US3151066A

US3151066A - Pneumatic control system for a laundry machine

Info

Publication number: US3151066A
Application number: US72447A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert A Brenner; Clifton A Cobb; Leo H Sauer
Original assignee: Whirlpool Corp
Current assignee: Whirlpool Corp
Priority date: 1960-11-29
Filing date: 1960-11-29
Publication date: 1964-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 1981-09-29
Also published as: US3148144A; GB927106A

Description

p 1964 R. AIBRENNER ETAL 3,151,066

PNEUMATIC CONTROL SYSTEM FOR A LAUNDRY MACHINE Filed Nov. 29, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 m n r H w W w H w d 14 u I r. $3 /2 Se t. 29, 1964 R. A. BRENNER ETAL 3,151,065

PNEUMATIC CONTROL SYSTEM FOR A LAUNDRY MACHINE Filed Nov, 29, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORJ Robert a Brenner Clifton d- 6066 L H. 5 M I I (y a auer- EZl Sept. 29, 1964 R. A. BRENNER ETAL 1,

PNEUMATIC CQNTROL SYSTEM FOR A LAUNDRY MACHINE Filed Nov. 29, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet s JNVENTOR Roiert Bnenner (Yd/50114.60fi5 Leo H \Sauer y 494% W; and W HU 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 R. A. BRENNER ETAL JNVEMTURJ Ruler! ldffiresr cmr' [ddftan 54- 601.25

PNEUMATIC CONTROL SYSTEM FDR A LAUNDRY MACHINE Filed Nov 29, .1960

Sept. 29, 1964 1 X1354, R :/,,0WM

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,MOTOR United States Patent 3,151,066 INEEJMA it: CONTRQL SYSTEM FOR A LAUNDRY MAiIHlNE Robert A. Erenner, Clifton A. fiohb, and Leo H. Sauer, St. .loseph, Mich, assignors to Whirlpool Corporation,

t. Joseph, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 29, 1960, Ser. No. 72,447 8 tllairns. ('31. 219-144 The present invention relates broadly to acceleration control systems, and is more particularly concerned with a novel apparatus wherein a horizontal or substantially horizontal axis type drum is limited to a safe optimum rotative speed in response to deflections of the drum due to rotation of unbalanced loads therein.

The principles of the present invention can readily be incorporated in any balancing system and method wherein it is desired to counterbalance unsymmetrically disposed centrifugal forces generated because of unbalance in a rotating body, however, because these principles find a particularly useful application to a laundry machine and method, the invention is described and illustrated in connection with a specific laundry machine associated with domestic utilization such as a typical home laundry appliance.

In cont mporary domestic laundry appliances, including automatic washing machines wherein clothes are washed and centrifuged, or in so-called combination washer-dryers wherein clothes are washed, rinsed, spun dry and tumbled dry with the application of heat energy, that part of the total washing and drying time preceding the tumble dry or line dry portion of the total laundering cycle time is designated as the wash portion of the total cycle, and consumes substantially the same amount of actual time for most available machines. Accordingly, to decrease the overall wash and dry time of a particular load, the most practical substantial time savings can be made by shortening the dry portion of the total cycle.

The conventional approach to an attempted improvement of machine drying involves the consideration of increasing the drying heat input to the dryer, which is somewhat undesirable from a standpoint of the rate of power consumption and the somewhat increased cost of operation thus incurred, but it is most undesirable from a standpoint of engineering design considerations which are required because of the increased power input to the drying means.

A second approach, and which provides the environment for the present invention, is made which is desirable not only from a standpoint of machine drying, but also from a standpoint of line drying. This is to increase the rotative cylinder speed used during the extraction part of the wash cycle, to thereby remove larger atnounts of water from the load prior to the beginning of the tumble or line drying. By increasing the spin speed utilized to remove additional water from the load, a power consumption rate savings of approximately 8 to times may be accomplished as compared with the removal of this additional water by the high power input drying process.

With properly designed bearing and transmission systems power input is the primary consideration that has to be made with respect to the limit of spin speed attained in driving a mass about its exact center of mass. An empty laundry receiving cylinder or drum rotated about its bearing axis parallels an optimum operating condition, but when a load is introduced into the cylinder, the load is likely to be distributed in such a manner that the center of mass of the loaded cylinder will not coincide with the cylinder bearing axis, thereby producing an unbalanced centrifugal force which is directly proportional to the mass of the unbalanced portion of the total rotating mass, the square of the angular velocity of such unbalanced mass and the radius of the unbalanced mass from the axis of rotation of the cylinder.

In addition to affecting the power input necessary to rotate the cylinder or drum, an unbalanced condition causes serious vibration conditions which are even more pronounced in horizontal machines than in vertical axis machines since the unbalanced force directed substantially opposite the gravitational forces acting on the machine may be sufficiently great to actually lift the machine from its supporting surface and produce a violent movement colloquially referred to as walking.

