JPH0327237B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a liquid solution that can reliably dispense a liquid such as a fabric softener at the time of rinsing after a predetermined spin cycle when washing, rinsing, draining, spin drying, etc. are automatically carried out in a dehydrating and dehydrating washing machine. This relates to an automatic loading device.

Conventionally, a balancer for vibration suppression is provided in a washing and dehydration tank, and a charging container with a removable injection tray is provided on the balancer, and centrifugal force during the dehydration process sequentially causes the holding chamber in the charging container to rotate when stopped. Some devices are configured to move a liquid agent such as a softening agent into a time holding chamber or the like and to put the liquid agent therein at the time of rinsing. However, the charging container must be provided with a holding chamber during stoppage and a holding chamber during rotation, depending on the number of dehydration steps in the middle, and as a result, the charging container has a large volume, is large and heavy, and is heavy during injection. It was not easy to use, such as attaching and detaching it to the balancer and the balancer, and the material cost was high, leading to an increase in costs. Therefore, a method of integrally forming all the holding chambers during stoppage, holding chamber during rotation, softener receiving tray, etc. in the balancer was considered, but it is easier to use by fixing the injection portion such as the receiving tray to the balancer. It's bad. Further, a charging container which is made smaller and lighter by being composed of only the saucer and one holding chamber during stoppage is removably attached to the balancer, and the remaining holding chamber during rotation and holding chamber during stoppage are integrally formed with the balancer. A method was also considered.
However, there are various problems in the connection between the stop-time holding chamber of the charging container and the rotation-time holding chamber in the balancer, which have prevented its realization.

The present invention solves this problem and provides a device for dispensing liquids such as fabric softeners, which comprises a small and lightweight dispensing container and a balancer.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows an example of a single-tub centrifugal dehydrating washing machine.
1 is an outer box, 2 is a washing/dehydrating tank, and 3 is a water receiving tank. Laundry and detergent are put into the washing and dewatering tank 2, the time switch 4 is operated, the water supply valve 5 is opened, and water is injected through the water supply hose 6. When a certain amount of water enters, the motor 7 rotates the pulsator 10 via the pulley 8 and belt 9 to perform cleaning. After that, the drain valve 11 is opened to drain the water, and then the rotational drive of the motor 7 is transmitted to the washing and dehydration tank 2 by the washing and dehydration switching mechanism section 16, which is rotated to perform dewatering by centrifugal force. In order to dampen the vibrations during dehydration, the vibration system is suspended from the outer box 1 by several hanging rods 13 via a vibration damper 12.

After dehydrating, pour water again, rinse, drain,
Perform dehydration. Repeat this rinse cycle several times, then dehydrate at the end. These operations are automatically performed using the time switch 4.

On the other hand, if you want a soft finish, you will need to add a fabric softener during the final rinse.
In this embodiment, a part of the balancer 14 fixed to the washing and dehydrating tank 2 and containing salt water etc. is integrally
A charging container 15 that forms part of an automatic charging mechanism for softening agent, etc., and also becomes a part of the automatic charging mechanism.
is detachably attached to the balancer 14, thereby improving the ease of adding the softener without interrupting the process from washing to dehydration.

Figures 2 to 7 explain the related structure and operation of the container 15 for feeding softener, etc. and the balancer 14, and in the figures, a indicates the direction of spin rotation of the washing and spin-drying tub 2. and b indicates a liquid such as a fabric softener.

Reference numeral 15 denotes the above-mentioned input container, which has a saucer portion 17 with an injection hole 18 formed in the center, and the softening agent and the like are poured into the holding chamber A20 at the time of stoppage. The charging container 15 is detachably attached to the balancer 14 by means of a hook 19. During dehydration rotation of the holding chamber at stop A20, the holding chamber at stop A20 is farthest from the center of rotation.
A substantially rectangular cylinder or a substantially cylindrical cylinder communicating with the outside is provided on the outside of the side wall constituting the space on the opposite side of the dehydration rotation direction (the left side in this example) when the volume of is divided into two by the vertical plane Y including the dehydration rotation axis. A pipe 21 was provided as a discharge port. When the input container 15 is attached to the balancer 14, the pipe 21 is inserted into the communication port A22 provided in the side wall of the rotating holding chamber A23 formed in the balancer 14 corresponding to the pipe 21, and the holding when stopped is performed. chamber A20 and the holding chamber A2 during rotation.
3 are connected (Figure 7). On the other hand, in the balancer 14, a passageway 26 filled with salt water, etc. is formed, and a part thereof includes the holding chamber A23 during rotation and the holding chamber during stoppage, which constitute a part of the feeding mechanism for softening agent, etc. B24, a rotation holding chamber B25, etc. are formed, and are partitioned from the water passage 26 by a partition wall A28 and a partition wall B29. Moreover, the holding chamber A23 during rotation, by the partition wall C30 and the partition wall D31
Three chambers are formed: a holding chamber during stop B24 and a holding chamber during rotation B25.

