US3600902A

US3600902A - Adjustable agitator for fabric-cleaning machines

Info

Publication number: US3600902A
Application number: US809154A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas W Williams
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 1969-03-21
Filing date: 1969-03-21
Publication date: 1971-08-24
Anticipated expiration: 1988-08-24

Abstract

An agitator having variable area vanes is provided for an automatic clothes washer. A plurality of arcuate-shaped vanes are secured to the agitator centerpost for rotation and oscillation therewith, and housed within each of the vanes is an arcuate extendible vane element. A control knob is provided adjacent an upper portion of the agitator centerpost and depending from the control knob is a worm gear which cooperates with a gear rack formed on each of the vane elements to selectively extend or retract the vane elements according to the positioning of the control knob by the operator.

Description

United States Patent Inventor Thoma W. Willi-a Valley Station, Ky.

Appl. No. 809,154

Filed Mar. 2 l, 1969 Patented All. 14, 1901 Aseignee General Electric Company ADJUSTABLE AGI'IATOR FOR FABRIC- Primary Examiner-William I. Price Assistant Framiner-Philip R. Coe Attorneys-James E. Ospe, Harry F. Manbeck, Jr., Joseph B Furman. Oscar B. Waddell and Frank L. Neuhauser ABSTRACT: An agitator having variable area vanes is provided for an automatic clothes washer. A plurality of arcuateshaped vanes are secured to the agitator centerpnst fur rntation and oscillation therewith, and housed within each of the vanes is an arcuate extendible vane element. A control knob is provided adjacent an upper portion of the agitator centerpost and depending from the control knob is a worm gear which cooperates with a gear rack formed on each of the vane elements to selectively extend or retract the vane elements ac cording to the positioning of the control knob by the operator PATENIEU M1624 ran SHIEET 2 [IF 2 INVENTOR. THOMAS W. W\LLIAMS BY 6(HP5 ATTORNEY ADJUSTABLE AGITATOR FOR FABRIC-CLEANING MACHINES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to fabric-cleaning machines such as clothes washers, and more particularly, to an improved agitator for use in such machines.

Automatic clothes washers normally include a container means to receive liquid and the fabrics to be cleaned in that liquid, and some agitation means for causing relative motion between various fabrics and the liquid. This agitation means normally takes the form of an agitator mounted in an upright or vertical position within the container and connected to a drive mechanism so that the agitator is oscillated in a suitable manner to effect washing, usually back and forth in a horizontal plane.

The washing action is a result of the agitator delivering power to the clothes. This washing power normally is delivered by means of a number of vanes disposed about the lower portion of the agitator so as tomove through the liquid as the agitator is moved by the drive mechanism. The uniformity of the washing action depends upon the uniformity with which the vanes deliver power to the various fabrics. Thus, for a uniformly clean wash the clothes must be moved within the liquid container so that each of the fabrics is in turn brought into the area at which the vanes are transferring power. This movement of the clothes is called "turnover.

Optimum agitator design is complicated both by the in creasing variety of fabrics capable of being laundered in automatic washers, and by the increased capacity of todays machines. In an earlier era of automatic washer development, smaller and more predictable clothes loads defined a fairly narrow range of optimum power input for proper clothes turnover. Today, however, the automatic washer is typically required, in successive wash loads, to a launder 16 pounds of heavy work clothes, and then 3 pounds of delicate lingerie. Such extreme wash loads obviously require different amounts of power input for proper turnover, and, as is obvious, if excessive power is delivered to the more delicate wash loads, they may be damaged in the washing operation.

In the prior art, a number of expedients have been proposed to provide variable actuator vane area thereby permitting adjustment of the amount of power limited to the clothes load. It is the object of such arrangements to permit a high-energy transfer to large, durable clothes loads and to provide a lower energy transfer to delicates. However, most such prior art designs provide costly and complicated linkage or other adjustment systems for achieving variable vane exposure area. Furthermore, the arrangement of most prior art designs has been such as to necessitate the employment of extendible vanes of very limited length which are not capable of extending outward from the agitator a considerable length in order to provide a desired wide range of vane area adjustment.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved agitator for use in fabric-cleaning machines such as automatic clothes washers which provides a simple and inexpensive adjustable vane mechanism.

It is a further object of my invention to provide such an improved agitator whereby a wide range of vane area adjustment is enabled.

It is a more specific object of my invention to provide such an improved agitator wherein the adjustable vanes move on an arcuate trajectory downwardly and radially outwardly from the axis of rotation of the agitator.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an agitator adapted to effect the cleaning of fabrics in a washing machine or similar device having a liquid and fabric receiving container and a drive mechanism. The agitator comprises a centerpost for mounting generally vertically within the container, the centerpost being adapted for connection to the drive mechanism. A plurality of arcuate-shaped vanes are secured to the centerpost for rotation and oscillation therewith the vanes extending outwardly therefrom to deliver power to the liquid and fabrics within the container.