Because of these problems, some contemporary laundry machines of the horizontal axis type operate at sufficiently limited spin speeds so that the unbalanced loads encountered during normal operation at these limited spin speeds will not produce a suflicient amount of centrifugal force to bodily lift the machine from its support. It has also been contemplated in prior art machines to provide control means whereby a spin mechanism will be inactivated in response to excessive motion in the apparatus, whereupon the drum or cylinder will decelerate to a turnbling speed for redistribution of the contents thereof. In such prior art machines, the final spin speed is limited to a value such that the total amount of liquid centrifugally extracted from the contents of the drum or cylinder is much less than is desired. It will be readily appreciated that all such extra retained liquid is required to be evaporated either by a longer period of evaporation if the goods are line dried or by consumption of an additional supply of heat energy due to a longer drying period to dry out moisture not removed by a lower extraction cylinder speed if the goods are machine-dried.

Other forms of balancing mechanisms employed in laundry apparatus contemplate suspension. of the entire laundry machine along with an additional mass producing dead weight within the enclosing cabinet on a complex spring system. Such arrangements depend upon isolation of the source of vibration, whereupon the suspended system is allowed to violently vibrate within the enclosing cabinet with the dead Weight tending to minimize the ef fects of the unbalanced centrifugal forces. With such prior art arrangements, it is inevitably necessary that the size of the enclosing cabinet must be greatly increased or the size of the load receiving cylinder greatly reduced to allow for the violent gyratory motions of such system during operation of the machine.

In other forms of prior art machines, eccentric motions of the rotating body are sensed and located by relatively complex mechanisms which control the addition or subtraction of weights from the rotating components of the machine, thereby to counteract the unsymmetrically disposed centrifugal forces generated by the unbalanced conditions within the cylinder or drum.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a drum is journaled for rotation on a substantially horizontal axis Within a casing rigidly connected to a base frame. A transmission interconnects the drum with a drive motor, and the transmission has a low speed ratio for tumbling fabrics at a lower washing speed and a high speed ratio for rotating the drum at higher extracting speeds for extracting fluids from the fabrics in the drum. As a further feature of this invention, there is provided clutch means for changing the speed ratios of the transmission, as well as sensing means responsive to movements of the drum due to rotation of unbalanced loads therein at the high speed ratio, for limiting the speed ratio of the transmission to a value between the low and high speed ratios to thereby efiect the rotation of the drum at a safe optimum speed above the lower washing speed.

Illustratively, the clutch means may be of the pneumatic type and the sensing means may include bleed off valve means actuated by vibrations of the drum to reduce the pneumatic pressure on the clutch means whereby the tion to provide acceleration control apparatus for a rotat- 7 ing receptacle.

Another object of this invention lies in the provision of an acceleration control system for use with counterbalance control means and which does not impede the proper functioning thereof.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide a system embodying transmission means, clutch means and sensing means, and wherein the structure is so constituted that the sensing means detects deflections of a rotating receptacle which are greater than the deflections which initiate performance of load balancing functions, the sensing means being in control of the clutch means to limit the transmission speed ratio so that the receptacle rotates at a safe optimum speed and which is further sufliciently high so that there is no interference with performance of the load balancing function.

Other objects and'advantages of the invention will become more apparent during the course of the following description, particularly when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the same:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a laundry machine incorporating the principles of the present invention, but with the outer cabinet removed and with parts broken away and with other parts removed for clarity;

FIGURE 2 is a side clevational view of the machine of FIGURE 1, with portions of the cabinet structure removed for clarity of illustration;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view constituting a layout of sensing mechanisms which may be employed to initiate the load counterbalancing function and transmission speed ratio limiting function;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line IV-IV of FIGURE 3, but with parts removed in order to show additional details of the construction. of the water balance sensing mechanism of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a more or less diagrammatic view, with portions thereof taken in section, showing the acceleration control system of this. invention;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken through a twospeed transmission employed in the instant invention; and

FIGURE 7, is a diagrammatic representation of certain hydraulic circuitry incorporated in the illustrated machine.

Reference willfirst be made in the following description to certain structural details of an exemplary form of combination washer-dryer, and to an illustrative type of water balance system used therewith. However, it Will be readily appreciated that the acceleration control system'of this invention is not restricted in its use to the particular structural organization shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, nor do its advantages flow only from use with the particular liquid balance system also appearin in FIG: URES 3 and 4. As well, it will be observed as the description proceeds that parts not necessary to a description of the instantacceleration control system have been removed in the interests of clarity.

designated generally by the numeral 14), and comprises an outer cabinet ll providing an esthetically appealing enclosure for the machine lit: In the manner conventional in the art, access to a treatment zone formed within the machine ill is obtained through a suitable opening in the outer cabinet front wall, this front opening being closed by an access door (not shown) during the laundering operation.

Within the outer cabinet 11 is a rigid base structure shown generally at 13, and which comprises a channel member 13a to which is fixedly secured a plate 14. The base structure or frame 13 further may be observed from FIGURES 1 and 2 to include front legs 15 bolted to the channel member 13a, and a single rear leg 16 bolted to member 17 which is welded or otherwise secured to rear wall 13a of a generally imperforate outer casing 18.

The casing 18 is connected to and supported on the base frame 13 by a front support plate member 19 which is integrated with a front wall 18b of the casing 18 by welding or similar techniques. The plate member 19 is further securely fastened to the plate member 14 of the base frame 13, as by bolt means or the like 20.