A communication port A22 and a communication port B32, which is a cutout hole provided in a part of the partition wall port 31, an outlet port A27, which is a cutout in a part of the partition wall C30, and an outflow port B33, which communicates the outside of the balancer 14 with the holding chamber B25 during rotation.
Accordingly, the rotation holding chamber B23, the stop holding chamber B24, and the rotation holding chamber B25 communicate with the outside. Reference numeral 34 denotes a partition E, which incompletely partitions the outflow port B33 and the rotation holding chamber B25.

With the above configuration, the input container 15
is attached to the balancer 14 and used as an automatic loading device.

Next, the operating principle of this automatic loading device will be explained. First, when the input container 15 is removed from the balancer 14 and a softener or the like is poured into the saucer 17 of the input container 15, it falls through the injection hole 18 into the stop holding chamber A20 and then accumulates therein. This charging container 15 is attached to the balancer 14, and the pipe 21 is inserted into the communication port A22 of the balancer 14 as shown in FIG. During washing, the fabric softener and the like remain held in the holding chamber A20 when the input container 15 is stopped. This state is shown in FIG. 5A. When the water is drained and the washing/dehydration tank 2 starts rotating for centrifugal dehydration, the balancer 14 and the input container 15 also rotate at the same time. When it rotates, centrifugal force acts on the fabric softener, etc., and when the input container 15 is stopped and the holding chamber A20 rotates for dehydration, it is pressed against the wall farthest from the center of rotation, but until the dehydration rotation speed reaches the steady circuit number. In addition to the centrifugal force, the softening agent and the like in the holding chamber A20 at the time of stop are subjected to an inertial force in a direction opposite to the dehydration rotation direction a. In particular, immediately after the start of dehydration, the rate of increase in the dehydration rotational speed is large and the acceleration is large, so the fabric softener, etc., receives a large inertial force in the opposite direction to the rotation direction, and as shown in Figure 6A, the dehydration Tilt so that the liquid level in the direction of rotation is higher.

Immediately after the start of dehydration, the centrifugal force is weak because the dehydration rotation speed is low, and the softener, etc. is tilted so that the liquid level in contact with the wall furthest from the center of rotation is higher, as shown in Figure 7. While the liquid is flowing into pipe 2
1 and moves to the rotation holding chamber A23. The softening agent, etc. in the holding chamber A20 during stoppage is immediately transferred to the holding chamber A23 during rotation as soon as the dehydration rotation starts.
If the laundry shifts to an unbalanced position during steady rotation, the center of centrifugal force exerted on the liquid such as fabric softener will be in the washing and dehydrating tub 2, as shown in Figure 5E. Because it is shifted from the center of rotation of
The free surface of the liquid thus formed forms a rounded surface centered on an axis different from the rotation center of the washing and dehydrating tub 2.

Therefore, there are cases where the liquid does not move from the pipe 21 and remains in the holding chamber A20 at the time of stoppage. For this purpose, a pipe 21 is provided in the stop holding chamber A20.
It is necessary to form the shape of the wall into an R plane that can be drawn around an axis that is different from the dehydration rotation axis and is the center of the free plane of the liquid in an assumed unbalanced state. The greater the unbalance, the further apart this axis is from the dehydration rotating shaft, and the R surface of the stop holding chamber A20 becomes misaligned with the inner circumferential wall of the balancer 14. becomes abnormal. Therefore, the assumed unbalance that determines the R surface cannot be made too large. Therefore,
When the imbalance is large, poor movement of the liquid tends to occur. However, as mentioned above, when starting dehydration, the inertial force acts on the liquid in addition to the centrifugal force, so
If you use this inertial force to move the liquid, even if the direction of the centrifugal force is misaligned with the dehydration rotation axis,
Liquid can move. According to FIG. 6A, since the inertial force acts on the anti-dehydration rotation direction side and the liquid level becomes high, if the pipe 21 is formed on the anti-dehydration rotation side of the stop holding chamber A20 as in this embodiment, The liquid quickly moves to the holding chamber A23 during rotation. On the other hand, if the pipe 21 is formed on the side in the dehydration rotation direction, that is, on the side opposite to the inertial force direction, the liquid will be difficult to move. This is shown in FIG. 6B.

