WO2002079560A1

WO2002079560A1 - Washing machine

Info

Publication number: WO2002079560A1
Application number: PCT/JP2002/003022
Authority: WO
Inventors: Takao Kinouchi; Hiroshi Yamamoto; Yasuhiko Yokoi; Yasuaki Sonoda
Original assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2001-03-28
Filing date: 2002-03-27
Publication date: 2002-10-10
Also published as: KR20040058106A; US20040083774A1; CN1509359A; JP2002355491A

Abstract

A washing machine (10) which can handle a large eccentric load and can exhibit excellent vibration damping effect by suppressing eccentricity even if the wash is shifted to one side of a drum (30). The washing machine (10) comprises an inner tank drum (30) having a shaft center supported rotatably and a wall closed at at least one end, and a plurality of liquid storage boxes (35) formed on the outside of the closed wall of the inner tank drum (30) while opening toward the shaft center, wherein a hollow liquid storage tube (37) communicating with the liquid storage boxes (35) is provided on the circumferential surface of the inner tank drum (30).

Description

Description Washing machine Technical field

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a washing machine capable of suppressing drum vibration caused by uneven laundry. Background art

In a washing machine in which the inner drum into which laundry is put is placed sideways, the laundry may rotate in the drum in an uneven state due to centrifugal force or the like during dehydration. In this case, the weight balance of the inner drum is deteriorated, and vibration and noise are generated as the drum rotates.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, a washing machine (10) has been proposed in which a plurality of liquid storage boxes (35) (35) are provided on the closed side wall of the inner drum (30). The washing machine (10) includes a water pipe (60) for supplying tap water to the liquid storage box (35). Water is supplied from the water pipe (60) to the liquid storage box (35). The eccentric rotation of the drum is changed by changing the amount of water in the reservoir (35) according to the degree of eccentricity. <The reservoir (35) is located at the end of the drum (30). There is a limit to the size of the reservoir (35) that can be formed. For this reason, there is a problem in that the amount of water that can be stored in the liquid storage box is restricted, and the amount of eccentric load that can be balanced is limited.

Also, as shown in FIG. 10, when the laundry S is biased toward the opening side of the drum (30), the laundry S and the liquid storage box (35) are separated in the axial direction. Even if the amount of water was changed, the axis of the inner tank drum (30) oscillated, and there was a problem that eccentricity could not be sufficiently suppressed. An object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine capable of coping with a large eccentric load and suppressing eccentricity even when the laundry is skewed to one of the drums. Disclosure of the invention

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a washing machine of the present invention has an inner tub drum rotatably supported at an axis thereof and at least one end having a closed wall. A plurality of formed storage tanks opened toward the axial center;

A hollow liquid storage cylinder communicating with the liquid storage box is provided on a peripheral surface of the inner tank drum.

According to the washing machine of the present invention, by providing the liquid storage tube communicating with the liquid storage box, the liquid can be stored in the liquid storage tube. It can handle large eccentric loads.

In addition, by using the liquid storage cylinder, it is possible to balance the weight not only on the closed wall side where the liquid storage box of the inner drum is provided, but also in the longitudinal direction of the inner drum. Even when laundry is unevenly distributed at the end opposite to the provided closing wall, an excellent vibration damping effect can be exhibited. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing the entire configuration of the washing machine of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the inner drum taken along a line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the washing machine showing a state in which the weight is being balanced.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electric system of the washing machine of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing the overall configuration of a washing machine showing a different embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the inner drum taken along the line VI-VI in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the shapes of the liquid storage box and the liquid storage cylinder.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a liquid storage box and a liquid storage cylinder in which the shape of the water passage hole is changed. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of air venting.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view of a conventional washing machine. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The washing machine (10) of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing the entire configuration of the washing machine (10) of the present invention. The washing machine (10) of the present invention is configured by housing a washing tub (20) for washing, rinsing and dehydrating inside a housing (12) surrounding the outer periphery.

The washing tub (20) includes an inner tub drum (30) into which laundry is put, and an outer tub (40) covering the outer periphery of the inner tub drum (30).

The inner drum (30) has an opening (31) for loading laundry at one end, a closed end at the other end, and a rotating shaft (32) attached to the center of the outside of the closed wall. Some inner tub drums have an opening for loading laundry formed in the peripheral surface and both ends are closed. The present invention can also be applied to a washing machine using this kind of inner tub drum.