The rear wall 18a of the casing 18 has a centrally apertured embossed portion 21 cooperable with a support spider 22 connected in firm assembly with the rear wall 18a to rigidly mount a bearing assembly generally designated at 23 in which is journaled shaft means (not shown) connected for corotation with a perforate drum or cylinder 24 rotatable within the casing 18.

It is to be noted that the connections provided by the parts 14 and 19 between the base frame 13 and casing 13 are rigid connections, however, there is sufiicient yieldability in the support structure so that some very small movement of the casing 1% relative to the base frame 13 may occur. The connections afforded by the connection of the plate members 14 and 19 to the channel member 13a and the connection of the part 17 to the casing 18 are suificiently rigid to confine the casing 13 for oscillatory movements about an axis positioned parallel to and located below the horizontal rotational axis of the drum 24 prescribed by the connecting shaft means. In the machine exemplified in the drawings, such allowable arcuate movement is approximately 0.010 inch from its normal centered position as measured from an approximate 16 inch lever arm.

The machine 16 is equipped with an electric drive motor 25 which is mounted on the casing is and is provided with a power take-01f shaft drivingly connected with a transmission 26 which is also mounted on the casing 13. The transmission 26, which will be later described in more specific detail, has a take-off shaft 26a (FIGURE 2) mounting pulleys 2'7 and 2%, the pulley 27 having trained thereabout a pulley belt 29 driving a pulley wheel 35 to rotate the drum 24. The pulley 28, on the other hand, is wrapped by a pulley belt 31 connecting with blower means (not shown) to circulate heated drying air through the drum 24. 7

Machine 1' 3 is further equipped with aconventional mixing valve arrangment (not shown) as well as a sump 149 formed in the lower portion of casing 18 for receiving fluids for the washing, rinsing and extraction operations. Sump 149 communicates with pump 141 which in turn is connected to a first two-way valve 142 which leads either to drain for pump out operations or to a second two-way valve 143 which is provided with one conduit 14 for recirculating washing fluid through drum 24 during the washing operation by way of a recirculation nozzle (not shown) and a second conduit 32 leading to nozzle 68 for recirculating balancing fluid through nozzle opening 68a during the extraction operation which balancing fluid is supplied to the fluid receiving pockets 39 by way of the respective collector segments 4551-0 communicating with these pockets. A conventional type sequential controller or timer 33 regulates the operation of valves M2 and 143 throughout a programmed se quence.

it will be understood that the sequential control means shown generally at 33 is presettable by the operator and is associated with the usual electrical circuitry with all of the operating components of the machine, including the electric drive motor 25, the various valve means employed, and particularly solenoid valve means to be later described in detail which is in control of the pneumatic clutch means forming a part of the transmission 26. The sequential control means 33 by the various electrical connections conventionally employed actuates the machine through a program consisting of washing, rinsing, extracting and drying periods. In a typical operation, the operator will load a batch of clothes to be laundered through the access door into the drum 24, and upon initiation of a preselected program, the casing 18 will be charged with a supply of Water. Following the washing operation, the laundry liquid will be drained through the sump and discharged to drain, and the materials within the drum 24 are then subjected to an extraction operation, followed by rinsing and a subsequent extraction operation, which portions of the washing cycle may be repeated as often as may be desired in accordance with the preset program. After the final extraction operation, the machine either continues through a drying period involving operation of the drying system and including the addition of heat of vaporization to the stream of ventilating air circulated through the treatment zone, or the batch of materials being laundered may be removed from the machine by the operator ror line drying.

As earlier indicated, the acceleration control system of this invention may be employed in connection with various types of water balance systems, however, one particularly advantageous balance system is shown in the application drawings in order to clearly illustrate the numerous novel results obtained by the instant acceleration control system. In this connection, it is to be observed from FIGURE 1 that the drum 24 has formed along its back wall 24a a plurality of radially extending and angularly spaced strengthening ribs 34. At the center of the back Wall 2441, the drum 24 is connected as at 35 to shaft means as journaled in the bearing assembly 23. The outer peripheral wall of the drum 24 is formed by a foraminous Wrapper 3'7 and is particularly characterized by a plurality of openings 38 through which liquid may escape from the interior of the drum 24 into the casing 18. The drum periphery is further provided at a plurality of circumferentially spaced locations therealong with recess means provided to accommodate mounting therein of a liquid balancing receptacle indicated generally in FIGURE 2 at 39. Each receptacle 39 comprises a generally trough-shaped tray member having radially spaced walls 40 and 41, axially spaced

end Walls

42 and 43 and a pair of spaced side walls 44. Each receptacle 39 is provided with an

inlet segment

45a, 45b and 45a which may be seen to be of generally U-shaped configuration and each provided with an opening 46 through which all of the fluid within the inlet segment is discharged radially outwardly into a particular receptacle as required for counterbalancing purposes. In the exemplary disclosure illustrated, there are three receptacles 39, and accordingly, each segment 45ac may, if desired, extend through 120 of are on the front wall of the drum 24. The inlet segments, generally designated by numeral 45, are attached in firm assembly as by welding or the like to the drum front wall in register with the liquid supply means provided to introduce balancing fluid thereinto.