Each of the vanes has an opening at the outer end thereof. A plurality of arcuate-shaped extensible vane elements are pro vided, each of which is housed within a separate one of the arcuate-shaped vanes and is adapted for extension through the openings in the vanes. Adjusting means is disposed adjacent an upper portion of the center post to simultaneously move each of the vane elements inwardly or outwardly through the vane openings a predetermined amount. By this arrangement, the vane elements may be moved along an arcuate trajectory defined by the arcuate vanes to selectively vary the exposed vane surface area of the agitator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS While the specification concludes with claims a particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention, it is believed the invention will be better understood from the following description of the preferred embodiment taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial side elevational view of a clothes washing machine which includes one embodiment of my invention, the view being partially broken away and partially in section to illustrate details; and

FIG. 2 is a detailed sectional view of the agitator of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings and initially to FIG. 1 thereof, there is illustrated an agitator-type clothes washing machine 10 having a conventional basket or clothes receiving container 11 provided over its side and bottom walls with perforations l2 and disposed within an outer imperforate casing 13 which serves as a liquid receptacle. In combination, the basket 11 and the tub 13 together form receptacle or container means containing liquid and the fabrics or clothes to be immersed in the liquid. The basket 11 may be provided with a suitable clothes retaining member 14 for preventing clothes from floating over the top of the basket, and with a balance ring 15 to help steady the basket when it is rotated at high speed to extract liquid from the clothes.

Tub I3 is rigidly mounted within an appearance cabinet 16 which includes a cover 17 hingedly mounted in a top portion 18 of the cabinet for providing access through an opening I9 to the basket I]. As shown, a gasket 20 may be provided so as to form a seal between the top of tub l3 and portion 18 of the cabinet thereby to prevent escape of moisture and moist air into the cabinet around the tub. The rigid mounting of tub 13 within the cabinet 16 may be effected by any suitable means. As a typical example of one such means I have provided strap members 21 each of which is secured at one end to an inturned flange 22 of the cabinet and at its other end to the outside of tub I3. At the center of basket 11 there is positioned on agitator 23 which is the subject matter of my invention and which will be discussed in detail later in conjunction with FIG. 2.

The clothes basket II and agitator 23 are rotatably mounted. The basket is mounted on a flange 24 of a rotatable hub 25 and the agitator 23 is mounted on a shaft 26 which extends upwardly through the hub 25 and through the centerpost of agitator 23 and is secured to the agitator by means of splined upper end section 27 so as to drive it. During the cycle of operation of the machine, water is introduced into tub 13 and basket 11, and the agitator is then oscillated back and forth on its axis within the basket; then after a predetermined period of this action, basket 11 is rotated at a high speed to centrifugally extract the liquid from the clothes and discharge it to drain. Following this extraction operation, a supply of clean liquid is introduced into the basket and the agitator is again oscillated. During this operation, which constitutes the wash step of the cycle, the liquid is preferably mixed with a suitable treating agent such as a detergent in order to effect chemical cleansing of the fabrics. Then the basket is rotated again at high speed to extract the washing liquid. Following this, a supply of clean liquid is introduced into the basket for rinsing the clothes and once again the agitator is oscillated. Finally, the baket is once more rotated at high speed to extract the rinse water. Of course, while it is often not done, more than one rinsing operation may be provided if so desired, and various modifications such as spray rinses during a spinning operation may also be provided.

Basket 11 and agitator 23 may be driven through any suitable means. By way of example, I have shown them as driven from a reversible motor 28 through a system including a suitable load-limiting clutch 29 on the motor shaft. A suitable belt 30 transmits power from clutch 29 to a transmission assembly 31 through a pulley 32. Thus, depending upon the direction of motor rotation, pulley 32 of transmission 31 is driven in opposite directions. The transmission 31 is so arranged that it supports and drives both the agitator drive shaft 26 and the basket mounting hub 25. When motor 28 is driven in the opposite direction, the transmission rotates basket 11 and agitator 23 together at high speed for centrifugal liquid extraction. While the specific type of transmission mechanism does not form part of the invention, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 2,844,225 issued July 22, 1958 to Mr. James R. Hubbard et a]. and assigned to the assignee of the instant invention. That patent discloses in detail the structural characteristics of the transmission suitable for use in the illustrated machine.

