washing machine according to the first embodiment having such a construction as described above will be described as follows.
First, when the washing machine is operated after laundry is put into the washing tub 64 by opening the door 54, wash water is supplied into the washing tub 64 and the water tub 62 through the water supply device 68, and after finishing water supply, power is applied to the drive unit 66 to perform a washing operation with wash water rotated in the washing tub 18.
If desired, washing and rinsing operations are repeated several times, and then the wash water is discharged to the outside through the drainage unit 70 and the drive unit 66 is rotated at high speed to perform a spin drying operation. Such a series of operations is controlled by the controller 100.
When the spin drying operation is started, rotation speed of the drive unit 66 is detected by the controller 100. Here, if the rotation speed of the drive unit 66 reaches a preset value or greater, the controller 100 opens the drainage valve 74 based on the judgment that the washing machine is performing the spin drying operation. Then, air is drawn from the exterior into the water tub 62 and the washing tub 64 through the through-hole 82, and contacts the laundry to absorb moisture from it. In this manner, the spin drying operation is performed while air, including absorbed moisture therein, is discharged outside the cabinet 50 through the drainage tube 72. At this time, since air is drawn from the exterior into the water tub 62 through the through-hole 82, it is possible to prevent reduction in a discharge rate of air due to pressure decrease within the water tub 62 by discharge of the air through the drainage tube 72.
With such a construction and operation as described above, the washing machine of the present invention has improved drying efficiency. To prove such an effect of the present invention, inventors of the present invention carried out a test to compare the drying rates of an inventive washing machine according to the first embodiment compared with those of a conventional washing machine.
For the test, the inventors employed washing machines, of which specifications are shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1

Rated Voltage	AC	100 V, 50/60 Hz
Washing Capacity/Drying Capacity	5.5 Kg/1.5 Kg
Power Consumption	280 W/330 W
Water quantity	130 l
Dimensions	563 * 550 * 948 mm
Feature	Drying operation by induction of
	external air without heater

Table 2 shows various drying rates of an inventive washing machine according to the first embodiment compared with those of a conventional washing machine.
The drying ratios shown in Table 2 were obtained by spin drying test clothes using the conventional washing machine and the inventive washing machine. Here, standard clothes, cotton trousers, a dress shirt, and the group consisting of cotton trousers, a dress shirt, a cotton tee shirt, underclothes, and socks were adopted as the test clothes.
Further, the respective test clothes put into each of the washing machines weighed 1.5 kg and were dried for 30 minutes through spin drying operation of the washing machines. In each test, the spin drying operation was repeated five times to obtain drying rates of the respective test samples, average values of which are shown in Table 2.
As can be seen from Table 2, the washing machine of the present invention having the through-hole 82 formed therein has a noticeably improved drying rate.

	TABLE 2

	Test Clothes

			Cotton trousers +
			Dress shirt + Cotton
Standard	Cotton	Dress	tee shirt +
Clothes	Trousers	shirt	Underclothes + Socks

Conventional	52.53	65.12	71.68	61.66
Washing Machine
Inventive	60.1	75.22	77.73	69.45
Washing
Machine
Improved rate	7.57	10.1	6.05	7.79