The inner tank drum (30) is supported in the outer tank (40) so that the rotating shaft (32) is rotatable. The inner tank drum (30) is supported with the rotating shaft (32) being substantially horizontal or inclined. It is desirable to be done. The rotating shaft (32) extends through the outer tub (40) to the outside of the outer tub (40), and has a pulley (33) at the end.

A plurality of dewatering holes (not shown) are formed in the inner peripheral wall of the inner tub drum (30). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, baffles (34) (34) for lifting the laundry are provided on the shaft. A plurality of projections are provided in parallel with the heart. The baffles (34) and (34) are substantially triangular in cross section in the illustrated example, and have hollow liquid storage cylinders (37) and (37) formed inside. The liquid storage cylinders (37) and (37) communicate with liquid storage boxes (35) and (35), respectively, which will be described later. The shape, size, and number of the ruffles (34) and the liquid storage cylinders (37) are not limited to the illustrated example.

As shown in Fig. 1, on the closed side of the inner tank drum (30), the storage tanks (35) (35) (35) (35) (35) ) Are formed respectively. The liquid storage box (35) is open on the rotating shaft (32) side, and the space between the liquid storage box (35) and the corresponding liquid storage cylinder (37) is opened on the closed side wall of the inner drum (30). It communicates with the drain hole (36).

The outer tank (40) is a cylindrical body having the same side as the inner tank drum (30) opened, and a lid (41) for closing the outer tank (40) is attached to the opening so as to be openable and closable. The outer tank (40) is suspended from the upper part of the housing (12) by panels (42) and (42), and the lower part is supported by dampers (43) and (43). The rotation of the inner tank drum (30) The vibrations caused by the vibration are attenuated.

The outer tub (40) is provided with a water injection pipe (not shown) for supplying water for washing to the inner tank drum (30) and a drain pipe (not shown) for draining water. The drain pipe is provided with a valve.

A motor (50) is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the outer tank (40), and is connected to the bully (33) of the inner tank drum (30) via a belt (51). When the motor (50) is rotated, the inner drum (30) rotates in the outer tank (40).

Inside the outer tank (40), a water guide pipe (60) for supplying a liquid (water in this embodiment) to the liquid storage box (35) is protruded slightly below the rotating shaft (32). . Outflow and stoppage of water from the water pipe (60) are controlled by the water supply valve (61). The water pipe (60) extends to the outside of the housing (12) and is connected to a faucet for water supply. The water pipe (60) has a tip bent downward inside the outer tub (40), and as shown in Fig. 1, Supply tap water to the storage box (35) located below the pipe (60). The water (W) supplied to the storage box (35) passes through the water hole (36). Part of the liquid flows into the liquid storage cylinder (37).

When the inner drum (30) is rotated at a low speed so that the gravity acts more strongly than the centrifugal force acting on the water (W), the liquid from the reservoir (35) passing above will be As shown in (5), water (W) in the liquid storage box (35) and the liquid storage cylinder (37) can be discharged (W ₂ ).

The washing machine (10) is provided with a sensor for detecting a bias of the laundry in the inner drum (30). An encoder (53) is used as a sensor, and the encoder (53) is arranged on the rotating shaft (32) of the inner tank drum (30) to detect uneven rotation of the inner tank drum (30). As the sensor, a vibration sensor (not shown) for detecting vibration of the outer tub (40) may be used. The vibration sensor can be composed of a magnetostrictive sensor or a mouth cell.

The electrical system of the washing machine (10) having the above configuration will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.

All control of the washing machine (10) is performed by the control means (7). The control means (7) is arranged at an appropriate place of the washing machine (10) and is constituted mainly by the microcomputer (70). The microcomputer (70) includes a CPU, a memory, an arithmetic circuit, etc., a motor drive circuit (71) for controlling the rotation of the motor (50), a water injection valve (44), a drain valve ( 45), a valve control circuit (72) for controlling the water introduction valve (61), a sensor circuit (73) for detecting a trigger pulse of the encoder (53), and the like. The microcomputer (70) calculates the rotational angular velocity of the inner tub drum (30) from the trigger pulse input from the sensor circuit (73), and detects the uneven distribution position of the laundry.

The microcomputer (70) stores the memory (not shown) that stores the washing program, the uneven distribution position of the laundry, and the optimal amount of water in the reservoir (35) and the reservoir (37). Built-in memory.

In addition, the microcomputer (70) displays the operation unit (74) that the user instructs to operate, the state of the washing machine (10), operation results, the progress of washing, the remaining time, the appropriate amount of detergent, etc. Display unit (75) is connected.