In addition, if the laundry in the washing/spinner tank 2 is in a very unbalanced state during spin-drying, the centrifugal force due to spin rotation will act as a large unbalanced force on the washing/spinners tank 2, which is dangerous. Then, turn off the power to the motor and stop spinning. Generally, this has a structure in which a safety switch detects the amount of wobbling of the washing/dehydrating tub 2 at the start of dehydration, and immediately stops rotation and applies a brake. The dehydration rotation speed at this time is 50 to 100 rpm, and although it depends on the structure of the stop holding chamber A20, generally the liquid starts to move from the stop holding chamber A20 to the rotation holding chamber A23 at 100 to 200 rpm. When the safety switch is actuated, liquid is in the hold chamber A20 at shutdown. At this point, when the dewatering rotation is suddenly stopped and the brake is applied, the rotation of the input container 15 is also stopped, and the liquid in the holding chamber A20 at the time of stop is subjected to inertia in the direction of the dehydration rotation as shown in FIG. 6C. As a result, the liquid level becomes higher in the direction of dehydration rotation. If the pipe 21 is provided on the anti-dehydration rotation direction side as in this embodiment, the liquid level will be below the pipe 21 and the liquid will not move to the holding chamber A23 during rotation, but as shown in FIG. 6D. If the pipe 21 is provided on the side in the rotational direction of dehydration, if the liquid level rises to the level of the pipe 21, part of the liquid will move to the holding chamber A23 during rotation. When the user corrects the unbalance of the items to be washed and restarts dehydration, some of the liquid that has moved to the holding chamber during rotation A23 is transferred to the holding chamber during stoppage B24 while the unbalance is being corrected. This results in the fabric softener being added earlier than the desired time. Therefore, the amount of fabric softener etc. that is added at the correct time is reduced and its effectiveness is diminished. Due to the dehydration rotation, the liquid transferred from the holding chamber A20 during stoppage to the holding chamber A23 during rotation through the pipe 21 is further pressed against the partition wall A28 by centrifugal force, and the softening agent etc. are transferred as shown in FIG. 5B. show.

When the dehydration rotation stops, the liquid falls to the bottom of the holding chamber A23 during rotation. On the other hand, the bottom of the rotation holding chamber A23 is different from the bottom of the stop holding chamber B24 by providing a step with the outlet A27 as a boundary, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the softening agent and the like flow out from the rotating holding chamber A23 through the outlet A27 to the stopping holding chamber B24 and are held there due to gravity. Here, water is supplied to the washing and dehydration tank 2, and the pulsator 10
rotates and a rinsing process is performed. During this time,
The softening agent and the like remain held in the holding chamber B24 during stoppage. This state is shown in FIG. 5C.

Next, when the water is drained and the water is dehydrated, the fabric softener and the like are pressed against the partition wall B29 by centrifugal force through the communication port B32 that communicates with the holding chamber B24 during stoppage and the holding chamber B25 during rotation, as described above. Remains as it is during rotation. This state is shown in FIG. 5D.

When the dehydration is completed and the dehydration stops, the partition wall B29
The fabric softener, etc. that was pressed down will fall to the bottom due to gravity. Since the bottom surface of the rotating holding chamber B25 is inclined with respect to the outlet B33, the softening agent, etc. flows into the outlet B33, and
33 communicates with the outside of the balancer 14, so the liquid flows out of the balancer 14.

Although not shown in detail here, the outlet B33 communicates with the space between the washing/dehydrating tank 2 and the water receiving tank 3, so the fabric softener, etc. flows into this space and enters the water receiving tank 3. Unlike the case where the liquid accumulates and flows directly into the washing/dehydration tank 2, care is taken to prevent the thick liquid such as fabric softener from dripping onto the laundry and the pigments of the liquid from adhering to it. As a result, the fabric softener and the like will be added to the rinse water during the next rinse.