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a venting unit of a washing machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the venting unit of the washing machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the washing machine according to the second embodiment comprises a modified venting unit. The venting unit 180 of the washing machine according to the second embodiment comprises a through-hole 182, an air-suction block 184 having the through-hole 182 formed therein, and a gate unit 90 to open and close the through-hole 182.
Here, the gate unit 90 comprises a gate member 92 to open and close the through-hole 182, and a driving section 94 to drive the gate member 92. The controller 100 is used to control the driving section 94.
When the controller 100 detects a spin drying operation of the washing machine in response to variation in rotation speed of the drive unit 66, the driving section 94 moves the gate member 92 to open the through-hole 182.
Additionally, when detecting the spin drying operation of the washing machine, the controller 100 sends an open signal to the drainage valve 74 of the washing machine to open the drainage valve 74. Air is drawn into the washing tub 64 through the through-hole 182 and absorbs moisture from laundry in the washing tub 64, and is then discharged outside the cabinet 50 through the drainage tube 72.
In this embodiment, the gate member 92 is constituted by a panel wound around a gear wheel, and opens or closes the through-hole 182 depending on operation of the driving section 94. In other words, when a power transmission member such as the gear wheel is rotated by the driving section 94, the gate member 92 opens or closes the through-hole 182 in response to the rotation of the power transmission member.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a venting unit of the washing machine according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 8, it can be seen that the third embodiment is similar to the second embodiment in that a gate unit 190 is provided to open and close a through-hole 282. However, the venting unit 280 of the washing machine according to the third embodiment does not include a drive unit for opening and closing a gate member 192, but instead provides a gate member 192 that is opened or closed manually.
The gate member 192 is constituted by a panel installed such that it can be slidably moved inward and outward through a through-hole 282. For this purpose, an air-suction block 284 is formed with a guide 194 such that the gate member 192 can slide stably along the guide 194 between a first position obstructing the through hole 282 and a second position in which it is received within the air-suction block 284 leaving the through hole 282 substantially unobstructed.
As apparent from the above description, the washing machine according to the present invention comprises a venting unit through which air is supplied from outside into a water tub and a washing tub in order to prevent a reduction in the pressure of the washing tub due to air discharge through a drainage tube during drying operation, thereby ensuring efficient air circulation and improvement of drying efficiency. Furthermore, unlike the conventional washing machine, the washing machine according to the present invention can improve the drying efficiency without a separate drying device such as a heater. Moreover, since it is possible to improve the drying efficiency without the separate drying device such as the heater, the washing machine according to the present invention has a simple construction with a reduced number of components and thus a lower price.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, it should be understood that these embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes and that various equivalent modifications and alterations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. In addition, although the present invention has been described with reference to the washing machine having the venting unit for drying as specifically described herein, it should be noted that the washing machine having the venting unit has been illustrated as an example, and that such a venting unit for drying of the present invention may be applied to other dryers without being limited to a dryer for a washing machine. Therefore, the scope and spirit of the invention is limited only by the claims set forth herein as follows.

Claims

1. A washing machine, comprising:

a cabinet having a door mounted thereon;

a water tub installed inside the cabinet;

a washing tub installed inside the water tub; and

a venting unit installed such that an exterior of the cabinet communicates with an inner space of the washing tub through the venting unit.

2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the venting unit is mounted to the door.

3. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the venting unit comprises an air suction block, and wherein a through-hole is formed in the air-suction block through which the exterior of the cabinet communicates with the inner space of the washing tub.

4. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the venting unit further comprises a gate unit configured to selectively open and close the through-hole.

5. The washing machine according to claim 4, wherein the gate unit comprises

a gate member movable between a first position in which the through-hole is open and a second position in which the through-hole is closed,

a driving section which drives the movement of the gate member, and

a controller which controls the driving section.

6. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the air-suction block is formed in the cabinet.

7. The washing machine according to claim 6, wherein the air-suction block is formed along an edge of the door.

8. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the air-suction block is formed such that the through-hole is formed in a bent shape.

9. The washing machine according to claim 8, wherein one end of the through-hole is formed to open toward the inner space of the washing tub.

10. The washing machine according to claim 1, further comprising:

a drainage tube in communication with the water tub;

a drainage valve disposed in the drainage tube, the drainage valve configured to selectively open and close the drainage tube; and

a controller which controls the drainage valve depending on an operating mode of the washing machine.

11. The washing machine according to claim 5, further comprising:

a drainage tube in communication with the water tub;

a drainage valve disposed in the drainage tube, the drainage valve configured to selectively open and close the drainage tube; wherein

the controller controls the driving section and drainage valve depending on an operating mode of the washing machine.