in order to control the introduction of balancing fluid into the receptacles 39 by way of the inlet segments 450-0, there is desirably utilized as a controlling variable a mechanical signal manifested as a relatively small linear movement between the casing 18 and a relatively stationary reference means. As appears in FIGURES 1 and 3, a balance and nozzle housing 47 is provided with an aperture 48 forming an upper wall 49 constituting a surface portion movable in unison with the casing 18. Fastening means 50 may be employed to secure the balance and nozzle housing 47 to the front wall 18b of the casing 18.

in order to provide a relatively stationary reference with respect to the housing 47, there is utilized a subframe Sll (FIGURE 1) including an oblique leg 52 fastened in firm assembly with the base frame 13 at 53, as well as a vertical leg 54 secured to the base frame at 55. The reference means may be seen from FIGURE 3 to further include a slide member 56 fastened to the A-shaped subframe 51 as at 57, the slide member 56 having an arm 58 to which is connected a slide block 59 having a hard ened surface confronting the Wall 4% of the balance and nozzle housing 47, and closely spaced and in parallel relation thereto.

For the purpose of sensing oscillatory movements of the casing 18 which are produced as a function of any unbalance manifested within the rotating drum 24, there is desirably utilized a sensing member in the form of a reliable pin 64 confined between the surfaces 49 and 59.

lthough not shown in specific detail, the surface 49 is particularly characterized by a niche or grooved slot which has width slightly larger than the outer diameter of the rollable pin 60 to provide the necessary clearance. If desired, the mentioned slot may receive therein a hardened insert 4% to present a surface for engagement against the peripheral surface of the pin 64 As is believed now quite apparent, the curved surface of the pin 60 is on a fixed radius with respect to the centerline axis of the pin and, therefore, the relative linear movement produced between the surfaces 49 and 5? is. converted by the sensing member or pin 69 into angular movments about the pivot axis of the pin by the rolling action of said pin between the relatively moving surfaces 59 and 49.

In order to assure that the pin as is tightly confined between the surfaces 49 and 59, a plurality of spring means 51 are confined by bolt means 62 and a nut extending between a bottoming plate 63 and embossments 64 on the slide member 59.

The angular movements of the pin 60 are amplified through a moment arm provided by an interrupter or flag member 66 connected in firm assembly with one end of the pin oil. The connection may be accomplished by welding the pin to the interrupter member, and it may be observed that this member extends generally parallel to the front wall 18b of the casing 13 and is closely spaced to a splash housing 67 mounted on the inside surface of the front wall 18b between the casing 18 and drum or cylinder 24. The splash housing 67 has formed therein a slotted opening 67a and mounted in register therewith is a nozzle member 68 connecting with the conduit 32, and particularly characterized by a narrow elongated nozzle outlet 68a in discharging register with the slot-ted opening 674: in the splash housing 57.

Both the nozzle discharge outlet 6&1 and the slotted opening 67a are located directly adjacent to the arcuate path of movement of the interrupter member 66. Accordingly, the movements of the casing produced as a function of any acentric disposed load in the rotating drum 24 are sensed in a linear motion of the surfaces 49 and 59, whereupon the rolling pin 60, which is forcefully and resiliently squeezed between a portion of the front of the casing 18 and the vertical stationary extension 51 of the base frame 13, will convert such movements into angular displacement. The rolling pin 6% provides a pivotal axis for the Water deflector member or interrupter flag 66, which is normally positioned in the path of a fluid stream discharged through the nozzle outlet 68a during extraction operations. The deflection means provided by the interrupter member 66, which is located within the casing 18 on the rear side of the casing front wall 13b and spaced from both the casing front wall and the splash housing 67, will serve to deflect and direct the stream emanating from the nozzle outlet 68a downwardly in the splash housing 67 for return to the casing 18. The

opening 67a in the splash housing 67, as well as the nozzle opening 680, are aligned with the three inlet segments 45a-c carried on the front of the drum 24.

In operation, the movements of the casing 18, due to the rotation of unbalanced loads within the drum, cause a pivotal movement of the interrupter member 66 away from the fluid stream emanating from the nozzle opening 68a so that the fluid may be injected directly into an appropriate inlet segment 45 for passage to the correct fluidreceiving pocket or compartment provided by a corresponding receptacle 39 on the drum 24 for automatically counteracting the unbalanced load causing the arcuate movement of the casing.

As was earlier stated, the described water balance system is illustrative of a typical arrangement which can be employed in conjunction with the acceleration control system of this invention. During the course of the following description, which is directed particularly to a new and improved system for controlling drum acceleration in response to deflection of the cylinder or drum structure relative to stationary base structure, it will be readily apparent that other types of water balance systems can be effectively utilized.

Briefly stated, in the acceleration control system of this invention a pressturized fluid-operated system comprising a double acting air bleed off or relief valve is mounted on the stationary A-frame structure 51 to sense vibrations caused by rotation of an unbalanced load in the drum 24. The valve connects with an outlet port of a solenoid operated air valve means and is constructed to provide a pressure bleed off line between an air compressor and the air cylinder in control of slip clutch means in'the transmission 26. Compressed air from a suitable source is communicated to an inlet port in the solenoid valve means, and the solenoid is energized to accelerate drum 24 from tumble to spin speed by pressurizing a chamber within the solenoid valve means leading to the pneumatic clutch. When an off-balance load is accelerated and produces a deflection, the bleed off valve on the stationary A-frame is intermittently opened to reduce the pressure in the solenoid valve chamber, which through the outlet port leading to the clutch air cylinder, slips the clutch to prevent increased drum acceleration until the off-balance load is counterbalanced. However, and as will be pointed out in detail hereinafter, the drum rotative speed is not necessarily reduced, but is maintained at essentially the speed which caused the casing deflections so that there is no interference with accomplishment of the proper water balancing function.