In this embodiment, the charging container 15 has one holding chamber during stoppage, the balancer 14 has two holding chambers during rotation,
One stop holding chamber is provided, and the system consists of a total of two sets of stop holding chambers and rotating holding chambers. By configuring the number of holding chambers during stoppage and holding chambers during rotation in the balancer, it is possible to adapt to any number of dehydration cycles.

Conventionally, the communication port A22 and the communication port B32 are provided with control valves that are controlled to open and close by centrifugal force, and in order to eliminate bubbles during spin-drying after washing, the motor is energized when spin-drying is started. When using intermittent dehydration operation, when the dehydration rotation speed becomes low during dehydration and rotation, and the centrifugal force weakens, the softener, etc. pressed against the partition wall will be affected by gravity until the next stop. Some products have a mechanism to prevent the fabric softener from moving to the holding chamber when stopped, but the rotation speed at which the softener, etc. pressed against the partition wall moves to the holding chamber when stopped is 100 to 200 rpm, so the rotation speed may drop below that. By shortening the time during which the motor is de-energized, the control valve becomes unnecessary, and the problem of malfunction of the control valve is eliminated. becomes easier,
Material costs and assembly man-hours can also be reduced.

Considering the ease of use of the input container 15, if the size of the input container 15 is made so small that it is necessary to fill it with softening agent, etc., to its full capacity, it is difficult to use the input container 15 in order to increase the strength of the soft finish. In this case, there is not enough space and it becomes impossible to set an extra amount of fabric softener. Also, if the volume is increased to make it too large, it will be advantageous in terms of ease of use as mentioned above, but the container will be too large and difficult to hold. If you use a storage container or a measuring device containing fabric softener, etc., and pour the fabric softener etc. into the input container, it will be difficult to perform such operations.

Therefore, the capacity of the loading container should be large enough to hold at least half of the container's volume during normal use (when the washing machine is used for normal washing, and when the washing machine has a normal level of fabric softening). It's the best. If the inertial force is extremely large when about half of the fabric softener etc. is poured into the input container with the above-mentioned capacity, the liquid level at the start of dehydration will be as shown in Figure 6E. The effective formation position of the pipe 21 is the holding chamber 20 during stoppage.
It is better to use a side wall that constitutes the space on the opposite side of the rotation direction of the dehydration, which is divided into two by the vertical plane Y having the dehydration rotation axis.

As described above, according to the present invention, by paying attention to the formation position of the discharge port of the charging container, the charging container can be made smaller and lighter, and moreover, the liquid can be dispensed without using complicated means such as a valve mechanism. It is possible to provide a low-cost automatic liquid dispensing device that is easy to use, has stable quality, and can be dispensed accurately at a desired time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a washing machine with a dehydrating function according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the main part of the balance ring with the liquid agent input container removed, and Fig. 3 is the main part of the same. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the flow path of the liquid, and FIG. 5A is a diagram showing the location of the liquid during water supply, washing, and drainage.
Figure B shows the location of the liquid during the first dehydration;
Figure C shows the location of the liquid during water supply and rinsing.
Figure D shows the location of the liquid during the second dehydration;
Figure E shows the location of the liquid during unbalanced dehydration, and Figure 6 shows the location of the liquid in the input container.
Figure A shows the start of dehydration rotation, Figure B shows the start of the dehydration rotation when the outlet is formed in the opposite direction to Figure A, and Figure C shows the state from Figure A. A diagram showing a case where dehydration is abruptly stopped, Figure D is a diagram showing a sudden stop from the state of Figure B, Figure E is a diagram corresponding to Figure A when the inertial force is extremely large,
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the balancer and the charging container taken along the line XX in FIG. 4. 2...Washing/dehydration tank, 14...Balancer, 15...
Input container, 20...Holding chamber during stoppage, 21...Pipe (drainage port), 22...Connection port, Y...Vertical plane.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A balancer for vibration suppression is provided at the upper opening end of the washing/dehydration tank rotatably disposed inside the water receiving tank, and at least one chamber is formed in the balancer, and the balancer is provided with a flexible finish. A charging container for agent, etc. is detachably attached, and the charging container has a saucer portion, an injection hole, a discharge port, and a chamber for holding the softening agent, etc. during stoppage. The discharge port is provided in the side wall of the holding chamber during stoppage, which constitutes the space on the anti-dehydration rotation direction side of the two spaces formed by dividing the space into two on a plane, so as to communicate between the inside and outside of the input container. An automatic liquid injection device for a dehydrating and washing machine having an outlet connected to the balancer chamber.