In the washing machine (10) having the above structure, the laundry is put into the inner drum (30), washed, rinsed, drained, and then dewatered.

Dewatering is performed by rotating the inner drum (30) with the drain valve-open.

The dehydration step can include a preliminary dehydration step, a weight balance correction step, and a main dehydration step.

• Pre-dehydration process

With the drain valve open, set the rotation speed of the inner drum (30) to a medium speed (a speed at which centrifugal force acts greater than gravity acting on water W, for example, 100 rpm) and rotate the drum. To carry out preliminary dehydration of the laundry S. At the same time, the water guide valve (61) of the water guide pipe (60) is opened, and as shown in FIG. 1, each of the storage boxes (35) and the storage cylinders (37) is filled with water (W,).

When the inner drum (30) is rotated, the laundry adheres to the inner surface of the inner drum (30) by centrifugal force. The unevenly distributed position of the laundry S is detected by detecting a pulse of the encoder (53). If the uneven distribution of the laundry is within the allowable range, the following processing may not be performed.

• Weight balance correction process

After detecting the uneven distribution position of the laundry S, as shown in FIG. 3, the water (W) inside the liquid storage cylinder (37) and the storage box (35) corresponding to the uneven distribution position is reduced, and the weight balance is reduced. Are approximately equal. To reduce the water in the reservoir (35) and the reservoir (37), reduce the rotation of the motor (50) when the reservoir (35) corresponding to the eccentric position passes above. Then, rotate the inner drum (30) at a low speed (for example, 40 rpm). Drop. By slowing the rotation of the motor (50), water (W ₂ ) falls from the reservoir (35) passing above, and the amount of water in the reservoir (35) and the reservoir (37) is reduced. decrease.

While referring to the pulse of the encoder (53), until the weight balance is substantially equal, drain the water in the corresponding reservoir (37) and reservoir (35) so that the motor (50) Control.

When the weight balance of the inner tank drum (30) becomes substantially equal, the dehydration process starts. If the weight balance is not substantially uniform even if all the water in the corresponding liquid storage cylinder (37) and liquid storage box (35) is discharged, the rotation of the inner drum (30) is temporarily stopped. The dehydration may be stopped and returned to the preliminary dehydration step again, or an error may be displayed on the display unit (75) to stop the dehydration.

• Main dewatering process

After correcting the weight balance of the inner drum (30), the rotation of the motor (50) is increased so that the inner drum (30) is rotated at a high speed (for example, 1000 rpm). Due to the high-speed rotation of the inner drum (30), the water content of the laundry is discharged from the dewatering hole to the outer tub (40), and dewatering is performed. Since the weight balance has been corrected, the vibration generated due to the rotation of the inner drum (30) can be reduced.

After dehydration, when the rotation of the motor (50) is stopped, the inner drum (30) rotates while gradually decelerating due to inertia. Water falls and is discharged.

Example 2>

A different embodiment of the liquid storage cylinder (37) will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the liquid storage cylinder (37) of this embodiment is inclined so that the closed wall side of the inner drum (30) approaches the axis of the inner drum (30). It was formed. In accordance with the inclination of the liquid storage cylinder (37), the baffle (34) is also formed so that the closed wall side is inclined so as to approach the axis of the inner tank drum (30). As described above, by inclining the water hole (36) side of the liquid storage cylinder (37) toward the axis of the inner tank drum (30), the inflow of liquid into the liquid storage cylinder (37) can be prevented. Also, since the liquid can be efficiently discharged from the inside of the liquid storage cylinder (37), the weight balance of the inner drum (30) can be adjusted in a shorter time than in the first embodiment. Can be.

Example 3>

A preferred embodiment of the shape of the liquid storage box (35) and the water hole (36) will be described. • Shape of reservoir

As shown in FIG. 7, the liquid storage box (35) can have a shape in which the axial center side of the inner drum (30) is shrunken. It is desirable to form a lid (35b) in a part of the opening (35a) so that water does not spill from the reservoir (35) more than necessary. The lid (35b) is preferably formed on the rotation direction side of the inner tank drum (30), and an L-shaped lid can be exemplified.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, by forming the cut (35c) in the opening of the liquid storage box (35), the efficiency of drainage from the liquid storage box (35) can be improved.

, Shape of water hole

As shown in FIG. 7, the water hole (36) communicating the liquid storage box (35) and the liquid storage cylinder (37) can be formed from a pipe body (37a).