The acceleration control system of this invention is more or less diagrammatically illustrated in FIGURE 5, and it may be seen therefrom that the drive motor 25 connects with the transmission means as having an output shaft 26a mounting the pulleys 27 and 2S constituting the output of 'FTGURE 5. The structural details of the transmission means will be later described, and for the present purposes it may be noted from FIGURE that conduit means 7%) is i n" communication with the transmission means (specifically a clutch actuated air cylinder therein which will also be later described) and an outlet port 71 of solenoid air valve means generally designated by the numeral 72. A compressor 730i any suitable construction has corinected'to the outlet port thereof conduit means 74 leading to an inlet port '75 of the solenoid valve means 72. The solenoid Valve means is further provided with a second outlet port i6 which communicates through conduit means 77 with a double acting bleed off or relief valve means designated generally by the numeral 78.

The solenoid valve means '72 is provided with a body portion 79 having at one end thereof a plurality of threaded openings tltla, Sill; and bile receiving coupling members l(l, 81b and 810, respectively, which are internally bored to provide the outlet port '76, inlet port '75 and outlet port '71;

The body portion 7'9 of the solenoid valve means 72 till is shaped interiorly to provide a chamber 82 communi eating with the ports 76, and '71 through reduced diameter passages 76a, 75a and 71a. The chamber 82 communicates with a chamber $3 through a central aperture 84a. in a rigid diaphragm member 84, which is further provided with vent passages 84b leading through vent passages 79a in the body portion 79 to atmosphere.

The central aperture 84a in the rigid diaphragm member 84 receives a generally T-shaped flat surfaced valve member 86 positioned for contact with a solenoid armature 37 when solenoid 88 is ale-energized. It may be noted from FIGURE 5 that the solenoid armature 87 has a central axial passage 87a and bottoming at one end thereof is spring means 89 which also bottoms against a fixed plug member 9% having a passage 90a therein. The plug member 96 may be secured in any suitable manner to a solenoid housing 91, and if desired, seal means 92 may be located between the solenoid armature 37 and plug member 90.

The energization of the solenoid 88 of the solenoid valve means '72 controls the shifting of the two speed transmission 26 from tumble to spin speeds. When the solenoid is de-energized, the spring loaded solenoid armature 87 assumes its uppermost position which forces the valve member 36 against surface 82a, which in turn permits cavity or chamber 82 to be vented to atmosphere through the vents or passages 84a, 84b and 79a in the rigid diaphragm 8d and body portion 79, respectively. This action prevents the air pressure from the compressor 73 from reaching the pneumatic clutch in the transmission 26. In addition, this action blocks the inlet passage 75a to the chamber 32, and the compressor 73 can thereby 7 build up pressure until conventional relief means in the compressor bleeds the excess pressure.

When it is desired to shift the transmission from tumble to spin speed, the solenoid 88 is energized, as through suitable electrical circuitry connected to the presettable timer means 33. Energization of the solenoid $8 withdraws the solenoid armature 87 against the pressure of spring means 89 to essentially the position of FIGURE 5. The air pressure from the inlet port 75, coupled with gravitational forces, moves the valve member 86 to a seating position upon surface 840 of the rigid diaphragm member 84. This blocks communication between the valve chambers 82 and 83, and pressurizes both of the valve outlets 71 and '76. The outlet port 71 leads to the pneumatic clutch in the transmission 26, causing this clutch to operate. The outlet 76 connects to the bleed ofi valve 78, and asan off-balance load is accelerated and produces a deflection, the bleed-off valve is intermittently opened to cause a reduction of the air pressure in the chamber 82. The reduced air pressure acting upon the pneumatic clutch causes clutch slipping and a termination of increased drum acceleration, until the off-balance load is counterbalanced. 7

As appears in FIGURES 3 and 5, the double acting relief valve means is constructed to provide a body portion @5 having outlet portions 95 and 97 threadably receiving collar portions 93 in each of which travels valve core stems 99 and 99a. The valve body portion 95 is mounted on support means 1% (FIGURE 3) carried by a plate portion 1M welded or otherwise firmly secured to the brace members 52 and 54 of the A-frame S1. The angular position of the support means llltl relative to the plate member ltll may be adjusted by screw means 102 and The body portion 95 of the air valve means 78 may be adjusted linearly with respect to support means ltlll by means of screws 102a. and 163a.

mounts a lever member res having a-claw portion lfi a engageable with the yoke member and an end portion connected by a spring 167 to said yoke member." As

is believed now apparent, when the support means 100 is properly adjusted in a static condition, the yoke arm portions 105a and 105b are spaced at substantially equal distances from the valve core stems 99 and 99a. When the tank and cylinder assembly starts to oscillate about its center of oscillation due to the acceleration of an offbalance load, the yoke member 105 will also oscillate about the pivot pin 104 driven by lever member 106. With the support means properly adjusted as stated and assuming deflection of the tank and cylinder assembly, the yoke arm portions 105a and 1051) will depress the valve core stems 99 and 99a as the casing 18 oscillates with respect to the A-frame 51 to bleed off air pressure from the pneumatic clutch in transmission 26, terminating increased acceleration, although maintaining the drum speed relatively constant for effective water balancing.