ln addition to operating the transmission 31 as described, the motor 28 also provides a direct drive through a flexible coupling 33 to a pumping mechanism, generally indicated by the numeral 34, which may include two separate pumps or pumping units 35 and 36 both operated in the same direction simultaneously by motor 28. Pump 35 has an inlet which is connected by a conduit 37 to an opening 38 formed at the lowermost point of the tub 13. Pump 35 also has an outlet which is connected by a conduit 39 to a suitable drain (not shown). Pump 36 has an inlet connected by a conduit 40 to the interior of tub l3 and an outlet connected by a conduit 41 to an inlet nozzle 42 positioned to discharge into a filter pan 43. The pumps are formed so that in the spin direction of motor rotation pump 35 will draw liquid from opening 38 through conduit 37 then discharge it through conduit 39 to drain, and in the other or agitation direction of rotation, pump 36 will draw in liquid through conduit 40 and discharge it through conduit 41 and nozzle 42. Each of the pumps is substantially inoperative in the direction of rotation in which it is not used. The particular form of the pump assembly 34 is not significant; rather, assembly 34 is representative of any struc' ture capable of passing liquids selectively out through one outlet or another, whether by use of one pump with suitable valving or a combination structure of two pumps.

With this structure then, when the motor is rotated so as to provide agitation, pump 36 draws liquid through conduit 40 from tub l3 and discharges it through conduit 41 so that liquid passes from nozzle 42 and falls into filter pan 43, then down through a number of small openings 44 provided in the bottom of the filter pan, and back into the basket ll. In this manner, the filter pan 43 with its small openings 44 causes lint which is separated from the clothes during the washing operation to be filtered out of the recirculating water, and thus prevents it from being redeposited on the clothes.

The motor 28, clutch 29, transmission 3l, basket ll and agitator 23 form a suspended washing and centrifuging system which is supported by the stationary structure of the machine so as to permit isolation of vibrations from the stationary structure. it will be understood that such vibrations occur primarily as a result of high-speed spinning of the basket 11 with a load of clothes therein. While any suitable suspension structure may be used, one such structure includes a bracket member 45 with transmission 31 mounted on the top thereof and motor 28 mounted to the underside thereof. The bracket member 45, in turn, is secured at each end thereof to an upwardly extending rigid member 46, and each of the two upwardly extending members 46 is connected to a cable 47 supported from the top of the machine. While only a portion of the suspension system is shown in FIG. 1, such a vibration isolation system is fully described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,987,190 issued June 6, I961 to Mr. John Bochan and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

In order to accommodate the movement which occurs between basket 11 and tub 13 without any danger of leakage therebetween, the stationary tub 13 is joined to the upper part of transmission 31 by a flexible boot member 48. A member of this type is described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,959,966 issued Nov. 15, I960 to Mr. John Bochan and assigned to the assignee of the instant invention.

Hot and cold water may be supplied to the machine through

conduits

49 and 50 which are adapted to be connected respectively to sources of hot and cold water (not shown).

Conduits

49 and 50 extend into a conventional mixing valve structure 51 having

solenoids

52 and 53. Energization of solenoid 52 permits passage of hot water through the valve to a hose 54, and energization of solenoid 53 permits passage of cold water through the valve. Energization of both solenoids permits mixing both hot and cold water in the valve and passage of warm water into hose 54. The hose 54 has an outlet 55 positioned to discharge into basket 11 so that when one or both of the

solenoids

52 and 53 are energized, water passes into basket 11 and tub 13.

The level to which water rises in the basket and tub may be controlled by any suitable liquid level-sensing means. One typical arrangement for doing this is to provide an opening 56 in the side of tub 13 adjacent the bottom thereof. The opening 56 is connected through a conduit 57 and a tube 58 to a conventional pressure-sensitive switch device (not shown), which may be positioned within the backsplash 59 of the machine. As the water rises in basket 11 and tub 13 it exerts increasing pressure on a column of air trapped in tube 58 and, at a predetermined pressure level, the column of air then trips the pressure-sensitive switch device to shut off whichever of

solenoids

52 and 53 may be energized. The backsplash 59 may contain suitable manual controls, such as that shown at 60, extending therefrom so that the particular fabric cycle including, for instance washing and spin speeds, water temperatures, and water level within the tub l3 and basket 11, etc., may be controlled to effect the washing of different types of fabrics.

The details of agitator 23 may be seen more clearly in FIG. 2 wherein it is apparent that the upper end of the agitator centerpost has a splined core 61 for connection to drive shaft 26. Extending downwardly from splined core 61 and integral therewith is a tubular inner centerpost structure 62 having a flanged lower portion 63 which extends radially, upwardly and downwardly to form a flared skirt 64. Secured to the skirt 64 and the inner centerpost structure 62 by means of suitable fasteners 65 is an outer centerpost structure 66 which extends upwardly forming an opening which is substantially closed by a cap structure 67.

Secured to a or formed integrally with the outer centerpost structure 66 are a plurality of arcuate vanes 68 which extend downwardly from cap structure 67 to a position adjacent the periphery of flared skirt 64 where each of the vanes 68 has an opening 69 formed therein. Housed within each of the arcuate vanes 68 is an arcuate vane element 70 which is adapted for extension and retraction through its associated opening 69. The vane element 70 of FIG. 1 is shown in a retracted position, while the vane element 70 of PK). 2 is shown partially extended.