Also, as shown in FIG. 8, one end of the liquid storage cylinder (37) is opened almost entirely, and an opening (37a) corresponding to the opening (37a) of the liquid storage cylinder (37) is formed at the connection part of the liquid storage box (35). 35d) can be opened and the storage cylinder (37) and the opening (37a) (35d) of the storage box (35) can be directly connected to each other. In this case, the amount of liquid flowing between the liquid storage box (35) and the liquid storage cylinder (37) can be increased as compared with the above pipe connection, so that the weight balance adjustment of the inner drum (30) can be shortened. It can be done in time.

• Installation of silencer

As shown in Fig. 7, liquid flows through the reservoir (35) inside the reservoir (35). It is desirable to form a noise reduction plate (38) in order to reduce noise generated when the noise is generated. As shown in FIG. 7, the sound deadening plate (38) can be composed of a plate having a plurality of holes (38a) (38a). The sound deadening plate (38) can be formed, for example, at the lower part of the lid (35b) so as not to obstruct the flow of the liquid into and out of the liquid storage box (35).

The noise reduction plate (38) can reduce the generation of noise due to the flow of liquid when adjusting the weight balance of the inner tank drum (30).

• Installation of air vents

In order to increase the efficiency of liquid flow to the liquid storage cylinder (37), it is desirable to provide a liquid storage cylinder (37) and an air vent (39) extending from the inside to the outside as shown in FIG. 39) can be formed from a tube as shown in FIG. The tube body can be made of a flexible material, and is arranged so that one end communicates with the liquid storage cylinder (37) and the other end comes out of the opening (35a) of the liquid storage box (35). It is desirable to do. The air vent may be provided between the closed side of the liquid storage cylinder (37) and the outside.

When the liquid flows into the liquid storage cylinder (37), the air inside the liquid storage cylinder (37) is discharged through the air vent (39), so that the air flows into the liquid storage cylinder (37). It will not stop and prevent the flow of liquid. Further, when the liquid inside the liquid storage cylinder (37) is discharged, air is sent into the liquid storage cylinder (37) through the air vent (39), so that the liquid can be discharged efficiently.

In each of the above embodiments, the liquid storage cylinder (37) is formed inside the baffle (34). However, the liquid storage cylinder (37) may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inner tank drum (30). it can. In this case, the baffle (34) may be formed as needed.

Further, the liquid storage cylinder (37) is preferably formed to be at least half the length of the inner tank drum (37), and is formed over the entire length of the inner tank drum (37) in the longitudinal direction. Most desired. In the above embodiment, water is exemplified as the liquid to be charged into the liquid storage box (35) and the liquid storage cylinder (37), but other liquids may be used. In this case, the weight balance can be controlled more effectively by using an aqueous solution of calcium chloride (specific gravity 1.3) having a specific gravity higher than that of water.

The description of the above embodiments is for the purpose of illustrating the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention described in the claims or reducing the scope thereof. The configuration of each part of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the technical scope described in the claims. Industrial applicability

As described above, the present invention can cope with a large eccentric load and is useful as a washing machine having an excellent vibration damping effect.

Claims

An inner drum having a shaft wall rotatably supported and having a closed wall at least one end of which is closed;

A plurality of liquid storage boxes formed outside the closed wall of the inner tank drum and opened toward the axis;

A washing machine comprising: a hollow liquid storage cylinder that communicates with the liquid storage box on a peripheral surface of the inner tank drum.

The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the liquid storage cylinder is formed parallel to an axis of the inner tub drum.

2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the liquid storage cylinder is formed such that the closed wall side is inclined so as to approach the axis of the inner tank drum.

4. A baffle for lifting up the laundry in parallel with the axial direction is formed on an inner peripheral wall of the inner tub drum, and the liquid storage cylinder is formed inside the baffle. Washing machine as described in Crab.

The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the liquid storage cylinder is provided with an air vent to assist inflow and discharge of the liquid to and from the liquid storage cylinder. The washing machine according to claim 5, wherein the air vent is a tube body, one end of which communicates with the inside of the liquid storage cylinder, and the other end of which comes out of the opening of the liquid storage box. 7. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the liquid storage box is provided with a lid at a part of an opening opened toward an axis of the inner tank drum. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the and the liquid storage cylinder communicate with each other via a pipe body.

The liquid storage cylinder has an opening on the whole side of the closed wall, and the storage box has an opening that can be connected to the entire opening of the liquid storage cylinder. Any of claims 1 to 7 wherein the liquid box communicates The washing machine described in Crab.

10. The washing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a muffler for reducing noise generated when the liquid flows is formed inside the liquid storage box.