The double acting valve assembly 78 is highly advantageous as contrasted with a single acting valve since it assures that air will be bled off if the machine is moved, or if the support means 100 is not properly adjusted. In either of these circumstances, the distance between one of the yoke arm portions 105a and 105b and the adjacent valve stem 99 and 99a would be less than the desirable setting. If the machine 10 was then started up in the spin cycle with a severe off-balance load present in the drum or cylinder 24, the machine could not accelerate since valve assembly 78 would bleed the air pressure from the pneumatic clutch on a smaller than normal movement in at least one direction of the tank and cylinder assembly. Accordingly, there would be prevented any possibility of the machine tipping or walking under these severe conditions. Of course, in order for the pneumatic clutch to again be properly actuated, the support means 100 and body portion 95 would necessarily have to be properly ajusted with respect to yoke member 105 to the static condition noted.

The positioning of the valve core stems 99 and 99a with respect to the yoke member arm portions 105a and 1135b is adjustably controlled in relation to the position of the deflector or interrupter member 66 and its associated parts so that a slightly greater deflection of the tank and cylinder assembly is required to bleed off the necessary operating air pressure than is required to initiate the water balancing action. This is a mere matter of proper adjustment of parts and assures that the water balancing function will be first initiated and the acceleration control then set into action to maintain the transmission speed ratio at the speed which initially caused the off balance condition and initiated the counterbalancing action without unnecessarily diminishing the cylinder speed.

Referring now to FIGURE 6, the transmission means 26 is provided with a housing 110 comprising a main body portion 111 to which is secured by fastening means 112 a cap portion 113. The main body portion 111 is formed with an apertured central embossment 114 receiving therethrough variable diameter shaft means 115 connected at one end to the motor means 25. The apertured embossment 114 may receive bearing means 116 and seal means 117.

Axially inwardly of the bearing means 116 there is corotatably mounted upon the shaft means 115 gear means 118 in meshing relation with gear means 119 corotatably mounted as by pin means 119a upon shaft means 12! supported at opposite ends in bearing means 121 and 122 received in recesses in the body portion 111 and cap portion 113, respectively.

The shaft means 120 supports for corotation gear means 123, keyed as at 123a to shaft 120, meshing with gear means 124 which rotates freely at a constant speed upon sleeve means 125 connected to the pulley 27 and surrounding the reduced diameter portion of the shaft means 115.

Gear means 124 includes an eccentric portion 124a that has mounted on it an encircling follower strap member a that drives the piston (not shown) of the compressor 73 at a constant speed Whenever motor 25 is energized.

Gear 124 is also provided with a pocket which receives a disc insert member 126 which is anchored to gear 124 by means of the cross pin 126a. Mounted on sleeve 125 and positioned within a cylindrical recess provided in member 126 is a sprocket like clutch member 127 and a plurality of clutch roller members 128 which cooperate with

members

126 and 127 to form a one-way drive connection between these latter members. Since the oneway roller clutch formed by

members

126, 127 and 128 is of conventional construction, it will suffice to state that this connection is made during the low or tumble speed operations when member 126 cams rollers 128 tightly against the sprocket like clutch member 127 to rotate sleeve member 125 and the driven pulley 27. During the spin operations, member 127 is driven at the speed of shaft 115 and thus overruns disc member 126 thereby moving roller members to a disengaged position.

Clutch member 127 is provided with a notched laterally extending flange 127a which positively engages a cup or dish-shaped member 129. Located within the recess defined by member 129 is a clutch disc 139 which is provided with friction surfaces 1315a and which is corotatable with a mounting collar 131 which in turn is corotatable with and axially movable relative to shaft 115. Corotatably with an axially movable on collar 131 is a second clutch disc member 132 provided with friction surface 132a. Corotatable with and axially movable on the cup shaped member 129 and positioned between the clutch discs and 132 is a drive member disc 1129a.

The means for shifting the collar member 131 to vary the rotative speed of the pulley 27, as by terminating continued acceleration when an off balance load is detected, may comprise a yoke member 135 connected to the collar member 131 and bearing against a fulcrum providing surface 136, while being connected at its opposite end to an elongated end portion 137a on piston arm I137. The piston end portion may travel in an embossment 138 while the piston arm is guided by an apertured embossment 139a formed on cylinder 139 connected to the cover member 113. As appears in FIGURE 6, the piston arm portion 137 is connected to a head portion 140, and the cover portion 113 is apertured (not shown) to receive the conduit means 70 for supplying air pressure to the cylinder chamber 141.