It should be understood that the vanes 68 have an inner surface 7l of constant arcuate radius, and that vane elements 70 have an outer edge 72 of substantially equal arcuate radius. By this arrangement, the vane elements 70 may be readily extended or retracted along an arcuate trajectory defined by the inner surfaces 71 of vanes 68. It should also be understood that the interior of vanes 68 provides support for the vane elements 70 permitting guided movement of vane elements 70 within the vanes 68.

Adjusting means are provided concentric with the tubular inner centerpost structure 62 adjacent an upper portion thereof to simultaneously move each of the vane elements 70 inwardly and outwardly as the operator desires. Such adjusting means comprises a control knob 73 having a depending worm gear 74 adapted to cooperate with gear racks 75 formed adjacent the upper ends of vane elements 70. Control knob 73 has a collar portion 76 which extends through the annular space 77 between the inner centerpost structure 62 and cap structure 67 for connection to worm gear 74. By rotating control knob 73, warm gear 74 will cause gear racks 75 and vane elements 70 to move inwardly or outwardly, depending on the direction of rotation of control knob 73.

Inner centerpost structure 62 acts as a bearing surface for rotation of worm gear 74 and control knob 73. Atop the centerpost is secured a splined cap member 78 which serves the dual function of preventing fluid from entering the splined core 61, and providing a frictional mating surface for supporting and driving filter pan 43. Vane elements 70 may be made of any suitable material and, in the preferred embodiment of my device, are made relatively flexible at the outer ends thereof so as to provide a gentle agitation to the fabrics within the basket 11.

As was previously mentioned, the agitator of my invention is particularly adapted for use on automatic clothes washers wherein it is desirable to provide an agitator having a variable vane area which may be increased for heavy durable wash loads and decreased for delicate light loads. From the foregoing description it should now be apparent that the present invention, by providing adjustable vane elements which may be extended or retracted along an arcuate trajectory outwardly and downwardly from the agitator centerpost, provides such a desired feature with the advantage of a significantly wider range of settings than those of most prior art devices.

As will be evident from the foregoing description certain aspects of the invention are not limited to the particular details of the construction of the example illustrated, and it is contemplated that various other modifications or applications will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, intended to cover such modifications and application as do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An agitator adapted to effect the cleaning of fabrics in a washing machine or similar device having a liquid and fabric receiving container and a drive mechanism, the agitator comprising:

a centerpost for mounting generally vertically within the container, said centerpost being adapted for connection to the drive mechanism;

a plurality of arcuate vanes secured to a said centerpost for rotation and oscillation therewith, said vanes extending outwardly therefrom to deliver power to the liquid and fabrics within the container, each of said vanes having an opening at the outer end thereof;

a plurality of arcuate extensible vane elements, each of said vane elements being housed within a separate one of said vanes and adapted for extension through said openings in said vanes;

adjusting means disposed adjacent and upper portion of said centerpost to simultaneously move each of said vane elements inwardly or outwardly through said vane openings; and

said adjustment means comprising a rack of gear teeth formed integrally with the upper end of each of said a vane elements and an adjustment control knob concentrically positioned about the upper end of said centerpost,

said control knob having a depending worm gear adapted to cooperate simultaneously with each of said racks of said gear teeth; whereby rotation of said control knob in one direction will cause the outward extension of said vane elements through said openings and rotation in the opposite direction will cause retraction of said vane elements. 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein each of said vane elements are relatively flexible.

Claims

1. An agitator adapted to effect the cleaning of fabrics in a washing machine or similar device having a liquid and fabric receiving container and a drive mechanism, the agitator comprising: a centerpost for mounting generally vertically within the container, said centerpost being adapted for connection to the drive mechanism; a plurality of arcuate vanes secured to a said centerpost for rotation and oscillation therewith, said vanes extending outwardly therefrom to deliver power to the liquid and fabrics within the container, each of said vanes having an opening at the outer end thereof; a plurality of arcuate extensible vane elements, each of said vane elements being housed within a separate one of said vanes and adapted for extension through said openings in said vanes; adjusting means disposed adjacent and upper portion of said centerpost to simultaneously move each of said vane elements inwardly or outwardly through said vane openings; and said adjustment means comprising a rack of gear teeth formed integrally with the upper end of each of said a vane elements and an adjustment control knob concentrically positioned about the upper end of said centerpost, said control knob having a depending worm gear adapted to cooperate simultaneously with each of said racks of said gear teeth; whereby rotation of said control knob in one direction will cause the outward extension of said vane elements through said openings and rotation in the opposite direction will cause retraction of said vane elements.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein each of said vane elements are relatively flexible.