The operation of the acceleration control system of this invention may be described as follows. As the machine proceeds from tumble to spin speed, the solenoid 83 in the solenoid valve means 72 is energized by the electrical circuitry in the machine. Energization of the solenoid S8 withdraws the solenoid armature 17 in opposition to the pressure of the spring 59 and to essentially the position of FIGURE 5. The air pressure from the compressor 73 entering the inlet port 7.5, in combination with gravitational forces, moves the valve member 36 against the surface 840 to block the passage 84:: between the chambers 82 and 83. The valve outlet ports 71 and 76 are then pressurized, and as was noted, these ports lead through the conduit means 71) and 77 to the air cylinder chamber 141 in the transmission 26 and the double acting relief valve 78, respectively.

Pressurization of the air cylinder chamber 141 in the transmission housing 116 pivots the top of yoke arm 135 to the left about fulcrum 136, in FIGURE 6, which causes disc member 132 to move to the right to move drive member disc 129a and clutch portion 139 to the right until dish shaped member 129 is driven through collar member 131 at the speed of shaft 115. This causes clutch member 127 to override disc member 126 and thus drum 24 is driven at spin speed.

As the cylinder 24 rotates with an unbalanced load therein, the deflections resulting in the drum and casing structure oscillate the yoke member 195 about the pivot pin Iii-t to intermittently actuate the valve core stems 99- and 99a of the bleed 'ofif valve 73 which thereby reduces the pressure in the chamber 82. A reduction of the pressure in this chamber lessens the pressure applied against the piston 146 of the air cylinder 139 and the yoke member 135 pivots in opposite directions about the fulcrum 136 to intermittently shift the collar member 131 along the shaft 115. This action causes less pressure on disc 12% and on the inside vertical surface of dish member 129 resulting in a slipping action of the pneumatic clutch. However, since there is intermittent slippage in the pneumatic clutch herein provided, there is no marked speed reduction in the pulley 27 necessarily, but merely a termination of an increased acceleration rate. In other words, the pulley 27 which drives the cylinder 24 rotates at essentially the speed which caused the off-balance condition, so that the counterbalancing action can continue. Of course, when counterbalancing is accomplished, the acceleration control system reverts to the condition originally described and the solenoid ti? is then de-energized. The action of the spring 39 then forces the valve member 86 against the surface 82a, which permits the chamber 82 to be vented through the passage 84a and through the vent openings $41) and 79a. In this manner the increased air pressure from the compressor 73 does not reach the pneumatic clutch, and since the inlet passage '75:: is blocked, a build up of pressure occurs in the compressor 73 until the conventional relief valve therein opens.

As was earlier noted, the sensing components for the water balance system and for the acceleration control system are preferably coordinated 'so that a relatively greater deflection is required to actuate the acceleration control system, than is needed to initiate the water balancing function. Of course, an electrical sensing means could be used in substitution for the structure described .hereinabove, and these and other modifications can be practiced without departing from the novel concepts of this invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an ex elusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. Laundry apparatus comprising, a drive motor, a support, a rotary basket for receiving fabrics to be washed and centrifugally dried, means mounting said basket on said support for movement in response to vibrations produced by rotation of unbalanced loads insaid basket at centrifuging speed,

a transmission interconnecting said drive motor and said basket and having a low speed ratio for tum- I bling fabrics at a lower washing speed and a high speed ratio for rotating said basket at higher centrifuging speeds for extracting fluids from said fabrics,

clutch means for changing the speed ratios of said transmission,

actuating means for said clutch means,

pressure source means including conduit means directing pressurized fluid to said actuating means,

and valve means mounted in said conduit means,

actuator'means connected to said basket mounting means and operable upon movement of said basket mounting means due to rotation'or" unbalanced loads at said high speed ratio to actuate said valve means for reducing the flow of said pressurized fluid to said actuating means to shift said clutch means and limit the speed ratio of said transmission to a value between said low and said high speed ratios to thereby effect the rotation of said basket at a safe optimum speed above said lower washing speed.

2. Laundry apparatus comprising,

drive means,

support means,

a rotary basket for receiving fabrics to be washed and centrifugally dried,

means mounting said basket on said support means to accommodate vibratory movements of said basket as produced by the rotation of acentric loads in said basket,

transmission means interconnecting said drive means and said basket to provide a plurality of speed ratios for rotating said basket,

means providing a source of fluid pressure,

fluid clutch means controlling the selection of said speed ratios,

conduit means interconnecting said source of fluid pressure with said fluid clutch means,

valve means in said conduit means,

valve actuator means connected to said basket mounting means and actuated'by vibratory movements of said basket to actuate said valve means for regulating the supply of pressure to the clutch means and thereby limiting the rotation of said basket tothose speeds which produce only minimal basket vibrations of a predetermined amplitude,

means for counterbalancing said acentric loads in said basket, and

control means operatively connected between the basket mounting means and said support means and operatively engageable with said valve actuator means and said means for counterbalancing so that greater amplitudes of basket movementare required for ctuation of said valve means than for said counterbalancing means.

3. Laundry apparatus comprising,

drive means,

support means,

a rotary basket for receiving fabrics to be Washed and centrifugally dried,

means mounting said basket on said support means to accommodate vibratory movements of said basket as produced by the rotation 'of acentric loads in said basket,

transmission means interconnecting said drive means and said basket to provide aplurality of speed ratios for rotating said basket,

a fiuid compressor driven by said transmission means,

fluid clutch means in said transmission means controlling the selection of said speed ratios,

conduit means interconnecting said compressor and I said fluid clutch means,

and valve means in said conduit means havingvalve actuating means operatively engageable with said basket mounting means and actuated by vibratoryv movements of said basket relative to said support means for regulating the supply of fluid pressure to the clutch means and thereby limiting the rotation of said basket to those optimum speeds which produce only minimal basket vibrations of a predetermined amplitude.

4. In a Washing machine,

a drive motor, 7

a support, 7

a rotarybasket for receiving fabrics to be Washed and centrifugally dried, i

meansmounting said basket on said support for movement in response to vibrations produced by rotation of unbalanced loads in said basket at centrifuging speeds,

a transmission interconnecting said drive motor and said basket and having'means for eifecting a low speed ratio for tumbling fabrics-at a lower Washing speed and means for effecting a high speed ratio clutch means for changing the speed ratios of said transmission,

and a pressurized fluid operated system in control of said clutch means and said transmission and comprising valve means, valve actuating means engageable with said basket mounting means for sensing movement of said basket mounting means relative to said support due to rotation of unbalanced loads at said high speed ratio, a fluid cylinder and piston connected to said clutch means, and conduit means connecting said valve means and said fluid cylinder to a source of pressurized fluid,

said valve means being effective when an unbalanced load is rotated in said basket at high speed ratio, and said basket mounting means is thereby in movement relative to said support, to engage said basket mounting means, thereby reducing the fluid pressure in said conduit means and through said clutch means actuating said transmission to limit the speed ratio to a value between said low and said high speed ratios, thereby effecting rotation of said basket at a safe optimum speed above said lower washing speed.

5. Laundry apparatus as defined in claim 1,

a fluid supply line connected to said clutch means, said valve means comprising a pair of bleed-off valves connected in said fluid supply line,

said actuator means comprising a yoke member responsive to vibratory movements of said basket and having a pair of arms respectively positioned adjacent said valves for alternative actuation of said valves during vibrations of said basket to bleed said fluid supply line to limit the eflective speed ratio of said transmission and control the rotational speed or" said basket to a safe optimum speed between a first lower speed and a higher centrifuging speed.

6. Laundry apparatus as defined in claim 5, said fluid supply line comprising pneumatic means, said valve means comprising pneumatic valves connected in parallel with one another in said fluid supply line.

7. Laundry apparatus as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by a casing,

said basket being positioned for rotation in said casing about a horizontal axis,

a stationary support structure yieldingly mounting said casing for angular movement about an axis spaced from and parallel to said horizontal axis,

both of said axes being disposed in a common vertical plane intersecting said casing and said support structure,

a fluid line connecting said clutch means with a source of pressurized fluid,

said valve means comprising first and second fluid pressure bleed-oi valves positioned in said fluid line and mounted on said casing to bleed off said first fluid bleed-oil valve when said casing deflects to one side of said vertical plane and to bleed-oil said second bleed-ofl valve when said casing deflects to the opposite side of said vertical plane in response to the rotation of unbalanced loads in said basket to limit the speed of said drive means to an optimum level.

8. Laundry apparatus as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by the provision of a casing,

a rigid support for said casing having sufiicient yieldability to afford limited movement of said casing in a confined arcuate path about an axis positioned paraliel to the rotational axis of said basket,

said actuating means being responsive to movements of said casing in said confined arcuate path.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,775,460 Herrrnann -1 Sept. 9, 1930 2,647,386 Keiper Aug. 4, 1953 2,760,639 Haverstock Aug. 28, 1956 2,920,496 Forster Jan. 12, 1960 2,950,009 Bochan Aug. 23, 1960 2,963,159 Stone Dec. 6, 1960 2,967,621 Metzger Ian. 10, 1961

Claims

1. LAUNDRY APPARATUS COMPRISING, A DRIVE MOTOR, A SUPPORT, A ROTARY BASKET FOR RECEIVING FABRICS TO BE WASHED AND CENTRIFUGALLY DRIED, MEANS MOUNTING SAID BASKET ON SAID SUPPORT FOR MOVEMENT IN RESPONSE TO VIBRATIONS PRODUCED BY ROTATION OF UNBALANCED LOADS IN SAID BASKET AT CENTRIFUGING SPEED, A TRANSMISSION INTERCONNECTING SAID DRIVE MOTOR AND SAID BASKET AND HAVING A LOW SPEED RATIO FOR TUMBLING FABRICS AT A LOWER WASHING SPEED AND A HIGH SPEED FABRIC FOR ROTATING SAID BASKET AT HIGHER CENTRIFUGING SPEEDS FOR EXTRACTING FLUIDS FROM SAID FABRICS, CLUTCH MEANS FOR CHANGING THE SPEED RATIOS OF SAID TRANSMISSION, ACTUATING MEANS FOR SAID CLUTCH MEANS, PRESSURE SOURCE MEANS INCLUDING CONDUIT MEANS DIRECTING PRESSURIZED FLUID TO SAID ACTUATING MEANS, AND VALVE MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID CONDUIT MEANS, ACTUATOR MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID BASKET MOUNTING MEANS AND OPERABLE UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID BASKET MOUNTING MEANS DUE TO ROTATION OF UNBALANCED LOADS